The first major example of the "Good Bad Man" in the Duke's filmography is "The Ringo Kid" in the seminal John Ford western "Stagecoach."
The name Ringo is iconic since it brings back echoes of the outlaw associated with the Clanton's of OK Corral fame. The Ringo Kid is an outlaw return to the town of Lordsburgh to get revenge for the murder of his Father and Brother. The Stagecoach picks him up on the road and they agree to let him ride as the shotgun guard to help defend against the Indians. He falls in love with the prostitute Dallas but still goes out to face the Plummers. Because the Good Bad man is bound by his code. Justice before personal satisfaction.
This is the epitome of the Western hero that John Wayne has played over and over again. An archetype that has been copied over and over again.
17 comments:
A character who is bad but who does good is way more interesting and compelling.
Those ranchers out in Nevada who strapped on their guns and mounted their horses are real John Waynes, aren't they?
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys!
Actually, I have wondered if the rancher is right about who owns the land...e.g., did Nevada's Act of Admission (1861) enumerate the “equal footing doctrine” as determined in a SCOTUS decision in 1883 (Escanaba Co vs. City of Chicago). "Equal Footing" in general means new states are admitted on the same footing as the original 13. One Helpful Link (?) is this one.
In my mind, not a legal mind and not that of a lawyer, it seems we are back to what is "settled law" and what is not.
I have been unable to find a specific cession document for the grazing land in question, especially any one stipulating uses other than preservation of its natural state, which a solar energy business for profit does not fit. AS I mentioned earlier on another thread, Detroit experienced this phenomena when the City decided to uproot homeowners by the dozens to build a GM plant long ago. Wasn't right then and isn't right now.
I am haunted by the very simple fact that my emotional response to the confrontation was to fly there, lease a horse, and join the defenders...and trust me, I am experienced riding working cow horses, even as an old coot. It haunts because I think Bundy has made some foolish moves, however...in its simplicity he may be right.
That, and, based upon experience, I have no use, none, zero, nada, for BLM's method of "gathering" livestock or wildlife of any kind. Mainly they harm all they gather to some extent. The only place BLM has been slightly reasonable has been the Pryor Mountian Wild Horse Refuge, where they are constrained by a law that establishes it as wild horses only. The gather metod at Pryor Mountain is a slower round up on horseback, no helicopters or ATV's. Population control is by dart fired birth control injections, in the open, not in pens, in females. And at Pryor Mountain the horse really are Wild and closely descended from the Conquistador line of horses.
If you know what markings to look for (feathering and tiger striping), let alone DNA, it is unmistakable. I've been up close with these Pryor animals and they are beautiful. I recommend a visit by anyone visiting Montana, but hire the tour, in advance, from the visitor center in Wyoming...the roads up the mountain will shred your city duty tires....we lost one off road tire on my last trip up. You can also see many of the wild horses in the lower Dry Head lands along the Big Horn River in late spring and early fall.
Mainly I mention Pryor Mountain to illustrate that BLM does know how to act, but it just chooses not to in too many places.
I can just see Trooper w/ a boner. albeit semi flaccid, when he writes about his bromance.
Nick...uhm, I prefer not to visualize Trooper or anyone else with a "boner"...but thanks for the idea :-(
We should do a John Wayne movie night!
Trooper, where is the Joan Love? Fickle?
I've driven past the signs many times but today I decided to stop. The same exit on Interstate 80 has the birthplaces of 2 great American Hall of Famers. Bob Feller has a museum in Van Meter, Ia. and soon there will be a museum @ the John Wayne birth home in Winterset, Ia. These are 2 small neighboring farm towns, a 15 minute drive apart. Trooper, they broke ground last week[April 7th] for the John Wayne Museum, w/ the grand opening being his annual birthday weekend celebration in late May 2015. This years weekend will feature Lana Wood appearing and telling stories about John, Monty and Rock having chin-up contests.
There is always barroom talk about having a get together. Well, Iowa is smack dab in the center of the country and the grand opening of the Duke Museum would be the perfect venue. There are plenty of pigs to keep all the dudes happy and all the women can take a side trip to nearby bridges of Madison County and look for a studly photographer, maybe LSL.
"Ted Williams was what John Wayne would have liked us to think he was"
--Robert Lipsyte.
Real men have their heads frozen when they die.
Google Maps says Winterset, IA is 14 hours from here. Anyone wanna carpool?
I'm guessing that would add 28 hours to my trip.
windebag/blake, Don't fret, the homeboy won't leave Brooklyn. The man LOVES the west. He could travel the routes of Wyatt, Doc, Butch, etc. It would be heaven for the good man. But, it won't happen. C'est la vie.
I will go to any meet up so long as I can fly to within 75 miles of it and drive a rental from there to where ever. Looks like Des Moines is close enough to fly to...May 2015 would be perfect, as I could just fly on to Montana after the debauchery.
Will Spinelli organize this? :-)
Ari, I will do all I can, but we need to get our host committed. The Des Moines airport is an hour or so from Winterset. May is tornado season, love to see these coast people shit in their pants w/ a twister bearing down on them.
Tornado season...lovely thought. I've been in direct hits by two of them, one in Joliet, IL and the other in West Bloomfield, MI. Hard to tell where those boogers will touch down, but just seeing on coming is a nerve jangling experience.
Ari, I've only seen one. It is nerve jangling but for me, much more exhilarating. If storm chasers weren't all nerds I would be one. Wait..I must be a nerd.
Iowa may be centrally located, but probably pricey to get to. Any other locations that might be cheap to get to? Atlanta, Vegas, NYC?
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