John Wayne: An American Icon Collection

The word icon is bandied about a lot. We hear about ‘pop icons’ and ‘film icons’ but they usually lack one property required for the true use of the word, endurance. In film one man stands above the rest as a true American icon, John Wayne. In a career that spanned some six decades Wayne was the leading man in over 140 of his film, more than any other actor. He remains on the top of any list that features the ideal man, strong, honest and compassionate. The ‘Duke’ has starred opposites some of the best actors and worked with the top directors of his time. His films are classic and now Universal has released John Wayne: American Icon and it is a must have for any serious film collector. Perhaps he is best known for his many westerns but this set features some of his best work without a saddle. The selection of films presented in this box set is top notch, representing some of the better films Wayne has starred in.

Seven Sinners (1940)

One reoccurring theme in film is the stalwart man lead down the wrong path by a sultry seductress. In Seven Sinners John Wayne plays Lt. Dan Brent, a brave and steadfast navel officer. He comes in contact with three less than stellar deportees with passage; Bijou Blanche (Marlene Dietrich), a lounge singer, petty thief Sasha Mencken (Mischa Auer) and sailor turned deserter Edward Patrick 'Little Ned' Finnegan (Broderick Crawford). While on their way to the south sea island of Boni-Komba Bijou is befriended by the broken down ship’s doctor, Dr. Martin (Albert Dekker). Lt. Brent has been commissioned by the new governor of the island, Harvey Henderson (Samuel S. Hinds) to escort his daughter Dorothy (Anna Lee). In the Seven Sinners Café Bijou sings, is reunited with ex-boyfriend café owner Tony (Billy Gilbert), and the stage is set for romantic triangles galore. This was a chance for Wayne to break away from the typical stoic hero and play a man manipulated by a strong and devious woman. This film is presented in 1.37:1 black and white with mono audio.

The Shepherd Of The Hills (1941)

Here Wayne plays almost completely against the Cowboy image or military man that most of is associate him with. He plays Young Matt, a man living in the Ozark Mountains associating with a family of moonshiners. Matt and his dying mother where abandoned years ago by his father and has vowed to kill him should they ever cross paths. After a friend, Jim Lane (Tom Fadden) is shot a stranger, Daniel Howitt (Harry Carey) arrives and treats the injured man. Lane’s daughter Sammy (Betty Field) is naturally appreciative and encourages Howitt to settle there. Howitt infuriates Matt when he purchases the family homestead for a paltry sum and tensions begin to rise. It turns out that Howitt is actually Matt’s father and the reason he left home was he committed a murder and was sent to prison. Now reformed he only wants to get to know the son he left long ago. There is a strong emotional character arc for Wayne here. This film shows off his acting talent more than a lot of the horse operas that made him famous. This is also one of the earliest color films and the use of color is something that rivals films today. The film is in 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

Pittsburgh (1942)

With this film Wayne plays against type as Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham, a coal miner out for a good time. While out on the town he talks his friend Cash Evans (Randolph Scott) into a fight with a professional heavyweight prizefighter. When Pittsburgh meets Josie 'Hunky' Winters (Marlene Dietrich) he becomes determined to become a better man. Even with this program of self improvement Pittsburgh can’t seem to go straight. He marries into a well to do family planning on making Josie his mistress. Jose is offended and Cash comes to defend her taking on Pittsburgh in a fight. There is a little bit of cinematic history here, this is the only on screen fight the Duke ever lost. There is also a nice little comic moment care of one of the Three Stooges Shep Howard. This film is also in black and white full screen.

The Conqueror (1956)

This is perhaps the weakest of the films in this set but it does hold a lot of historical significance for film buffs. Wayne plays world conqueror Genghis Khan in one of his most overdone performances in his long career. The eye makeup used to give him an Asian look alone is enough to make most in the audience laugh a bit. Wayne shares the screen with some notable stars including Susan Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, William Conrad and a very young Lee Van Cleef. It was also produced by Howard Hughes who happened to own RKO at the time and was directed by Dick Powell. A tragic footnote to the flick is it was filmed in a desert used for nuclear testing. An unusually high number of cancer deaths including Wayne and Hayward followed for decades. Even though Wayne is miscast here the film is still fun to watch. This one is presented in color and in 2.35:1 anamorphic video.

Jet Pilot (1957)

This film was the offspring of the growing tension in America due to the cold war and fear of the Soviet Union. Wayne plays Col. Jim Shannon assigned to a remote Alaskan outpost near the northern region of the U.S.S.R. While on a spy mission beautiful Russian pilot Lt. Anna Marladovna Shannon (Janet Leigh) defects and wants to go to the States. In order to help her stay Shannon marries her when the government wants to end her back for espionage. Shannon faces a long prison term and takes Anna back to Russia. Against all type casting the Duke leaves his country, unbelievable. Leigh as a jet pilot does stretch things a bit but overall the performance is perfect for a cold war thriller. The film is in color and 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

If you think you know the career of John Wayne but only think of him in westerns this set is a perfect way to see the other types of roles he took on. For the price you can’t do better for five films. They are a bit hokey but always fun. They also represent a glimpse at some of the greatest talents in the golden age of Hollywood.

Posted 5/31/06