My favorite JW movies are the ones that show off his trusty Winchester 1892 with the big bow finger lever. I especially like Stagecoach where he played Johnny Ringo. He stopped the stagecoach while standing with his saddle over his left shoulder and twirling his Winchester 1892 with his right hand. You just do not get any better than that. :cowboy:

Hi Yanqui! Welcome to our little place here.

I love that scene from Stagecoach! We watched the film in a film appreciation class in college and I don't remember being too affected by it one way or the other, but when I watched it again last year and I first saw Ringo... bang zoom! One of the coolest and most iconic moments in all of cinema - right up there with Gene Kelly dancing in the rain or Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman standing in the fog by the airplane.

You've got Duke standing there against the backdrop of Monument Valley - he seems almost as big as the monuments. He twirls that thing in his hand and the camera zooms on in that big wonderful face, losing focus for a second and then BAM! I never get tired of watching it. Knocks me flat.

Sorry to rhapsodize and gush. A little habit of mine from time to time. *blush*

Bang zoom! That's what I call how to make an icon! They always talk about that shot that made a star, right there in Monument valley... but this particular shot (as well as the best part of the film) wasn't made in that famous valley, it was made in the 30 mile radius of Hollywood, at the Iverson place where many a B-western was made, and Wayne must've felt right at home.
This particular spot - Wayne's opening - was close to a formation of rocks where they filmed that famous Hi-Ho-Silver-opening for the Lone Ranger series.

As a matter of fact, most of the principle players never had to travel to the Monument Valley, as the coach is only seen in long shot, and the stops - the stations, the ferry, etc. - were all shot at Iverson's.

Did I just hear some girl's heart break? I'm sorry! But as the old saying goes: If the fact becomes legend, print the fact! Or did I mix that up..?
:huh:

The Iverson Ranch, huh? Well, it looks enough like Monument Valley to fool me, and in the context of the film, it IS Monument Valley. Never fear - my heart is still intact, as it's still John Wayne and it's still an iconic moment. :)

It'd be interesting to go tour the Iverson Movie Ranch, but it sounds like much of it's been broken up into pieces and the land used for luxury homes.

http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/iverson.htm

At any rate, I'll have to take another look at your definitive list of JW books to see what you recommend for all the inside dirt on Stagecoach.

Yes, I think they even built a trailer home right where the movie-town of Lordsburg used to be. As time goes by...

Regarding the lever action... I get the impression from the first post in this thread that Duke used the same Winchester time and again. Is this true? So the one in True Grit is the same one he used in Stagecoach 30 years earlier? Sorry - I don't know much about firearms.

There must have been several, the loop of the first one (an invention Wayne made with Yak Cannutt) is a bit wider, and the rifle is a bit shorter than, for instance, in Rio Bravo, 20 years later. Could be that the one in True Grit is the shorter version again. Haven't the faintest.

I once read that the studios had the different guns for Wayne to use made up, so every time he made a western he would pick them out (the same is true for his costumes: they kept them at store at Western costume, so he used the same clothes over and over), and there must have been rubber replicas as well - like the one he used to clubber a bad guy in Rio Bravo in the "Aw, I didn't hurt him"-scene - it's clearly not the same gun.

The one used in Rio Bravo is on display at the Warner Brothers studios (you'll see it on the tour, they also have the airplane model of High&Mighty), and I think he donated a lot of his private guns to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma.

Originally posted by itdo@Oct 4 2003, 12:55 AM
... but this particular shot (as well as the best part of the film) wasn't made in that famous valley, it was made in* the 30 mile radius of Hollywood, at the Iverson place where many a B-western was made, and Wayne must've felt right at home.
Mr. Iverson also had a ranch up in Selma, Oregon, approximately 3000 acres, where he hosted the Duke and his family and other Hollywood stars quite often. John Wayne's horse from (I think) True Grit was pastured there until about 2 years ago, when he died. An acquaintance of mine, from that area, is supposed to e-mail me with more info on both the horse and the ranch, and of course I'll share the goods with you. The same acquaintance indicated that when the safe was opened by the present owners (to whom he is related), a Winchester 98 with an enlarged lever action was discovered inside and the serial numbers were supposedly traced to John Wayne. His son now has possession of this rifle (this story seems to be a little hard to believe <_< , but time will tell).

Another nearby ranch, the Tall Timber Ranch, was reputedly owned by John Wayne (or Wayne Enterprises), but I haven't been able to substantiate that as of yet. I have confirmed that JW stayed there while working on Rooster Cogburn and possibly the TV commercials filmed in that area.

While up there last week, I found out that one of the local ranch owners was a personal friend of John Wayne, and they used to get together. More on that as I research it.

And as long as I'm here, I'd like to welcome Yanqui to the message board! And keep those provokative posts coming!!

Chester