John Wayne Centenary: The '70s - Big Jake, The Cowboys and The Shootist - Page 7

Most actors as they get older move into supporting roles. That Wayne was still headlining films while in his late sixties says volumes about his movie star status. His ability as an actor has often been questioned but his performance in The Shootist ranks alongside the best of the genre and is a fitting finale to the career of perhaps the greatest movie star Hollywood ever produced.

He made a string of classic films that started with Stagecoach in 1939 and culminated with The Shootist in 1976. His name appeared on the annual top 10 money-making stars list a record twenty-five times between 1949 and 1974, topping the list four times.

This article marks the end on my journey through Duke’s career but I’ll shortly be taking a look at Warner’s recently released John Wayne Film Collection that contains six of the star's less well known films made between 1939 and 1953, all of which are available for the first time on DVD in the US. Have Warner's unearthed any lost Wayne classics? We'll see.

Article Author: Ian Woolstencroft

Ian Woolstencroft was brought up on a diet of John Wayne movies and Marvel Comics and still has a passion for both. Now as a blogcritic he finally understands what Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben meant when he said ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ …

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