There has been a lot of bullshit about the Duke and whether or not he was a great actor. I think that here is no that he was. The range of his roles might have been limited but within them he became the ultimate icon of that type of character. An icon that resonates to this day. Even as respected an actor as Cagney is not as copied as the Duke. The Duke's portrayal of the "good" bad man with a moral code is the basis of so many movies and TV shows that it is laughable. He was not the first to portray this archetype. But he was the best.
From Ringo in "Stagecoach" to Captain Brittles in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" to Tom Dunstan in "Red River" he portrayed the loner with violent instincts with a code of honor that is the standard in drama in movies and TV. I have been watching this new TV show called "Believe" in which the protagonist is a little girl with telekinetic powers. Her father was a criminal on Death Row who was busted out to protect her from shadowy government entities. He is a criminal and a violent man but he has a code. He is playing a "John Wayne" role.
You know who is a contemporary "John Wayne" role? Raylan Givens on "Justified." He is a violent man who is quick on the trigger who still has compassion for people like the young Kendal Crowe. Raylan Givens and Hondo are the same guy.
People copy the Duke's act all the time. To say he was not a great actor is just foolish.
5 comments:
He was one of the greats.
He was the great American cowboy.
He is a violent man who is quick on the trigger who still has compassion for people like the young Kendal Crowe.
Unless the screenwriters reconcile Raylan and Winona, I'm hoping they write some romance between Wendy Crowe and Raylan. They have good chemistry.
I think it is pretty clear that the final season is going to be a triangle between Raylan, Boyd and Ava.
It will end as it began.
Maybe so, Troop, maybe so.
Say, did anyone watch "Mad Men" last night? I checked my Twitter feed and it was dead air.
"The Searchers" w. Lana Wood has got to be my all time fave John Wayne flick, although he played in so many good movies it's almost like a 10-man photo-finish..
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