John Wayne Celebrated on 100th Birthday.

[Johnboy60]

NEW YORK

On the 100th anniversary of John Wayne's birth, the Duke still swaggers through the American psyche as not just an actor, but a patriot — his centennial spawning fond remembrance, and perhaps a few small protests on the side.


Wayne's legacy is unique because of the dual perspectives that pervade his memory. Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Garry Wills, who wrote ''John Wayne's America'' in 1997, described Wayne as ''the most popular movie star ever, but also the most polarizing.''


It could be argued that no other film actor has ever come to symbolize so many things: rugged masculinity, the frontier, even America itself. The Duke has remained, in the truest sense, an icon.

http://www.happynews.com/news/5232007/john-wayne-celebrated-100th-birthday.htm

 

[Billnew]

The Duke's century.

 

[Wolseley]

I like John Wayne's movies; my wife loves them. (She has probably watched Rio Lobo at least 25 times since we've been married.)

I myself like The Sands of Iwo Jima; you could put it into a set with Battle Cry and have a good afternoon's entertainment.

Not everybody agrees. I remember being at a family reunion some years ago when somebody said that John Wayne was "an American hero", and one of my cousins, a Vietnam vet who'd spent some nasty days and nights in the Iron Triangle, barked, "No, he was not! John Wayne was a movie actor who portrayed American heroes!"

Still, he didn't do bad for himself---he was, after all, a stage janitor named Marion, sweeping a floor when John Ford discovered him.

 

[Goatboy]

Never been a big fan of the Duke, Lee Marvin now…

I always smile when watching “The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance”.

You have John Wayne, playing the ‘real’ hero whose good deeds another man claims.

Jimmy Stuart, the coward who makes a political career off of those actions.

And Lee Marvin, the eponymous Liberty Vallance, a violent bully.

Now one of those actors spent the Second World War in the USAF, flying combat missions, was decorated, another was in the Marines, saw friends die on the beaches of the pacific isles, was himself wounded in combat…

…and one spent the war making propaganda movies.

Anyone not know which was which?

Anyway, I won’t deny I’ve enjoyed several of his movies and at least I can take comfort that his jingoism is now (officially) antique.

(& also, though I don’t think he intended it to be, his comment on his second diagnosis of cancer is one of the funniest things I ever heard).

Happy Birthday Marion.

 

[Rochir]

James Stewart was the better actor!

 

[Rochir]

James Stewart was the better actor!

 

[Wolseley]

Now one of those actors spent the Second World War in the USAF, flying combat missions, was decorated

Jimmy Stewart. Drafted in March 1941 as a private in the Army Air Forces, nine months before Pearl Harbor. He served as a training officer in fighters in California, then went to England in 1943, serving first with the 703rd Bombardment Squadron, and later with the 453rd Bombardment Squadron, then finally with the 2nd Combat Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force. After the war, he stayed in the Air Force Reserve, being protmoted to brigadier general in 1959; he retired from the Air Force in 1968.

another was in the Marines, saw friends die on the beaches of the pacific isles, was himself wounded in combat

Lee Marvin. Enlisted in the Marine Corps, and assigned to the 5th Marine Division. He served as a sniper and advanced to the rank of Private First Class. He was wounded during the invasion of Saipan in June 1944, when a Japanese bullet severed his sciatic nerve. he was hospitalized for 13 months, and recieved a medical discharge. He was one of only nine survivors out of his original unit. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetary.

…and one spent the war making propaganda movies.

John Wayne. In his defense, he tried to enlist in the Navy numerous times, but was classified 4-F because of an old ankle injury he incurred while playing football while he was at the University of Southern California. Unable to actually serve himself, he compensated by making war movies.

Incidentally, if you research actors from the 1950's through the 1970's, you'll be astounded at how many of them served in the armed forces. A small, and by no means, comprehensive list:

James Garner (the Rockford Files); Army, Korean War

Eddie Albert (Green Acres); Navy, WWII

James Arness (Marshal Dillon of Gunsmoke); Army, WWII, wounded at Anzio, Italy---he lost part of his lower leg to enemy fire and walked with a limp for the rest of his life

Raymond Burr (Perry Mason); Navy, WWII

Russell Johnson (the Professor on Gilligan's Island); Air Force, WWII, AF Reserve until 1957

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (The FBI); Army, WWII

Other names you might recognize include Don Adams, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Art Carney, Tony Curtis, Alan Hale, Brian Keith, Steve McQueen, Burgess Meredith, Carroll O'Connor, Don Rickles, James Whitmore, and many others. All of these guys served in World War II. Humphrey Bogart served in the Navy during World War I, and tried to enlist during World War II, but was turned down because of his age.

You can find a more comprehensive list here: http://www.jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/military/actors_in_wwii.html

Why do I mention this? To point out the difference between actors then, and actors now. How many actors these days do you see enlisting in the armed forces?

Not too many. What you get these days are pinko loudmouths like Ben Affleck who wouldn't lift a finger to do anything for his country, let alone defend it.