John
Wayne is hands down my favorite movie star of all time. The swagger, the walk,
the voice, the presence ... all
combine into a mish-mash of screen glory. An odd result for someone who never
set out to be a movie star. Born Marion Morrison, Wayne wanted to be a football
star, but those dreams were sidelined by an injury early on. He found stunts
fun in the movie business, and slowly graduated to bit parts and eventually
starring roles in B-movies. Then B+ movies. Then he met director John Ford and
his star took off like a rocket. It was only then he became John Wayne.
Author
Eyman is in love with his subject, as so many biographers are, but it doesn’t
prevent an honest look at Wayne’s life and career. Readers are taken through
Wayne’s slow burn to superstardom; his several marriages (including his second
to a Mexican prostitute), his affairs with many of his leading ladies, the
facts of his failure to serve in WWII and a good look at his generous and larger
than life personality. His years-long dalliance with Marlene Dietrich was a
surprise. She saw him in a studio cafeteria one day and said to her agent, “Daddy,
I want that!” She got it, and they did several movies together.
As
with Elvis Presley, Wayne had so many financial commitments and kept so many
people working, he was forced to take one job after the next to keep the
enterprise rolling. Both celebrities were so busy chasing cheap, easy projects,
they missed prospective gems. Especially galling was the failed project
featuring Wayne as an aging rancher and Clint Eastwood as a young cowboy,
fighting against an evil land baron. That would have been fun, but Wayne
thought it too violent and the project faded away.
I
saw The Spoilers recently, a 1942
gold rush story with Wayne, Randolph Scott and Dietrich as the love interest.
The film was good and Wayne did a good job. However, he wasn’t yet John Wayne. Movie star Wayne was totally
comfortable in his skin. This was an actor learning his craft. Although it was
good to see Wayne throw back his head for a loud belly laugh, something the
actor rarely did as a movie star.
Early
in his career, John Wayne’s screen persona was everyone’s best friend. Then he became everyone’s
older brother. Then everyone’s dad and finally everyone’s loveable grandpa. His
star never tarnished and he is still a top favorite movie star all over the
world. John Wayne: A Life fills in
many knowledge gaps about the star’s rise and struggle to stay on top. I could
have used a lot more anecdotes and “making of” stories of individual films,
especially my favorite Wayne film, Big
Jake (followed closely by North to
Alaska and The Quiet Man), but
perhaps that will be another volume. This book is about the man, and does an outstanding
job showing that man, warts and all.
Rating:
****½ stars out of 5
