John Wayne | Hollywood Yesterday

The Outstanding Cast of El Dorado.. The Supporting Stars Give This One its Magic

June 26, 2021 By Joi Leave a Comment

Charlene Holt, El Dorado

One of this western fanatic’s favorite movies is El Dorado (1966). Directed by the wonderful Howard Hawks, the incredibly (downright perfect if we’re being honest) talented cast includes John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Arthur Hunnicutt, Ed Asner, Michele Carey, Christopher George, Paul Fix, and briefly Johnny Crawford (best loved as Mark McCain on The Rifleman).

A movie is only as good as it’s stars and the characters they play, which is why El Dorado is movie gold. The colorful, larger than life characters this cast gives us is a gift that keeps on giving. I honestly believe I fall more in love with this movie each time I see it. The same is true of another Howard Hawks and John Wayne western, Rio Bravo.

James Caan and Michele Carey

The two lead stars in this western (John Wayne and Robert Mitchum) are excellent as always. There is something so right about watching a John Wayne Western and it’s made even more magical when the stars around him were/are just as larger than life and colorful as he was. In El Dorado, the Duke is surrounded by such stars!

Robert Mitchum and Arthur Hunnicutt go with John Wayne as beautifully as Dean Martin and Walter Brennan do in Rio Bravo. When they’re on the screen together, you’re pretty sure they were born for the moment.

John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and Arthur Hunnicutt

When it comes to supporting stars, El Dorado also has an embarrassment of riches: James Caan, Arthur Hunnicutt, Ed Asner, Christopher George, Michele Carey, and Charlene Holt do exactly what a supporting cast should do.

They simply make the film even better.

James Caan could just as easily be considered a lead star in this film (he gives my favorite performance in the film), he is usually treated as a supporting star… you couldn’t ask for any more support than he gives! The same is true of Arthur Hunnicutt, Christopher George, Ed Asner, and Charlene Holt. This movie wouldn’t be as timeless and perfect without this group of talent.

You can find El Dorado on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the wonderful western on Prime Video.

John Wayne, Christopher George, and Ed Asner

BOTD in 1896, Wonderful Director Howard Hawks

May 30, 2021 By Joi Leave a Comment

Howard Hawks With Crew and Cast Members, Rio Bravo

One of my absolute favorite directors, Howard Hawks, was BOTD (born on this day) in 1896 in Goshen, Indiana. This talented director was behind some of my personal favorite movies…

Rio Bravo
El Dorado
Red River
Bringing Up Baby
Monkey Business
The Big Sleep
Only Angels Have Wings
To Have or Have Not
Ball of Fire
Rio Lobo
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Hatari

As I see more of his movies, I have NO doubt that other favorites will join the list.

Not only do we owe him a debt of gratitude for his wonderful films, he is responsible for discovering Lauren Bacall. That, alone, earns him my undying devotion!

Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, To Have and Have Not

Happy Birthday, John Wayne!

May 26, 2021 By Joi Leave a Comment

John Wayne, The Searchers

I’ll have a follow-up post later about the wonderful John Wayne, but I wanted to simply say… as a Western-fanatic… I SO appreciate this man’s career and all he did for the genre.

He’s one of my very favorite actors and I say that without an ounce of hesitation. He gave films everything he had and it was absolutely more than enough.

Pictured: The excellent The Searchers (on dvd on Amazon or Prime Video)

John Wayne, The Searchers

James Stewart, John Wayne, and Lee Marvin: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

May 23, 2021 By Joi Leave a Comment

James Stewart and John Wayne

There’s just something about two or more of your absolute favorites sharing the screen, isn’t there? I’m lucky that some of my favorites did so frequently: Maureen O’Hara, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and James Stewart have given me a lot of films to obsess over.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance doesn’t just star three of my favorite actors (James Stewart, John Wayne, and Lee Marvin), it was directed by one of my favorite directors, John Ford.

No wonder it’s such a spectacular film – it’s loaded!

James Stewart, Lee Marvin, and John Wayne

You can find The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance on dvd or Blu-Ray on Amazon or watch the wonderful Western on Prime Video.

More Publicity Photos for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are here.

Rio Grande: John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, The Magic Begins!

April 21, 2021 By Joi Leave a Comment

Many John Wayne Westerns get more attention than Rio Grande but, to my John Wayne loving heart, this is one of his best Westerns. Granted, Rio Bravo, El Dorado, McLintock!, The Searchers, Stagecoach and many others are extraordinary but so is Rio Grande.

Rio Grande was directed by the legend, himself, John Ford. Ford directed John Wayne in quite a few of his films, as well as Maureen O’Hara.

Speaking of Maureen O’Hara (something I, her biggest fan, do many times throughout the day), this was Maureen and John Wayne’s first movie together. I love the fact that, even in this their first film, the magic is most definitely already there. They had something extra special and they had to have known it from the start.

This wonderful Western also stars… among others…. Claude Jarman Jr (wonderful as their son), Ben Johnson, Chill Wills, Harry Carey Jr., and Victor McLaglen, in my favorite of all of his roles. He almost steals every scene he’s in! It was an exceptional story with an exceptional director who was given an exceptional cast.

What more could you ask for?!

You can find Rio Grande on dvd (Amazon link).

Claude Jarman Jr. and Maureen O’Hara

Happy St. Patrick’s Day with One of My VERY Favorite Movies, The Quiet Man

March 17, 2021 By Joi Leave a Comment

Barry Fitzgerald and Maureen O’Hara, The Quiet Man

We all have that movie (or movies) that are extra special to us. We put it in the dvd player or turn on the television and INSTANTLY everything is wonderful in our little world.

The Quiet Man is one of those magical movies for me. From the gorgeousness of Ireland to the PERFECT cast (Maureen O’Hara, John Wayne, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen…), this movie hypnotizes me each and every time I watch it.

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One of the things I love best about The Quiet Man is its beautiful simplicity. John Ford (one of the greatest directors of all time) took a beautiful love story, found a beautiful setting, and assembled the perfect cast…. all while allowing Ireland and its extraordinary people to be front and center.

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While I have a busy day in front of me, behind me, and all around me – I just wanted to quickly pay tribute to this glorious movie by making it the pictures of the day.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of you!

~ Joi (“Joy”)

You can find The Quiet Man (Collector’s DVD on Amazon) on dvd or watch on Prime Video.

John Wayne and Evelyn Knapp: His Private Secretary

February 28, 2021 By Joi Leave a Comment

Mickey Rentschler, John Wayne, and Evelyn Knapp

When you think of John Wayne, no doubt you (like me) you picture him as a cowboy. Then again, you may picture him as a war hero – I’d wager to guess that most of us either picture him in cowboy boots or combat boots.

Think about it… this man wore a lot of boots!

If you’ve never seen the Western superstar in a role that involved neither a horse, gun, or boots, I beg you to seek such movies out! His Private Secretary (1933) would be a really fun place to start. No boots, no guns, no deputies and the only tank is a fuel tank… but it’s still very entertaining and it is a hoot – a perfect hoot, at that – seeing John Wayne as a regular guy.

(Continued Below the Lobby Card…)

John Wayne, Evelyn Knapp, and Mickey Rentschler

The movie stars the wonderful Evelyn Knapp as Wayne’s leading lady. She even got top-billing in this one because she was better-known at the time. She was a very beautiful and talented actress and one that has always made me wonder, “Why was she not given more roles?!”

Reginald Barlow stars as John Wayne’s dad. Alec B. Francis, Arthur Hoyt, and Natalie Kingston round out the cast.

You can find His Private Secretary on Amazon (links to the Amazon page with dvd options). It’s available on its own or (better still) part of a John Wayne collection of films. Sometimes the collections are at a better price than the individual movie.

John Wayne and Evelyn Knapp

You can find a GREAT selection of Lobby Cards on Amazon. The link leads to a page on Amazon that lists many of their lobby cards (there are many pages of them!). You have to scroll past and through a few gift cards that pop up for some reason, but there are many great lobby cards and they’re often priced very, very reasonably.

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, Rio Grande

November 27, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, Rio Grande

I’m feeling kind of lazy today – as I usually do the day after a big holiday. Not only is fixing all the food exhausting, eating that much zaps your energy too, doesn’t it?!

I do have the gumption to post a couple of pictures of the day, however and… you know me… odds are it’s going to be pictures from a western and most likely one with Maureen O’Hara or John Wayne… or, better yet, both!

Rio Grande is a wonderful Western and one of my favorite these two favorite stars made together. If you’ve never seen Rio Grande, I highly recommend it. You can watch Rio Grande on Prime Video or buy the dvd on Amazon (Rio Grande, links to the dvd, but blu-ray is also available)

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, Rio Grande

Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne in the Perfection Known as The Quiet Man

November 16, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara… Perfection!

I’ll just go ahead and say it… people who say there’s no such thing as perfection have never seen The Quiet Man (1952, directed by the wonderful John Ford). If they HAD, they would say, “Outside of The Quiet Man, there’s no such thing as perfection.”

The movie is perfect, the cast is perfect, the director was perfect, the scenery is perfect (what a breathtaking beauty Ireland is), the sets are perfect, the script is perfect, the dialogue is perfect… if it’s aired on television, the commercials are perfect…

Okay, so I got a bit carried away.

If you’ve never seen The Quiet Man – or if it’s been a while since you last saw it – I hope you’ll pop some popcorn, grab a tall glass of raspberry tea (or drink of your choice) and escape with Mary Kate, Sean Thornton, Michaleen Oge Flynn, and Father Peter Lonergan to one of the most serene settings and colorful cast of characters you’re ever going to find.

You can buy The Quiet Man on dvd (link to Amazon) or watch on Prime Video…. or, you could always do like me and do both. Both is good.

Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne

Pictures of the Day: James Caan, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and Olaf Wieghorst in El Dorado

September 18, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

James Caan, John Wayne, and Olaf Wieghorst

One of my favorite Westerns of all time is El Dorado (1967). Directed by the wonderful Howard Hawks, it often gets overshadowed by Rio Bravo but… make absolutely no mistake about it… El Dorado belongs in no film’s shadow. It’s more than capable of standing on its own.. casting its own huge shadow!

The western stars John Wayne, James Caan, Robert Mitchum, Charlene Holt, Michele Carey, Olaf Wieghorst, and (last but by no means least – he makes the movie what it is), Arthur Hunnicutt as Bull. In the same way there could be no Rio Bravo without Stumpy, there could be no El Dorado without Bull.

You can watch El Dorado on Prime Video or buy the dvd on Amazon.