Favorite John Wayne Movie

After reading the posts on "The Quiet Man" I thought what is everyones favorite Duke Morrison film. I love The Quiet Man but my #1 is "The Searchers".

Of course any movie with "The Duke" and Ward Bond is great!

JD

I don't have A favorite, but I really like "The Cowboys". In addition to the Duke, you got Bruce Dern playing one heckuva bad guy, along with Roscoe Lee Brown, Colleen Dewhurst, and a very young A. Martinez and Robert Carridine.

I also like "True Grit" quite a bit.

I have to admit his last movie, "The Shootist," is my favorite.

--Mark

When I was a kid I would have said Hondo. In my old age it is a tossup between The Searchers and True Grit. Red River is a close second.

The Searchers cause he is not playing "John Wayne" like he is in other movies.
He shoulda won the oscar for his portrayal of Ethan Edwards.

Tie between Stagecoach and The Seachers but IMHO, his best acting performance was She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. I will also throw McClintock in the mix for sheer pleasure (O'Hara and DeCarlo....w00t).

I didn't think of Stagecoach but it is right up there. I also love the Monogram pictures he did in his early career. In the they are so bad they are good category as most of the Monogram productions were. With Yakima Canutt doing the stunt work there was some great stuff in them.

Rio Bravo.

Duke, Dean-O, Ricky Freaking Nelson and a 19 year old Angie Dickinson. 'Nuff Said.


Big Jake also deserves mention. Maureen O'Hara and Richard Boone. Only Wayne could deal with them both.

Red River

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon has to be in the top five for me. Many people overlook his work in the second leg of Ford's cavalry trilogy, Rio Grande. My heart throb Maureen was in that one too as his wife. The scene where he payed a debt to her in Confederate money and she made change for him was quite powerful. I know people think of Hepburn and Tracy, Powell and Loy, and even Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan when they think of "screen couples". Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne were simply MADE for each other on the screen. Their interaction was almost as real a genuine couple.

Agreed about McLintock. With O'Hara, a young Stephanie Powers, and Yvonne DeCarlo. Good gravy. With that much beauty on the screen it is no wonder every guy watches that one with a smile on his face. A real hoot and about as risque(if you could even call it that) as you could possibly get for O'Hara. She was in her 40's and still GORGEOUS.

Regards, Todd

Brewman said:

I don't have A favorite, but I really like "The Cowboys". In addition to the Duke, you got Bruce Dern playing one heckuva bad guy, along with Roscoe Lee Brown, Colleen Dewhurst, and a very young A. Martinez and Robert Carridine.

I also like "True Grit" quite a bit.

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+1 on TRUE GRIT.

I have to say, "The Quiet Man" is still my favorite. I wait anxiously for the mother of all fight scenes comencing with the shot to the bread basket after Thornton ducks the first punch.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the Duke liked the Searchers best of all his movies.

Phog Allen said:

I know people think of Hepburn and Tracy, Powell and Loy, and even Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan when they think of "screen couples".

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William Powell & Myrna Loy! I love those Thin Man movies

mantic said:

I have to admit his last movie, "The Shootist," is my favorite.

--Mark

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+1

Also McClintock is right up there on the list

My favorite JW film is In Harms Way. It's a super big WWII Hollywood film with lots of stars and stars to be.

Patricia Neal
Kirk Douglas
Carroll O'connor
Peter Lawford
Dana Andrews
Henry Fonda

and onwards.

DaveS

Big John Wayne fan, so many memorable roles- The shootist always stands out poignantly. And what a cast!

John Wayne - John Bernard Books
Lauren Bacall - Bond Rogers
Ron Howard - Gillom Rogers
James Stewart - Dr. E.W. Hostetler
Richard Boone - Mike Sweeney
Hugh O'Brian - Jack Pulford
Harry Morgan - Carson City Marshal Walter J. Thibido
Scatman Crothers - Moses Brown
John Carradine - Hezekiah Beckum (undertaker)

Another vote for The Searchers. It is a fantastic film, the story is powerful, and the framing is amazing. The final scene still moves me after all these years. I love The Quiet Man as well, and actually still have a soft spot for Brannigan.

So many great films can't pick just one

I love many of his films so hard to pick a favorite but I will mention this one as a great one:

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance