John Wayne was a man of his time. He would be saddened to see how all of our freedoms are gradually being taken away, and by our own governments not by some enemy dictatorship. The words his character speaks resonante to anyone of or over a certain age because we can remember when those who did not harm or detrimentally interfer with anyone else were allowed to live in freedom and make their own choices. Not here, not now! Thanks for the memories.
@booboo9993 I'm glad for someone your age understands what it means to be an American.Your parents taught you well.Just be proud.You are our future of this country.
John Wayne was NO racist - he was a warrior for the rights of Native Americans and the Hispanic community. Read a book before stating an opinion on something you clearly know nothing about.
@bconti 1. I don't live in Ohio. I live in Nebraska. 2. I've been to various parts of the country. 3. I study other cultures on my free time when I can. 4. But none of that matters because no matter how much I learn and no matter how many people I meet, most of which are also proud to live here despite all the faults, I'n still proud to be an American. 5. You're the one coming up with a preconcieved prejudice about me and you call me a baka? right...
"...Not to cower in security but be a man and do what's right to fight tyranny..." We don't have to wonder what Marion Morrison aka John Wayne would do - he dodged the draft in WWII.
Ron you're somewhat mistaken. John Wayne tried to join the Navy. He was told he was too important in the war effort at home. The studio didn't let him go to dangerous areas because he made them so much money.
Tim, facts are important. John Wayne did lose a lung and two ribs due to cancer surgery. But be realistic, WW2 was fought by patriotic Americans between 1941 and 1945, John Wayne's cancer surgery was in 1964. Eleven years after the war had been won. Please John Wayne was a great actor and I respect him for his performance's. Don't forget John Wayne's draft notice went unanswered and eligible age was 18 to 45 years old although some like John Ford won extensions allowing them to serve.
You get to know an actor by the work that they do. John Wayne never did Anti-American work. As far as I know he always did work that showed the greatness of America. And yes, America is great. We're still the last and best hope the world has for freedom, peace and democracy. And yes we'll be here to safe Europe's ass, when they need us again. America; saving Europe's ass since 1917.
Well I have my opinion of the man and it's very high, neither of us is going to sway the others opinion. So we'll just have to agree to disagree, That's what's great about freedom. One persons hero is not anothers.
Never was old enough to seem him still alive but my parents really taught me to love the Duke in his movies. I hold JW very dear to my heart. His movies were a big part of our family night's. He was my moms most favorite actor of all time. We have a lot family memories surrounding John Wayne. God Bless John Way.
@SSRogue88 Exactly, how could he or anyone for that matter be expected to ruin his career to be some buck private? He made the right choice, the choice anyone in there right mind would have made.
I think you're read more into my comment than what is intended. And I know that it's a popular ploy to label a dissenting opinion as "unAmerican". But actually I am proud to be American and I'm very pro American. I just don't understand why the Duke gets all the glory when scores of other actors went to war and did heroic deed and hardly get any recognition for their sacrifices. But Wayne is labeled an American hero just for reading a script.
guys i was looking for a john wayne movie where he was a marine and they use the marine him To the Shores of Tripoli if anybody can help me find it? or a civil war movie i can't remember i only know the him and seein him turn around and walk away (was in black and white)
Never was old enough to seem him still alive but my parents really taught me to love the Duke in his movies. Though I am a Democrat, the ideas that were brought to bear by our founding fathers have lost their touch a bit. John Wayne is just about as American as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Ben Franklin. It's rather sad that both Liberals and Conservatives fight over politics when America needs to get back on her feet to help lead the world in trying times here in this century.
@fiddynh It's not that I can't see where you're coming from. But this country is and has been ruled by a powerful elite, cowering behind the scenes. Patriotism, the "American Dream" which should be named the "CEO's dream", and all the values the media pumps into peoples heads are for a reason. I respect you. If you're in your 70's, you probably fought in wars for your country, and a stupid youtube comment won't matter to you. But the men you were fighting for, and against, are on the same side.
WE NEED MORE SENATORS , AND CONGRESS MEMBERS WHO BELIEVE IN AMERICA LIKE DUKE WAYNE , A TRUE AMERICAN. IF WE DID HAVE MEN , AND WOMEN IN CONGRESS AND IN THE PRESIDENCY....AMERICA WOULD NOT BE IN THIS STATE OF UNCERTAINTY OF THE PRESENT !!!!!
I am sorry, but I cannot see my original remark that prompted this robust reply. Please refresh my memory -- and be sure to check in with me about the right bars, restaurants and casas rurales the next time you make the trip here to the Kingdom of Spain.
@blaw133 And you will also notice that these cities you describe are run by liberal Democrats who preach and practice the type of policies that you and other European socialists love to lecture the rest of the world on. You can keep your policies.
Even if John Wayne was not perfect (who is ?), he was a great man and one can feel it - there is this charisma coming out of him, this quiet strength, and also he has a calming effect on people - a rare human being !
U know it was wrong of people to spit on the soldiers who came home from Vietnam and it's still wrong to negatively comment about a person when there dead. Dude he's been dead for like 48 years or somethin. Let It Go People
And what about John McCain's service to his country? You want to talk about a real American hero who ran for President? Kerry couldn't carry McCain's cartridge belt!
It has recently been discovered that Glenn Miller's aircraft was flying to France lower than bombers that were returning to England from a bombing run, and the bombers dropped the bombs they hadn't been able to drop on their target, so they dropped them, as usual, in the English Channel, so the bombs they dropped fell on Glenn Miller's aircraft!!!! It was TOO DANGEROUS for the bombers to land with their bombs, so they dropped them over the English Channel on top of Miller's aircraft!!!!!!
I think you're WRONG about Duke. Duke took stands that were unpopular with the liberal movie critics, and he "paid a price" for it!!!! The "liberal" critics HATED him for his patriotic stance when it was "popular" with the "cool liberal people" to criticize the US and say the US was HORRIBLE!!!! After John Kennedy sent troops to Vietnam, his attitude was, "If we have troops on foreign soil, we SUPPORT the TROOPS!!!!!" He was ALWAYS first and foremost a patriot!!!!!
@Coolmans24 I read in a biography that he had signed a new contract a film company and was threatened with law suit if he enlisted. To famous for the military to use him as anything but USO postings. Several well known actors enlisted, but were eventually discharged. Gov. was afraid of negative propaganda. Clark Gable discharged, Glen Miller lost in airplane crash, body never found. As a private, he would have been to much of a problem. Remember the boxer that enlisted in the Marines.
@Mrphatbastard1 Dan Ford, a decorated Vietnam combat officer, told Wayne biographer Davis, “It must have weighed heavily on him which way to go. But here was his chance and he knew it. He was an action leading man, there were a lot of roles for him to play, and this was a guy who had made eighty B movies. He had finally moved up to the first rank. He was in the right spot at the right time with the right qualities and willing to work hard. Would I have done any different? The answer is hell no.”
@Mrphatbastard1 By 1943, with officer’s slots all filled, the only way Wayne could have gone into the service was as an army private; he had waited too long. Years later Wayne told Dan Ford that as a private, “I felt it would be a waste of time to spend two years picking up cigarette butts. I thought I could do more for the war effort by staying in Hollywood.” Most stars in the service found they were relegated to public relations duties out of harm’s way strictly for morale reasons.
I'm a cousin to William Travis...The "Duke" is spot on...as always. Reading the negative comments about him is sickening. My country gives you the right to do so. I am grateful for that. Make no mistake. WE are in serious trouble and many of us might be called to rise to such an ocassion again. I pray not. But so many of us know TRUE history and will not sit idle while insane people send our country to hell..God bless from TEXAS!!!!
This is why I am a Libertarian, even if people won't listen to them or vote for their candidates. I don't care whom people wish to marry. I may not understand it, but it doesn't hurt me. I don't like anybody telling me what religion I need to be, but I'm happy for them to practice whatever faith they want. I'm tired of our soldiers dying overseas for stupid causes, but love the military. Also, I don't think people in this country are entitled to anything, just free to pursue their lives.
"Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status, classified as 3-A (family deferment). " While some hold Wayne in contempt for the paradox between his early actions and his later attitudes, his widow suggests Wayne's rampant patriotism in later decades sprang not from hypocrisy but from guilt. Pilar Wayne wrote, "He would become a 'superpatriot' for the rest of his life trying to atone for staying home."
@paz77ful It's as if you have no idea what John Wayne just said. What he just said about the word "republic." And it's down right un-American of you to call people who vote differently than you anything less than American. Some people want the right to marry, other people don't want them to have that right, some people want the right to have guns, others don't want them to have that right. And when a democrat or anybody dies for this country - for freedom and acceptance, it's pathetic to boo.
@obbzerver Ditto Bob hope who was just short of only 5 years older than James Stewart and ONE year past the *mandatory* age to be eligible to be drafted. Hope was a former professional boxer and an avid, near-professional level golfer - plenty fit to serve. Another celebrity who would have had no problem using his pull to get in if he'd really wanted to, instead spent the rest of his life making excuses and building a phony persona.
@BBGJG "..he tried to get his status changed..." Bullshit, his personal secretary who handled all his business said that he never made any serious follow-ups to get in. The so-called studio threats were just an excuse. No way a major studio would want the bad publicity from suing one of their stars because he wanted to serve at the height of WWII. Football injuries, etc. - more bullshit excuses. His injuries were long healed. He was fit enough to sit a saddle, he was fit enough to serve.
John Wayne was actually a liberal in real life and married to a hispanic woman. Does that diminish his views? NOT one bit in my humble opinion. He believed a man is a man regardless of race, nationality, beliefs, etc... and he should do the right thing when it's either called for or forced upon him. Maybe this is his greatest legacy in movies and his own life and if we can our own biases aside perhaps we can still learn something from the Duke.
@papersplease I fought for your right to say the things you wish, no matter if I find them agreeable or repulsive. I also fought for the right of others to tell you that they think you are unAmerican and that you should burn in hell. You seem to want the right to degrade and disrespect this country while at the same time wishing to deny others the right to call you out on it. It doesn't work that way. Semper Fi Vietnam 69-71
I love John Wayne and have a lot of his movies on DVD and have most of the lines memorized. Having said that, this was not a role that he should have played. If you examine the life and physical description of Davy Crockett, the person is was named after btw, you would see that. Davy Crockett was a small man and despised all the made up stories about him and the things he was credited for doing but in all actuality never did.
@booboo9993 Son you might be 12 years old but you have more insight than all 12 of them put together. I'm sure John is proud of the younger generation such as yourself that keeps the American Spirit alive and well and don't ever let people like that discourage you just because of your patriotism to your country. They don't appreciate nor do they know how lucky they are for living in a country that allows there viewpoint being heard without being imprisoned or worse. I Salute You American!
you people, for Christs sake. some of you just dont get it. the duke wasn't about Republican or Democrat. Man was about being an American. Sure the man had his leanings but who doesn't. But he summed it up pretty well when he supported JFK after he was elected saying "I didn't vote for him but he's my president." Man was talking about the individual rights we all take for granted, like the right to be able to speak freely. Republican or Democrat it dont matter. we're all in this together.
@obbzerver He didn't dodge the draft at all. In fact in several cases he tried to get his status changed so that he could go but on more than one occasion the studio blocked his attempts. Granted he didn't really push too hard to get into the war, but he did not dodge the draft at all. You also have to realize that at the time he was in his mid thirties already, not a young man and so not really a prime candidate any way.
@blaw133 "...you still have huge areas that resemble the third world where people live with no hope..." And just like people in the third world those in these ghettos breed babies they're not prepared to care for. Of course, unlike the third world where people just starve, there's a welfare system in place. Unfortunately that welfare system in some ways makes the problem worse.
@bobolith First, I did not try to belittle the opinons of others. If it come off that way I apologize. I was mainly trying to adress people calling the actor a "Pussy" or a "nazi" without good reasoning. Second, there aren't that many movies about Indians in the position of the protagonist. To me this sad, but I doubt there would have been much of a market for such a movie. Also, such a situtation would be harder to write since there were not too many Native Americans in that position.
Anyone with a knowledge of horsemanship can see that John Wayne was an excellent rider....only comes from being in the saddle for years! He grew up in a time we only wish we could have lived through....before the world was so weird, and people were so cruel in their statements to each other...sad, isn't it?.... He may be dead, but he is not dead in the hearts of those who loved him!
anyone that thinks poorly of the duke has no idea of what being an american is truly means! there is the example of a true man of integrity and honesty. i feel sorry for you who would say otherwise. i can see that you have no class or integrity of your own! now go ahead and tell me how wrong i am and how after fighting for this country in 2 wars that i 'm not a true american. the man is a american hero in every sense ofthe word
Lots of glory at the Alamo. Absolute screw up that it was in every sense of the word. But I have heard that at the time nobody remembered the Alamo. That it took a long time for people to see it as something glorious instead of just a waste. Travis should have retreated and joined Houston as he had been ordered. Then they would have been the living heroes who captured Santa Ana and built Texas.
Outstanding, thank you chuckd2332! I'm a United States Marine also. I never met John, but I saw him around town twice (Newport Beach). I think that 1 of John Wayne's greatest talents was that; he was able to demonstrate or convey, why we Marines, and all patriots, want to do, what we do. Marines won't charge a machine gun for hate, only love! May God bless John Wayne. And Semper Fi to both and all Marines. Yes; God is a Marine. That explains why we're able to get away with so much!
@holbrookej It is true that he could have served but didn't because it would adversely effect his career.But it is also true that he was told that he could do more on the homefront than being a target for the Axis at the front.It is also true that he almost was killed in Viet Nam while on a morale-building trip to Viet Nam.I wouldn't exactly call him a coward.Jimmy Stewart(who made a different decision during World war II) didn't hold it against him.
@unclearimage Hi. I had asked you to actually cite an instance, rather than just contend it. In fact the English political philosopher John Locke, the Scot David Hume, even the French such as Voltaire were far more important. There is no evidence whatsoever that the Bible had any effect. The notion of a free exchange of ideas were European. In fact Christian Fundamentalism was the moving force for Apartheid. Liberalism is what pushes for what today is social democracy.
@PatriciaSpillman Ms. Spillman, this is historically inaccurate. The Founding Fathers -- Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Washington -- were wholly uninterested in we today call the "Living God." Their theological ideas we those of the Enlightenment and far too open, liberal and sophisticated to describe here. In fact, Jefferson would not be electable today if put to the test that the Religious Right applies today. God help us!
@PatriciaSpillman Please do not be abusive and say things like "anything against America is what makes you happy, huh?" What is the point of that? Do you suppose that you and John Wayne have some a monopoly on patriotism? As for Kerry, this seems to mean that if a senator with whom you disagree serves honorably in combat during wartime is even wounded THREE times there are people who will still find a way to despise and disparage him. In my day a soldier's service was respected.
I met John Wayne in cal when I was a marine. my buddies and I were in a small town nearn shark island , and we were in a small store and he walked in WOW. he thanks us for serving and paid for our cokes. he was 19 feet tall and I loved him ever since. If you are saying things bad about him, god help you if I ever find you. We find out how tought you are. live or die I coming at you. he was and is my hero. and i am not alone. so G.T.H
Even those that try to bring change through nonviolence such as the Civil Rights Movement or the Indian Independence Movement under Gandhi used were unable to do so without being beaten, abused, and killed. My point is that no matter what method you take, someone will take a blow because of it. That's why freedom never comes without cost. Those that benefit from the status quo will put anyone they can through hell to keep it that way.
"If I don't like the law why don't I go to Haiti." That is a very refreshing take on my remarks. I take it then you LIKE laws -- all laws? One must "like" all the laws or instead should travel to a scene of terrible, catastrophic catastrophe in which children wander aimless and injured, orphaned? May I pose a question to you? Would the laws of Apartheid in S. Africa be likeable? The anti-Jewish laws of the Third Reich? The Jim Crow laws of the American South? Slavery? You love them all?
There are two issues here. One is the LAW. The other is JUSTICE. They are not always equivalent. For example, in 1935 in Germany it was the LAW that a Jew was to wear a yellow star. Failure to do so would result in immediate punishment -- deportation, a public beating by a police officer, etc. That is LAW. In South Africa simply for a black man to travel into the city without permission would result in jail time. That is LAW. Do you think we Americans are special, that LAW is always JUST?
by and large i will say YES its their fault. Anyone who gets incarcerated was doing something to get arrested in the first place. I'm not going to argue a judges decision to sentence one man more harshly than another--that is a distraction from the fact that the person who is being sentenced did something that warrants sentencing in the first place. Don't want to go to jail? don't do crime. Period.
Sir, I have no idea what you mean here. Over the hump? Over what hump? I assume that you beige -- yes? We are none of white unless albino or dead. Anyway, this country incarcerates 45% of young black men at one or other in their lives and you think that's okay? I get caught with free-base and get off with a fine, while a black teenager does hard time for crack and that's okay with you? Black unemployment is catastrophic and its THEIR fault? Let us not answer questions. Let us pose them
Well, then let me extend this: When Wayne or you talk of "white supremacy", exactly what skin tone constitutes "white"? Do you have a color chart? Are there "mixed" between the "white" and the "black"? I, for example, am beige. If I were white I would either be hypothermic or dead. So if you are, say, bone white would that make you more supreme than someone whose skin is ivory colored?
Ah, John McCain! Yes, they all say he was a hero. He crashed four aircraft, so we know he was a lousy pilot. He got shot down within a month or so, bombing civilians -- yippee! Under torture he denounced his comrades. I am sympathetic, and he himself still suffers from that -- I respect his honesty. He served. All right. But what was heroic? He did his job (poorly), then got imprisoned and tortured. Tough. Pin a medal on him, why don't you. Why the hell not. Whatever.
This is a good example of the kind of problem we have in this country today. John Kerry served his time in Vietnam, he was wounded three times, and because you happen not to agree with his political perspective you would question his service. I find that very interesting. But Cheney got five deferments, Rumseld got deferments, Tancredo supported the war but got deferred for depression, Reagan did not fight, Rush no way, the list goes on forever. That does not bother you? And Max Cleland, sir?
This is wonderful stuff. You should submit it for publication. Truly funny. As for Hitler's military career, see John Keegan's book, The Mask of War. Do you know the meaning of "ad hominem." It is by definition a fallacy of sorts. You call Kerry a coward and so prove my point. McGovern was too proud and dignified to bother to defend himself, and Kerry, wounded more than once, must be spattered with the spittle of those who would admire the draft dodgers. We are on our last legs, I fear.
My son is now on his third tour of duty. He has two young son's and reenlisted, Infantry, he never asked his mother,father, or wife about it.I wish he had,at least talked about it to our daugther-in-law, I love, support and pray every day. 155 Dixie Thunder. Say what you want , I hope none of you ever see what your brother can really do, if that happen's bad for some but not all .REPUBLIC-a goverment ruled by elected representatives[ruled directly by the people] God Bless John Wayne.
Alway's remember the youth of this country , join up and defend all American's right's. They put there life's on the the line. I lived in the middle east as a kid during the Six-Day War 1967, American's don't have a clue. Because of the horrific action's I witnessed against not only the Jewish outcast but the Christian's, I pray for all American Servicemen and thank God this country is at least trying to stop the evil over there.I pray, none see it here. I beleive "Duke" knew that. "God Bless"
Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor). Wayne's secretary recalled making inquiries of military officials on behalf of his interest in enlisting, . He repeatedly wrote to John Ford, asking to be placed in Ford's military unit, Republic Studios was emphatically resistant to losing Wayne, especially after the loss of Gene Autry to the Army.
It's so sad when people have to say such negative things about such a great man. He was one of the few actors that gave a damn about our country.About his country. He was a great man and he gave of himself to help us all. He donated countless amounts of money and time to help find a cure for cancer. God willing one day they will find a cure. I was at the 2009 relay for life. There was a 4 y/o boy who got leukemia. He fought it and won. It is for little boys like that he did it for.
Ok, let's said the record straight. Wayne was not too old to enlist. He didn't have a bad knee and was ineligible to serve. I think he didn't go because after a decade of bumming around the movie business his career was finally taking off and he was afraid if he enlisted his career would have been finished when he got back. Wayne was not a big star in the early 1940's. He was also married with kids. I know his mentor John Ford chided Wayne for years about not serving. We'll never really know.
Audie Murphy (most decorated soldier of WW2), Lee Marvin (Marine Corp, Purple Heart for wounds during the battle of Saipan. Most of his platoon were killed during the battle), Henry Fonda (USN, Bronze Star) Charlie Bronson (USAF, Purple Heart) Rod Stieger (USN), Ernest Borgine (USN), Eddie Albert (USN, Bronze Star), Jimmy Stewart (USAF) and James Gardner (wounded in battle, Korean War). These are actors that were REAL American heroes.
Really? Neither of us were there, so I must refer to what one can find in books or on the net...but no matter. What I find so fascinating is how people will fall behind this celluloid lion - no matter what reason, he simply was not what he pretended to be on screen. So why would anyone view him as an icon? And so often, these are the same people who rant and rave about Hollywood and American ideals! Morrison lived none of those ideals himself except through lip service! Weird.
His widow is quoted as saying that he was overtly patriotic out of guilt for not serving, and she ought to know. He was actually classified as 1-A, but the studio had him reclassified as 2-A, and threatened to sue him if he left. He was also 34 when we entered the war, so his age could have kept him out, and there is no evidence that he was drafted in the first place. He did do some work for the OSS, and Stalin put a "hit" on him, so in my opinion, he did his part.
In my opinion, even if he did avoid it, that is why he was an ardent patriot later in life. I don't have any way of knowing, but I think the reason he became so harshly American (Sounds bad, but I meant it good), in his later life was/could have been guilt over avoiding it. Leastways it doesn't matter, as only a very small handful of actors actually came under enemy fire. (Some DID, but most never did).
You're right, many were in the line of fire, such as Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin, and damned lucky to just to live through it. I like John Wayne as an actor and I always will, but I'm realistic enough to see him for the drugstore cowboy that he was. Being a great drunken brawler doesn't make one a great patriot or fearless warrior. I know plenty of guys who'll knock your hat off in a bar, but don't have what it takes to be a Marine. Ask my friends in 3/24 K USMC what a fighter really is.
The truth is that Clark Gable, Gene Autry, Eddie Albert and many others were considerably older than John Wayne, but chose to serve in the war despite age and physical deferrments available. Wayne could have done the same as these, but chose not to. Numerous bios portray Marion "Duke" Morrison as quite a different person in private life from the John Wayne character he played as an actor. Let's not forget; he was an actor and a very good one, but no more than that.
True enough. But, as I said elsewhere, he was listed as "inelligible" at the start of the war for reasons other than age. Family classification was an issue. Plus, I seem to recall reading that injuries that he'd sustained while in college kept him from being elligible. Toward the end of the war, the military was becoming desperate for soldiers so many people who were originally inelligible were reclassified. I don't argue your point, just saying there was more to the story.
True, although Wayne was listed as "inelligible" at the start of the war for reasons other than age (family, etc.). It wasn't until the war was nearly over that he was reclassified as elligible to enlist. Wayne, himself, admitted for many years that not enlisting after being reclassified was probably the biggest regret of his life. So, your point is SOMEWHAT valid, but he did serve his country in other ways before, during and after the war. So, the coward label doesn't quite fit either.
The Duke, most inspiring speaker to me. If more people were like him, this beautiful Republic would be better off.
God Bless the Duke. R.I.P.
God Bless The Duke
John Wayne was a man of his time. He would be saddened to see how all of our freedoms are gradually being taken away, and by our own governments not by some enemy dictatorship. The words his character speaks resonante to anyone of or over a certain age because we can remember when those who did not harm or detrimentally interfer with anyone else were allowed to live in freedom and make their own choices. Not here, not now! Thanks for the memories.
This man knew how to talk the best way possible.
@Sgt David Jones. As my Daddy would have said,. You wouldn't make a pimple on John Waynes butt =p Sorry folks, but no one bad mouths the Duke >=(
Republic I like that word also.
Dead as a beaver hat LOL
John Wayne is not a racist. His 2nd wife is from South America.Remember he had an football injury in college thus prevented him from enlisting.
We sure could use John Wayne in our screwed up world of today.
@booboo9993 I'm glad for someone your age understands what it means to be an American.Your parents taught you well.Just be proud.You are our future of this country.
I wish the world could have more men like John Wayne. he was the best God bless him xxx Rip xxx Amen
Actually Wayne enlisted in the military but was denied admission because of a back injury he suffered during his football days at USC.
I LOVE IT!!!!!
John Wayne was NO racist - he was a warrior for the rights of Native Americans and the Hispanic community. Read a book before stating an opinion on something you clearly know nothing about.
@bconti
1. I don't live in Ohio. I live in Nebraska.
2. I've been to various parts of the country.
3. I study other cultures on my free time when I can.
4. But none of that matters because no matter how much I learn and no matter how many people I meet, most of which are also proud to live here despite all the faults, I'n still proud to be an American.
5. You're the one coming up with a preconcieved prejudice about me and you call me a baka? right...
"...Not to cower in security but be a man and do what's right to fight tyranny..."
We don't have to wonder what Marion Morrison aka John Wayne would do - he dodged the draft in WWII.
Ron you're somewhat mistaken. John Wayne tried to join the Navy. He was told he was too important in the war effort at home. The studio didn't let him go to dangerous areas because he made them so much money.
Its my birthday today, for my present, I want John Wayne to come back.
First off he would not have gone to Texas .Instead he would run for Congress as a Republican against Pelosi.
Tim, facts are important. John Wayne did lose a lung and two ribs due to cancer surgery. But be realistic, WW2 was fought by patriotic Americans between 1941 and 1945, John Wayne's cancer surgery was in 1964. Eleven years after the war had been won. Please John Wayne was a great actor and I respect him for his performance's. Don't forget John Wayne's draft notice went unanswered and eligible age was 18 to 45 years old although some like John Ford won extensions allowing them to serve.
God Bless America, and God Bless John Wayne !!!
You get to know an actor by the work that they do. John Wayne never did Anti-American work. As far as I know he always did work that showed the greatness of America. And yes, America is great. We're still the last and best hope the world has for freedom, peace and democracy. And yes we'll be here to safe Europe's ass, when they need us again. America; saving Europe's ass since 1917.
What a sage. These are words to live by.
Wasnt John Wayne a snitch for McCarthy ? It is quite funny to hear him talk about freedom when he was a servant of totalitarianism.
Cheap Steak tough.
Well I have my opinion of the man and it's very high, neither of us is going to sway the others opinion. So we'll just have to agree to disagree, That's what's great about freedom. One persons hero is not anothers.
Never was old enough to seem him still alive but my parents really taught me to love the Duke in his movies. I hold JW very dear to my heart. His movies were a big part of our family night's. He was my moms most favorite actor of all time. We have a lot family memories surrounding John Wayne. God Bless John Way.
Agreed, even though his Politics was very Pro-American and he made the Green Berets, he was very much a friend to the Native Americans.
lol the fact someones trolling around john wayne videos dissing him 30 years after he died is just a testament to his greatness =)
@SSRogue88 Exactly, how could he or anyone for that matter be expected to ruin his career to be some buck private? He made the right choice, the choice anyone in there right mind would have made.
Phenomenal movie.
+clarkewi Criminally underrated, this one.
I think you're read more into my comment than what is intended. And I know that it's a popular ploy to label a dissenting opinion as "unAmerican". But actually I am proud to be American and I'm very pro American. I just don't understand why the Duke gets all the glory when scores of other actors went to war and did heroic deed and hardly get any recognition for their sacrifices.
But Wayne is labeled an American hero just for reading a script.
John Wayne was really an American hero to me. I love his personality.
A true American
guys i was looking for a john wayne movie where he was a marine and they use the marine him To the Shores of Tripoli if anybody can help me find it? or a civil war movie i can't remember i only know the him and seein him turn around and walk away (was in black and white)
the sands of Iwo Jima is the war film your after
Never was old enough to seem him still alive but my parents really taught me to love the Duke in his movies. Though I am a Democrat, the ideas that were brought to bear by our founding fathers have lost their touch a bit. John Wayne is just about as American as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Ben Franklin. It's rather sad that both Liberals and Conservatives fight over politics when America needs to get back on her feet to help lead the world in trying times here in this century.
I wish the Europeans would remember their history, but some dont.
John Wayne wasn't perfect, but he sure knew how to make a speech the kind that makes you proud to be an American.
@fiddynh It's not that I can't see where you're coming from. But this country is and has been ruled by a powerful elite, cowering behind the scenes. Patriotism, the "American Dream" which should be named the "CEO's dream", and all the values the media pumps into peoples heads are for a reason.
I respect you. If you're in your 70's, you probably fought in wars for your country, and a stupid youtube comment won't matter to you. But the men you were fighting for, and against, are on the same side.
WE NEED MORE SENATORS , AND CONGRESS MEMBERS WHO BELIEVE IN AMERICA LIKE DUKE WAYNE , A TRUE AMERICAN. IF WE DID HAVE MEN , AND WOMEN IN CONGRESS AND IN THE PRESIDENCY....AMERICA WOULD NOT BE IN THIS STATE OF UNCERTAINTY OF THE PRESENT !!!!!
I am sorry, but I cannot see my original remark that prompted this robust reply. Please refresh my memory -- and be sure to check in with me about the right bars, restaurants and casas rurales the next time you make the trip here to the Kingdom of Spain.
You got to love all the numpties.
They think they know John Wayne through LINES WRITTEN BY OTHERS, and just SPOKEN by Wayne in a movie
What are you going on about?? It's not worship. It's called .........Respect. Some of us respect men who stood up for what's right.
I grew up with this guy being a mans man, but this guy was also a man of justice and truth. Actor or ney this man was what he was.
Good Lord.....did Aaron Sorkin write for John Wayne?!
@blaw133 And you will also notice that these cities you describe are run by liberal Democrats who preach and practice the type of policies that you and other European socialists love to lecture the rest of the world on. You can keep your policies.
Even if John Wayne was not perfect (who is ?), he was a great man and one can feel it - there is this charisma coming out of him, this quiet strength, and also he has a calming effect on people - a rare human being !
U know it was wrong of people to spit on the soldiers who came home from Vietnam and it's still wrong to negatively comment about a person when there dead. Dude he's been dead for like 48 years or somethin. Let It Go People
And what about John McCain's service to his country? You want to talk about a real American hero who ran for President? Kerry couldn't carry McCain's cartridge belt!
R 38) These socialist punks, don't know the meaning of Respect!
GOD BLESS, OUR TROOPS
& ALL TRUE PATRIOTS!
DEO VINDICE!
At the time of Pearl Harbor, Wayne was 34 years old. His marriage was on the rocks but he still had four kids to support.
It has recently been discovered that Glenn Miller's aircraft was flying to France lower than bombers that were returning to England from a bombing run, and the bombers dropped the bombs they hadn't been able to drop on their target, so they dropped them, as usual, in the English Channel, so the bombs they dropped fell on Glenn Miller's aircraft!!!! It was TOO DANGEROUS for the bombers to land with their bombs, so they dropped them over the English Channel on top of Miller's aircraft!!!!!!
I think you're WRONG about Duke. Duke took stands that were unpopular with the liberal movie critics, and he "paid a price" for it!!!! The "liberal" critics HATED him for his patriotic stance when it was "popular" with the "cool liberal people" to criticize the US and say the US was HORRIBLE!!!! After John Kennedy sent troops to Vietnam, his attitude was, "If we have troops on foreign soil, we SUPPORT the TROOPS!!!!!" He was ALWAYS first and foremost a patriot!!!!!
@Coolmans24 I read in a biography that he had signed a new contract a film company and was threatened with law suit if he enlisted. To famous for the military to use him as anything but USO postings. Several well known actors enlisted, but were eventually discharged. Gov. was afraid of negative propaganda. Clark Gable discharged, Glen Miller lost in airplane crash, body never found. As a private, he would have been to much of a problem. Remember the boxer that enlisted in the Marines.
@Mrphatbastard1 Dan Ford, a decorated Vietnam combat officer, told Wayne biographer Davis, “It must have weighed heavily on him which way to go. But here was his chance and he knew it. He was an action leading man, there were a lot of roles for him to play, and this was a guy who had made eighty B movies. He had finally moved up to the first rank. He was in the right spot at the right time with the right qualities and willing to work hard. Would I have done any different? The answer is hell no.”
@Mrphatbastard1 By 1943, with officer’s slots all filled, the only way Wayne could have gone into the service was as an army private; he had waited too long. Years later Wayne told Dan Ford that as a private, “I felt it would be a waste of time to spend two years picking up cigarette butts. I thought I could do more for the war effort by staying in Hollywood.” Most stars in the service found they were relegated to public relations duties out of harm’s way strictly for morale reasons.
I'm a cousin to William Travis...The "Duke" is spot on...as always. Reading the negative comments about him is sickening. My country gives you the right to do so. I am grateful for that. Make no mistake. WE are in serious trouble and many of us might be called to rise to such an ocassion again. I pray not. But so many of us know TRUE history and will not sit idle while insane people send our country to hell..God bless from TEXAS!!!!
This is why I am a Libertarian, even if people won't listen to them or vote for their candidates. I don't care whom people wish to marry. I may not understand it, but it doesn't hurt me. I don't like anybody telling me what religion I need to be, but I'm happy for them to practice whatever faith they want. I'm tired of our soldiers dying overseas for stupid causes, but love the military. Also, I don't think people in this country are entitled to anything, just free to pursue their lives.
"Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status, classified as 3-A (family deferment). "
While some hold Wayne in contempt for the paradox between his early actions and his later attitudes, his widow suggests Wayne's rampant patriotism in later decades sprang not from hypocrisy but from guilt. Pilar Wayne wrote, "He would become a 'superpatriot' for the rest of his life trying to atone for staying home."
@paz77ful It's as if you have no idea what John Wayne just said. What he just said about the word "republic." And it's down right un-American of you to call people who vote differently than you anything less than American. Some people want the right to marry, other people don't want them to have that right, some people want the right to have guns, others don't want them to have that right. And when a democrat or anybody dies for this country - for freedom and acceptance, it's pathetic to boo.
@obbzerver Ditto Bob hope who was just short of only 5 years older than James Stewart and ONE year past the *mandatory* age to be eligible to be drafted. Hope was a former professional boxer and an avid, near-professional level golfer - plenty fit to serve. Another celebrity who would have had no problem using his pull to get in if he'd really wanted to, instead spent the rest of his life making excuses and building a phony persona.
@BBGJG "..he tried to get his status changed..." Bullshit, his personal secretary who handled all his business said that he never made any serious follow-ups to get in. The so-called studio threats were just an excuse. No way a major studio would want the bad publicity from suing one of their stars because he wanted to serve at the height of WWII. Football injuries, etc. - more bullshit excuses. His injuries were long healed. He was fit enough to sit a saddle, he was fit enough to serve.
John Wayne was actually a liberal in real life and married to a hispanic woman. Does that diminish his views? NOT one bit in my humble opinion. He believed a man is a man regardless of race, nationality, beliefs, etc... and he should do the right thing when it's either called for or forced upon him. Maybe this is his greatest legacy in movies and his own life and if we can our own biases aside perhaps we can still learn something from the Duke.
@papersplease I fought for your right to say the things you wish, no matter if I find them agreeable or repulsive. I also fought for the right of others to tell you that they think you are unAmerican and that you should burn in hell. You seem to want the right to degrade and disrespect this country while at the same time wishing to deny others the right to call you out on it. It doesn't work that way.
Semper Fi
Vietnam 69-71
I love John Wayne and have a lot of his movies on DVD and have most of the lines memorized. Having said that, this was not a role that he should have played. If you examine the life and physical description of Davy Crockett, the person is was named after btw, you would see that. Davy Crockett was a small man and despised all the made up stories about him and the things he was credited for doing but in all actuality never did.
@booboo9993 Son you might be 12 years old but you have more insight than all 12 of them put together. I'm sure John is proud of the younger generation such as yourself that keeps the American Spirit alive and well and don't ever let people like that discourage you just because of your patriotism to your country. They don't appreciate nor do they know how lucky they are for living in a country that allows there viewpoint being heard without being imprisoned or worse. I Salute You American!
you people, for Christs sake. some of you just dont get it. the duke wasn't about Republican or Democrat. Man was about being an American. Sure the man had his leanings but who doesn't. But he summed it up pretty well when he supported JFK after he was elected saying "I didn't vote for him but he's my president." Man was talking about the individual rights we all take for granted, like the right to be able to speak freely. Republican or Democrat it dont matter. we're all in this together.
@obbzerver He didn't dodge the draft at all. In fact in several cases he tried to get his status changed so that he could go but on more than one occasion the studio blocked his attempts. Granted he didn't really push too hard to get into the war, but he did not dodge the draft at all. You also have to realize that at the time he was in his mid thirties already, not a young man and so not really a prime candidate any way.
@blaw133 "...you still have huge areas that resemble the third world where people live with no hope..."
And just like people in the third world those in these ghettos breed babies they're not prepared to care for. Of course, unlike the third world where people just starve, there's a welfare system in place. Unfortunately that welfare system in some ways makes the problem worse.
@bobolith First, I did not try to belittle the opinons of others. If it come off that way I apologize. I was mainly trying to adress people calling the actor a "Pussy" or a "nazi" without good reasoning. Second, there aren't that many movies about Indians in the position of the protagonist. To me this sad, but I doubt there would have been much of a market for such a movie. Also, such a situtation would be harder to write since there were not too many Native Americans in that position.
Anyone with a knowledge of horsemanship can see that John Wayne was an excellent rider....only comes from being in the saddle for years! He grew up in a time we only wish we could have lived through....before the world was so weird, and people were so cruel in their statements to each other...sad, isn't it?.... He may be dead, but he is not dead in the hearts of those who loved him!
anyone that thinks poorly of the duke has no idea of what being an american is truly means! there is the example of a true man of integrity and honesty. i feel sorry for you who would say otherwise. i can see that you have no class or integrity of your own! now go ahead and tell me how wrong i am and how after fighting for this country in 2 wars that i 'm not a true american. the man is a american hero in every sense ofthe word
Lots of glory at the Alamo. Absolute screw up that it was in every sense of the word. But I have heard that at the time nobody remembered the Alamo. That it took a long time for people to see it as something glorious instead of just a waste. Travis should have retreated and joined Houston as he had been ordered. Then they would have been the living heroes who captured Santa Ana and built Texas.
Outstanding, thank you chuckd2332!
I'm a United States Marine also. I never met John, but I saw him around town twice (Newport Beach).
I think that 1 of John Wayne's greatest talents was that; he was able to demonstrate or convey, why we Marines, and all patriots, want to do, what we do. Marines won't charge a machine gun for hate, only love!
May God bless John Wayne. And Semper Fi to both and all Marines. Yes; God is a Marine. That explains why we're able to get away with so much!
@holbrookej It is true that he could have served but didn't because it would adversely effect his career.But it is also true that he was told that he could do more on the homefront than being a target for the Axis at the front.It is also true that he almost was killed in Viet Nam while on a morale-building trip to Viet Nam.I wouldn't exactly call him a coward.Jimmy Stewart(who made a different decision during World war II) didn't hold it against him.
@unclearimage Hi.
I had asked you to actually cite an instance, rather than just contend it. In fact the English political philosopher John Locke, the Scot David Hume, even the French such as Voltaire were far more important. There is no evidence whatsoever that the Bible had any effect. The notion of a free exchange of ideas were European.
In fact Christian Fundamentalism was the moving force for Apartheid. Liberalism is what pushes for what today is social democracy.
@PatriciaSpillman Ms. Spillman, this is historically inaccurate. The Founding Fathers -- Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Washington -- were wholly uninterested in we today call the "Living God." Their theological ideas we those of the Enlightenment and far too open, liberal and sophisticated to describe here.
In fact, Jefferson would not be electable today if put to the test that the Religious Right applies today.
God help us!
@PatriciaSpillman Please do not be abusive and say things like "anything against America is what makes you happy, huh?"
What is the point of that? Do you suppose that you and John Wayne have some a monopoly on patriotism?
As for Kerry, this seems to mean that if a senator with whom you disagree serves honorably in combat during wartime is even wounded THREE times there are people who will still find a way to despise and disparage him. In my day a soldier's service was respected.
I met John Wayne in cal when I was a marine. my buddies and I were in a small town nearn shark island , and we were in a small store and he walked in WOW.
he thanks us for serving and paid for our cokes. he was 19 feet tall and I loved him ever since. If you are saying things bad about him, god help you if I ever find you. We find out how tought you are. live or die I coming at you. he was and is my hero. and i am not alone. so G.T.H
Even those that try to bring change through nonviolence such as the Civil Rights Movement or the Indian Independence Movement under Gandhi used were unable to do so without being beaten, abused, and killed. My point is that no matter what method you take, someone will take a blow because of it. That's why freedom never comes without cost. Those that benefit from the status quo will put anyone they can through hell to keep it that way.
"If I don't like the law why don't I go to Haiti." That is a very refreshing take on my remarks. I take it then you LIKE laws -- all laws? One must "like" all the laws or instead should travel to a scene of terrible, catastrophic catastrophe in which children wander aimless and injured, orphaned?
May I pose a question to you? Would the laws of Apartheid in S. Africa be likeable? The anti-Jewish laws of the Third Reich? The Jim Crow laws of the American South? Slavery?
You love them all?
There are two issues here. One is the LAW. The other is JUSTICE. They are not always equivalent.
For example, in 1935 in Germany it was the LAW that a Jew was to wear a yellow star. Failure to do so would result in immediate punishment -- deportation, a public beating by a police officer, etc. That is LAW.
In South Africa simply for a black man to travel into the city without permission would result in jail time. That is LAW.
Do you think we Americans are special, that LAW is always JUST?
by and large i will say YES its their fault. Anyone who gets incarcerated was doing something to get arrested in the first place. I'm not going to argue a judges decision to sentence one man more harshly than another--that is a distraction from the fact that the person who is being sentenced did something that warrants sentencing in the first place. Don't want to go to jail? don't do crime. Period.
Sir,
I have no idea what you mean here. Over the hump? Over what hump?
I assume that you beige -- yes? We are none of white unless albino or dead. Anyway, this country incarcerates 45% of young black men at one or other in their lives and you think that's okay?
I get caught with free-base and get off with a fine, while a black teenager does hard time for crack and that's okay with you? Black unemployment is catastrophic and its THEIR fault?
Let us not answer questions. Let us pose them
Well, then let me extend this:
When Wayne or you talk of "white supremacy", exactly what skin tone constitutes "white"? Do you have a color chart? Are there "mixed" between the "white" and the "black"? I, for example, am beige. If I were white I would either be hypothermic or dead. So if you are, say, bone white would that make you more supreme than someone whose skin is ivory colored?
Ah, John McCain! Yes, they all say he was a hero.
He crashed four aircraft, so we know he was a lousy pilot.
He got shot down within a month or so, bombing civilians -- yippee! Under torture he denounced his comrades. I am sympathetic, and he himself still suffers from that -- I respect his honesty.
He served. All right. But what was heroic? He did his job (poorly), then got imprisoned and tortured. Tough. Pin a medal on him, why don't you. Why the hell not. Whatever.
This is a good example of the kind of problem we have in this country today. John Kerry served his time in Vietnam, he was wounded three times, and because you happen not to agree with his political perspective you would question his service. I find that very interesting.
But Cheney got five deferments, Rumseld got deferments, Tancredo supported the war but got deferred for depression, Reagan did not fight, Rush no way, the list goes on forever.
That does not bother you?
And Max Cleland, sir?
This is wonderful stuff. You should submit it for publication. Truly funny.
As for Hitler's military career, see John Keegan's book, The Mask of War.
Do you know the meaning of "ad hominem." It is by definition a fallacy of sorts.
You call Kerry a coward and so prove my point. McGovern was too proud and dignified to bother to defend himself, and Kerry, wounded more than once, must be spattered with the spittle of those who would admire the draft dodgers. We are on our last legs, I fear.
My son is now on his third tour of duty. He has two young son's and reenlisted, Infantry, he never asked his mother,father, or wife about it.I wish he had,at least talked about it to our daugther-in-law, I love, support and pray every day. 155 Dixie Thunder. Say what you want , I hope none of you ever see what your brother can really do, if that happen's bad for some but not all .REPUBLIC-a goverment ruled by elected representatives[ruled directly by the people] God Bless John Wayne.
Alway's remember the youth of this country , join up and defend all American's right's. They put there life's on the the line. I lived in the middle east as a kid during the Six-Day War 1967, American's don't have a clue. Because of the horrific action's I witnessed against not only the Jewish outcast but the Christian's, I pray for all American Servicemen and thank God this country is at least trying to stop the evil over there.I pray, none see it here. I beleive "Duke" knew that. "God Bless"
Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor). Wayne's secretary recalled making inquiries of military officials on behalf of his interest in enlisting, . He repeatedly wrote to John Ford, asking to be placed in Ford's military unit, Republic Studios was emphatically resistant to losing Wayne, especially after the loss of Gene Autry to the Army.
It's so sad when people have to say such negative things about such a great man. He was one of the few actors that gave a damn about our country.About his country. He was a great man and he gave of himself to help us all. He donated countless amounts of money and time to help find a cure for cancer. God willing one day they will find a cure. I was at the 2009 relay for life. There was a 4 y/o boy who got leukemia. He fought it and won. It is for little boys like that he did it for.
Ok, let's said the record straight. Wayne was not too old to enlist. He didn't have a bad knee and was ineligible to serve. I think he didn't go because after a decade of bumming around the movie business his career was finally taking off and he was afraid if he enlisted his career would have been finished when he got back. Wayne was not a big star in the early 1940's. He was also married with kids. I know his mentor John Ford chided Wayne for years about not serving. We'll never really know.
Audie Murphy (most decorated soldier of WW2), Lee Marvin (Marine Corp, Purple Heart for wounds during the battle of Saipan. Most of his platoon were killed during the battle), Henry Fonda (USN, Bronze Star) Charlie Bronson (USAF, Purple Heart) Rod Stieger (USN), Ernest Borgine (USN), Eddie Albert (USN, Bronze Star), Jimmy Stewart (USAF) and James Gardner (wounded in battle, Korean War). These are actors that were REAL American heroes.
Really? Neither of us were there, so I must refer to what one can find in books or on the net...but no matter. What I find so fascinating is how people will fall behind this celluloid lion - no matter what reason, he simply was not what he pretended to be on screen. So why would anyone view him as an icon? And so often, these are the same people who rant and rave about Hollywood and American ideals! Morrison lived none of those ideals himself except through lip service! Weird.
His widow is quoted as saying that he was overtly patriotic out of guilt for not serving, and she ought to know. He was actually classified as 1-A, but the studio had him reclassified as 2-A, and threatened to sue him if he left. He was also 34 when we entered the war, so his age could have kept him out, and there is no evidence that he was drafted in the first place. He did do some work for the OSS, and Stalin put a "hit" on him, so in my opinion, he did his part.
In my opinion, even if he did avoid it, that is why he was an ardent patriot later in life.
I don't have any way of knowing, but I think the reason he became so harshly American (Sounds bad, but I meant it good), in his later life was/could have been guilt over avoiding it.
Leastways it doesn't matter, as only a very small handful of actors actually came under enemy fire. (Some DID, but most never did).
You're right, many were in the line
of fire, such as Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin, and damned lucky to just to live through it. I like John Wayne as an actor and I always will, but I'm realistic enough to see him for the drugstore cowboy that he was.
Being a great drunken brawler doesn't make one a great patriot or fearless warrior. I know plenty of guys who'll knock your hat off in a bar, but don't have what it takes to be a Marine. Ask my friends in 3/24 K USMC what a fighter really is.
The truth is that Clark Gable, Gene Autry, Eddie Albert and many others were considerably older than John Wayne, but chose to serve in the war despite age and physical deferrments available. Wayne could have done the same as these, but chose not to.
Numerous bios portray Marion "Duke" Morrison as quite a different person in private life from the John Wayne character he played as an actor. Let's not forget; he was an actor and a very good one, but no more than that.
True enough. But, as I said elsewhere, he was listed as "inelligible" at the start of the war for reasons other than age. Family classification was an issue. Plus, I seem to recall reading that injuries that he'd sustained while in college kept him from being elligible.
Toward the end of the war, the military was becoming desperate for soldiers so many people who were originally inelligible were reclassified.
I don't argue your point, just saying there was more to the story.
True, although Wayne was listed as "inelligible" at the start of the war for reasons other than age (family, etc.). It wasn't until the war was nearly over that he was reclassified as elligible to enlist.
Wayne, himself, admitted for many years that not enlisting after being reclassified was probably the biggest regret of his life. So, your point is SOMEWHAT valid, but he did serve his country in other ways before, during and after the war. So, the coward label doesn't quite fit either.