All 3 John Wayne & Jimmy Stewart Westerns, Ranked Worst To Best
Summary Throughout their legendary respective careers, John Wayne and James Stewart co-starred in three western movies together – but which one was the best, and which one was the worst? Wayne and Stewart are two of the biggest names in Hollywood history. The former was John Ford’s muse; the latter was Alfred Hitchcock’s. Wayne and Stewart were massive stars in the Golden Age, and they each represented something totally different.
3 How The West Was Won 1962’s How the West Was Won is one of the most ambitious undertakings in Hollywood history. It was essentially a cinematic miniseries that was shown back-to-back on the big screen. It took three filmmakers to make it happen – Henry Hathaway , John Ford, and George Marshall – and it was shot in true three-lens Cinerama for a classic look.
While it’s certainly an awe-inspiring spectacle, How the West Was Won doesn’t dig as deeply into its themes as it could’ve done. Since it sets out to chart 50 years of American history and there’s only so much time to do it, it ends up providing a handy bullet-point overview without much additional insight. It’s a marvel to look at – with some really tense sequences, like a buffalo stampede and a raft caught in some rushing rapids – but this sprawling epic is more tedious than breathtaking.
For most of his career, Wayne played the typical hero. He sprung into action to protect innocent people from the bad guys, he didn’t show an ounce of fear in the face of life-threatening danger, and he always saved the day in time for the end credits. But Wayne did his most interesting work when he challenged that clean-cut persona and played a more morally ambiguous antihero, like Rooster Cogburn in True Grit or Ethan Edwards in The Searchers. The Shootist’s J.B. Books belongs to this camp.
What makes The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance the best Wayne/Stewart western is that it makes the best use of the unique pairing of these two actors. It utilizes what made each of them such great actors and such beloved stars. The film begins with Stewart’s U.S. Senator character, Ranse Stoddard, attending the funeral of Wayne’s character, Tom Doniphon, as a framing device. Tom saved Ranse after he was beaten and robbed by the notorious outlaw Liberty Valance and his gang.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
I Just Realized This Connection Between Wayne's World & This $910.8 Million Box Office Hit 6 Years After Its ReleaseWayne and Garth in Wayne&39;s World
Read more »
Every John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara Movie, RankedMaureen O&39;Hara and John Wayne hugging in The Quiet Man
Read more »
This 62-Year-Old Western Was John Wayne & James Stewart's First & Best Movie Team-UpSean is a writer focused on science fiction franchises like Star Wars as well as general movies and television shows, new releases and media analysis.
Read more »
Does John Wayne Ever Die in His Movies?Custom image of John Wayne standing against a movie poster with his name on it
Read more »
John Wayne & Dean Martin Are Revengeful Brothers in This Overlooked, Violent WesternNamwene Mukabwa is a Collider author focusing on classic, Western, historical, and contemporary films and television series.
Read more »
LAX, John Wayne and Long Beach flights temporarily grounded; ports disrupted“We are seeing some delays. .. Our communications center is in constant communications with the FAA,” LAX spokeswoman says.
Read more »