John Wayne
once eloquently stated that the cowboy's "way of life and earthy approach to survival
have been an inspiration to kids and grown ups in all nations of the world." True to
the letter, I myself was raised on Westerns -- in England. In fact, one of the first
movies I ever saw was Billy the Kid. I sat in the "circle" with my
father. I have enjoyed Westerns ever since.
Of course, Duke wasn't referring to the Kid, or anybody like him. In
John Wayne's "Old West," the unprincipled reprobates are forever vanquished.
It's that rugged individualism, that sense of leadership and responsibility, and that
honesty, that always kept us rooting for Duke and wanting to emulate his way of life.
As he is renown for portraying men of character and integrity, John
Wayne's "good guy" hero continues to transcend a sublime feeling about the
West, and about America.
Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, and Clint Eastwood, brilliant
artists all, have given us paradigmatic Westerns like The Westerner, Once Upon a Time
in the West, Winchester '73, and The Outlaw- Josey Wales, respectively. Yet,
when the Duke immortalized his role as the Ringo Kid in John Ford's classic Stagecoach
(1939), the world would forever know John Wayne............................... |
