John Wayne | Hollywood Yesterday

Barbara Stanwyck, John Wayne, and George Brent in Baby Face (1933)

August 15, 2021 By Joi

Barbara Stanwyck and John Wayne, Baby Face

Baby Face (1933) isn’t just worth seeing because it’s a good movie, it’s also worth seeing for the cast, alone. Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Theresa Harris, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Cook, and a very young John Wayne are all outstanding in this one. When I first watched Baby Face (many, many years ago), I had no idea John Wayne (one of my personal favorite stars) was in the movie. When a man shows up in the workplace making eyes at Barbara Stanwyck’s character Lily, I froze and thought, “No way! Can’t be!” – but the camera went in closer and, sure enough, there he was in all his glory… just without a hat and not a horse in sight!

I hate to admit it now, because I’ve grown to like him a great deal, but this is actually the movie that made me a George Brent fan. Before Baby Face, I had only seen him in a few Bette Davis movies and I came away unimpressed each time. Due to the fact that I loved him so much in this movie (and in each one I’ve seen since), I suspect it had more to do with the boring characters he had played than it did with him. He was outstanding in this movie.

George Brent and Barbara Stanwyck

John Wayne and Donna Reed, They Were Expendable (1945)

July 20, 2021 By Joi

John Wayne and Donna Reed

I have always been a very big Donna Reed fan – in fact, back when The Donna Reed Show was shown in syndication on television (I wish it still was!), I never missed an episode. I also watch and rewatch her in It’s a Wonderful Life each December at least three times.

For whatever reasons, however, I’m really only recently discovering her other films. They’re wonderful and she is even more so. She was a stunningly beautiful and wonderfully talented actress. I wish she had been given even more films and even more challenging roles. When she was given a great role, she absolutely hit it out of the park!

She has become one of my top 5 all-time favorite movie actresses (she was already in the top five for television actresses… she, Lucille Ball, and Barbara Stanwyck top both lists!).

As for Mr. John Wayne… well, suffice to say he’s been one of my top favorite actors since I knew what an actor was.

Probably before then!

The fact that these two dynamic stars teamed up for a film makes me blissfully happy. The fact that this film, They Were Expendable, is outstanding is icing on the cake.

They Were Expendable (1945) was directed by John Ford and also stars Robert Montgomery, Jack Holt, Ward Bond, Marshall Thompson, and Cameron Mitchell.

You can find They Were Expendable on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.

John Wayne and Donna Reed

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

June 26, 2021 By Joi

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

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

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

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

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

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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The Quiet Man Lobby Card

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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The Quiet Man Lobby Card

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.

The Quiet Man Lobby Card

John Wayne and Evelyn Knapp: His Private Secretary

February 28, 2021 By Joi

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.

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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, Donna Reed, and Robert Montgomery in They Were Expendable (1945)

February 20, 2021 By Joi

John Wayne, Donna Reed, and Robert Montgomery

They Were Expendable (1945) was directed by John Ford and stars John Wayne, Donna Reed, Robert Montgomery, Jack Holt, Ward Bond, Marshall Thompson, and Cameron Mitchell.

Excellent cast and excellent film.

You can find They Were Expendable on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.