John Wayne, Lest We Forget

[RedRiver]

TICKS?

[Rita Hayworth]

TICKS?

I know what you mean RR ... and I never heard of it now ... until now!

[RedRiver]

That's one I really shouldn't watch with my dog!

[Rita Hayworth]

That's one I really shouldn't watch with my dog!

Spoken eloquently clear!

[MissGoddess]

I have finally watched Circus World. It's been generally derided or ignored. I would say it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. From the still photos I had seen, I was afraid it was going to be on the cheesy/tawdry side. It wasn't either of those, but it wasn't very exciting, either. I'd almost call it "Father Knows Best" in a circus setting. And the setting seems to be the point of the picture, not the characters as much. I cannot recall a single close-up in the movie. Claudia was very cute, was this her first American picture or did Panther come after? I have never seen her play an almost Gidget-like teenager. Rita gives the best performance in the picture. It's actually a very serious role for her, which I was not expecting, and as always, she is grand at playing these characters. I felt like Wayne's character could have been played by anyone. He really does not do much.

Interestingly, Nicholas Ray is credited with co-authorship of the story.

[Rita Hayworth]

I have finally watched Circus World. It's been generally derided or ignored. I would say it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. From the still photos I had seen, I was afraid it was going to be on the cheesy/tawdry side. It wasn't either of those, but it wasn't very exciting, either. I'd almost call it "Father Knows Best" in a circus setting. And the setting seems to be the point of the picture, not the characters as much. I cannot recall a single close-up in the movie. Claudia was very cute, was this her first American picture or did Panther come after? I have never seen her play an almost Gidget-like teenager. Rita gives the best performance in the picture. It's actually a very serious role for her, which I was not expecting, and as always, she is grand at playing these characters. I felt like Wayne's character could have been played by anyone. He really does not do much.

Interestingly, Nicholas Ray is credited with co-authorship of the story.

I'm glad you like it ... your thoughts "Father Knows Best in a circus setting" ... is spoken true. It is one of Rita's better roles ... and soon this picture was finished she started her path to dementia. I seen it a couple times in my life and I like it too.

This is Claudia 2nd American Picture ... Pink Panther came out in 1963.

In speaking of John Wayne ... he wanted to do this movie because he was a fan of Rita Hayworth.

[MissGoddess]

I can certainly understand why he'd want to do a picture with her. They are very sweet together. I was really impressed by Rita's physicality. Did she do her own stunts? It looked like her.

[RedRiver]

This is just about the only John Wayne movie I haven't seen. We've just never been in the same room at the same time. I fell hard for Ms. Cardinale in the spy adventure BLINDFOLD. Let's just say she looked...FETCHING!

[moira finnie]

Interestingly, Nicholas Ray is credited with co-authorship of the story.

Ray was involved in a contract with Samuel Bronston and Philip Yordan. According to Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure of an American Director by Patrick McGilligan:

More to [Philip] Yordan's taste was Ray's ambition to craft a blockbuster about circus life--another borrowing from Cecil B. DeMille. It would be a travelogue of world circuses, hopping from location to location in Europe and the Far East. Major international stars would play key as well as cameo roles, a la Around the World in 89 Days. The all-encompassing script would offer 'an accurate and penetrating panarama of circus life, its people and the traditional trained animals in both historic and modern perspective,' according to advance publicity.

Ray got involved in 55 Days in Peking instead. That chaotic production (and a lifetime of self-destructive habits) led to Ray's collapse on the set and the end of the director's large scale productions. I can't help wondering if the Nicholas Ray of the early '50s who made the well told The Lusty Men might have been able to make a better circus story than that high-flying guy making blockbusters in the '60s.

How was Richard Conte in Circus World? Glum? Good? Or just phoning it in?

[Rita Hayworth]

I can certainly understand why he'd want to do a picture with her. They are very sweet together. I was really impressed by Rita's physicality. Did she do her own stunts? It looked like her.

I don't know ... that is a good question; Miss Goddess regarding Rita did her own stunts in Circus World.

How was Richard Conte in Circus World? Glum? Good? Or just phoning it in?

Richard Conte did a good job in Circus World and he enjoyed working with John, Claudia, and Rita.

[MissGoddess]

More to [Philip] Yordan's taste was Ray's ambition to craft a blockbuster about circus life--another borrowing from Cecil B. DeMille. It would be a travelogue of world circuses, hopping from location to location in Europe and the Far East. Major international stars would play key as well as cameo roles, a la Around the World in 89 Days. The all-encompassing script would offer 'an accurate and penetrating panarama of circus life, its people and the traditional trained animals in both historic and modern perspective,' according to advance publicity.

Ray got involved in 55 Days in Peking instead. That chaotic production (and a lifetime of self-destructive habits) led to Ray's collapse on the set and the end of the director's large scale productions. I can't help wondering if the Nicholas Ray of the early '50s who made the well told The Lusty Men might have been able to make a better circus story than that high-flying guy making blockbusters in the '60s.

Wow! Ray wanted to make an all-star extravaganza? That really surprises me. I thought I was going to learn that he envisioned a small-scale, intimate story like The Lusty Men, which I would have preferred. I know it's probably funny to say but from what I remember of The Greatest Show On Earth, DeMille did a much better job at focusing on the backstage, intimate moments and dramatics than this film does.

How was Richard Conte in Circus World? Glum? Good? Or just phoning it in?

He seemed to have either some scenes cut, or not given enough screen time to develop his character. There was not much tension or suspense about what he was going to do (the beginning suggests he is one who bears watching).

I definitely thought the movie did well at showing us circus life, though Claudia's make-up and hair confused me as to the time period (I am guessing around the turn of the last century). The settings in Europe are also quite magnificent. But the plot developed rather predictably, and felt like a TV show only without close-ups. I'm sure I saw this exact story on "Bonanza".

[pvitari]

Publication: December 4

John Wayne: The Legend and the Man: An Exclusive Look Inside the Duke's Archives

by John Wayne Enterprises

Essay by Patricia Bosworth
Foreword by Martin Scorsese
Remembrance by Maureen O’Hara
Interview with Ron Howard
Remembrance by Ronald Reagan

An undisputed American icon, John Wayne is recognized the world over for his signature drawl and confident swagger; the ultimate personification of American courage and honor. This fall, John Wayne Enterprises has chosen powerHouse Books to produce the first-ever exclusively authorized photographic record of his life, both on-screen and off.

John Wayne: The Legend and the Man celebrates Duke’s life and legacy through film stills and backstage photos and snapshots ranging from his cinematic masterpieces—True Grit, Rio Grande, Sands of Iwo Jima, The Quiet Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Fort Apache, and The Alamo—to a surprising variety of early-career, leading-man films: The Big Trail, Stagecoach, Flying Tigers, They Were Expendable. Also included are a wide selection of fan mail art; family albums, photos from friends and loved ones, and the many treasures gathered over the years in his immense archive (famed film costumes, publicity photos exchanged with costars, telegrams and medals), many of the photos and these personal effects being published for the first time, and all from Duke’s personal archive.

Duke was more than just his on-screen persona—he was known by loved ones for his warmth, charm, charisma, passion, loyalty, and spirit. Through an in-depth exposé of the memorabilia, the private moments, the inner thoughts, and familial memories, John Wayne: The Legend and the Man captures both the man and the myth and furthers the legacy of this giant of American cinema.

[tinker]

I finally got my copy of this book. It has some wonderful pictures, some from old shoots and some I have never seen before. I wish they had left the one with the elephant shooting out though. The Reagan pages are from an old interview.

The pictures certainly show how close Wayne was to his children and grand children and how little he cared about the way he was photographed for casual shots. There are a many photos of him on the set. It does not appear that he worried to much about those pictures either.

And because I love the horses, I was pleased to see there is one of Wayne with stuntman Chuck Hayward's Twinkle Toes that I have never seen before.

Not a huge amount of John Ford in it but a very interesting birthday telegram to Ford.

Its a book clearly made with love and affection but is not trying to make Wayne more or less than he was.

It is nice to have another new Wayne book that is not intent on destroying legends


Well worth buying.


dee

[MissGoddess]

I'm sure the photos are wonderful, especially those of Wayne with his kids.

Speaking of, Ethan Wayne, his youngest son, did an interview here for Disney, which is rather sweet:

http://www.disneydads.com/ethan-wayne-s ... unslinger/

[tinker]

Thanks for the link.

It is really lovely the way John Wayne's family record his life. I guess one of the things he really did give his children was a strong sense of loyalty. Given the Hollywood environment it was a wonderful gift.

I wonder how many superstars children today could look back and say they recall their childhood as being free


dee