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Charles2222 -> RE: Worst Actors Ever (1/10/2009 10:11:55 PM)
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ORIGINAL: pasternakski
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ORIGINAL: Missouri Rebel
Anyone mention 'The Duke'?
Now, now, let's not start on the Duke. As a long-time student of movies, I am particularly fond of John Wayne and the story behind his rise to fame - and the sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always fascinating things that followed. He was slated to be the big-time singing Western star after Tom Mix's untimely demise in that Arizona wash. He was tall, handsome, and had a certain screen presence that just oozed stardom. Problem was, he couldn't sing a lick. The studio tried an early version of the lip synch thing, but it just wasn't working.
So, Gene Autry stepped in, and the rest is history. John Wayne was found to have enough pizazz to do some silly, superficial Western actioners, but it looked like he wasn't going to get very far in the movie biz.
He took it to heart. He was under no illusions about the extent of his talent. He studied himself and the renderings of that self on film. He sought advice from people in the business who he respected. He learned.
What he did next is almost unique in the history of actors and acting. He created the John Wayne persona, all the way down to facial expressions, mannerisms, and even that curious walk of his (he would have himself filmed while walking, then study the rushes and refine it until it was absolutely unique). He got a few parts, and people started to take notice. He even learned a bit about acting, but throughout his life, he never thought of himself as much of an actor.
What he was, was John Wayne. What you got was neither more nor less than that. I find most of his films tremendously enjoyable to watch, kind of like that guilty pleasure we all get from listening to a particular singer or group because we love 'em, but would hate for anybody to find out about it.
Well. To make a long story short, he got together with some powerful people and iconic directors (John Ford, et al.), and made a boatload of movies. Late in his career, Hollyweird tried to take that iconic image and paste it into some movies that just weren't John Wayne (anybody remember the Duke as a Bullitt-style homicide detective? Do we even want to remember movies like "The Green Berets"?).
One story I really enjoy about the Duke is the one told by a friend of mine, who had something of a career in the publicity end of the entertainment biz. He was part of a luncheon group that included John Wayne some several months before his death from cancer. They went to a swank restaurant, and everyone was provided with glitzy, gaudy, glossy menus that had pictures of all the bar drinks depicted on them.
The Duke looked over the menu, saw one drink that had a lot of orange and yellow to it, tapped his finger on the picture three or four times, smiled up at the waitress, and said, "I'll have somethin' THAT color."
I really like the Duke, bless him.
Rather reminds me of Andy Griffith, but something of a different turn. Anybody who saw Pray for the Wildcats, knows what I mean. He did, however, spring back into a reasonable acting career with the Matlock series though. I didn't like him there, though the show was irritating mostly, but it was a decent gig.
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