Above are the five movies which I think John Wayne should and should not have made what are your suggestions?

Robbie,

Five movies I think John Wayne SHOULDN'T have made:

1. The Conqueror
2. Brannigan
3. Circus World
4. Hell Fighters
5. The Undefeated (I wholeheartedly agree with you on that one)


Five movies I would like to have seen John Wayne in:

1. Shenandoah (this movie had so many supporting actors from other JW movies it seemed strange that the Duke wasn't there with them)

2. Spencer's Mountain (originally with Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara)

3. Space Cowboys (I realize he was dead by the time they made that movie, but it would have been fun)

4. a cameo role in "Back to the Future III" (when they are back in the 1800's; hey, Harry Carrey Jr. was in it!)

5. Oklahoma (if he had learned how to sing :D )

So that's my two cents worth!

Cheers!

Chester

P.S. Where's smokey hidin'? We haven't heard from her in a while and we miss her . . .

Chester and Robbie,

What do you guys have against "The Undefeated"? I really thougt it was a good role with lots of good one liners in it for Duke. The character seemed to have the same values and fit right in with most of JW's characters.

Maybe you guys know something about that movie that I never have caught on to? I would really like to hear both of your points of view!

Later,

Idaho

Here's my top 5:

1. The Barbarian & the Geisha (What's good about it) :angry:

2. Legend of the Lost (terrible chemistry) :(

3. The Trian Robbers (plot terrible, and his story line was dull) :ph34r:

4. Brannigan (trying to be a Dirty Harry/Clint Eastwood clone; he turned down the role of Dirty Harry because of too much violence) :blink:

5. The Conqueror (I didn't get it - Story line bad) :unsure:

Roles he'd fit perfect.

1. Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks wanted Duke to play the part of The Waco Kid; turned it down because of the content, but wanted to be there for the premere) :lol:

2. It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (He'd be great with the cast in that movie as a traveling salesman trying to get ahead and seeing a way to get his business going but dealing with the characters in that movie). :D

3. Rambo (If this came out sooner during the Korean War). :)

4. We Were Soldiers (Too much like the Green Berets, but I think Mel Gibson could play roles the Duke could play). <_<

5. A Few Good Men (Duke would have belted Tom Cruise, which would have been enjoyable to see.) B)


Idaho, Duke didn't like doing the film "The Undefeated," and it showed throughout the movie. He didn't particularly like Rock Hudson either. He knew during the filming that he was a homosexual, and flet uncomfortable with that. ;) The movie was not his best, and I do agree with the others but did't put it in my top 5, because he did some pretty bad ones, especially in the mid 50's.

Some of his other forgettable movies in the 50's were, Blood Alley, Jet Pilot, & Big Jim McLain. :o

Having Fun,
Hondo

Hondo,

How could I forget about The Barbarian and the Geisha? Well, actually, I can figure out how I could - yuck! :wacko:

We haven't seen Blood Alley yet, but as far as Jet Pilot and Big Jim McLain, I felt they had redeemable qualities in some areas and have enjoyed them. Watching all those jet planes flying through the clouds was kind of neat, although the plot was admittedly corny.

Regarding The Undefeated, I tend to agree with your assessment. As far as the plot, why any intelligent group of people would think they would have redemption in Mexico during that time period is beyond me. I guess they were grasping at straws.

Chester

The reason why I hate the undefeated is because it has no sparkle and there is no significant threat from any bad guys and the duke does not look well compare the way he looked in the undefeated to the way he looked in the cowboys big difference. However duke and hudson became friends duke knew he was gay but didnt mind he also was good frends with lawerence harvey from the alamo and he also knew he was gay. I should have mentioned earlier but I hate legend of the lost with a passion I just forgot about it its probably dukes worst.

I tend to agree with everyone on The Undefeated. However, The Train Robbers was an excellent show. Some of the support was weak, but who can hate Ann Margaret (wow!).

The Train Robbers was weak in plot, and characters were never developed in the movie. The ending was rushed as if they were running out of time and had to find an ending. Yes, I agree that Ann Margaret is HOT, HOT, NOT!

I was bored with the movie, and have seen it at least a dozen times. I have it in my video collection. If there is a saving quality in that movie, it's Duke. They didn't do him very well, but he did what he could.

Of course that is my opinon

I do agree that in Jet Pilot the plane action, and the different type of planes which I thought were pretty neat, but the story was corny, and didn't do well at the box office. In Big Jim McLain, that movie was in the mist of the McCarthy Congressional Hearings of UnAmerican Activities in Hollywood. Duke wanted to make a movie to show support for America, and the American way. He may have jumped too quickly in a role which showed a weak plot, and not a very good character development. It could have worked out well, but I believe it was rushed out to the public without too much editing. My two cents worth.

Hondo :rolleyes:

Robbie,

You're right about the relationship with Duke and Rock. They did become friends after shooting of The Undefeated. Duke had some problems during the film. My reference was during the shooting of the movie, and I didn't clarify that. I was about to disagree with you about Lawerence Harvey, but that was actually with Richard Widmark, who was a jerk during filming of The Alamo.

Very Good, Robbie

Hondo :D

hi one and all,

there are a few of the dukes movies that i think that he should never have made, but there are a few of the modern ones that i could see him acting in. i think that he could have left "the undefeated"alone, as you all said there was no real plot to it. i think his best work was when he was making the movies durning the war with the likes as "they were expendable". and as my son says the cowboy movies are his best.


cheers smokey

Good movies, bad movies;

Jet Pilot Howard Huges was interested in the flying, not the characters or the story.
The Undefeated The ending was too flat, boring. I feel John Wayne & his cowboys should have teamed up with the Rebs to kick the Generals butt!
In Harms Way This movie lacks quite a bit of action and felt more like a soap opera.

Roles John Wayne could have played:

Quigley Down Under He could have made Sellecks character interesting.
Take John Wayne at the age when he did Sands of Iwo Jima, and replace Tom Hanks with Wayne in the movie Saving Private Ryan. What do you thinK?????

Just off of the top of my head, has anyone seen Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb?? What about John Wayne playing Maj. Kong, the B-52 pilot that was played by Sim Pickens?? Can you imagine J.W. riding that nuke to eternity?

The only other movie I can think of is Paths of Glory. Wayne playing in the role of Col. Dax, originaly played by Kirk Douglas. If you haven't seen this movie, I highly suggest it as it is based on actual events in WW 1.

Originally posted by chester7777@Apr 15 2003, 11:27 AM
Robbie,

Five movies I think John Wayne SHOULDN'T have made:

1.* The Conqueror
2.* Brannigan
3.* Circus World
4.* Hell Fighters
5.* The Undefeated (I wholeheartedly agree with you on that one)


Five movies I would like to have seen John Wayne in:

1.* Shenandoah (this movie had so many supporting actors from other JW movies it seemed strange that the Duke wasn't there with them)

2.* Spencer's Mountain (originally with Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara)

3.* Space Cowboys (I realize he was dead by the time they made that movie, but it would have been fun)

4.* a cameo role in "Back to the Future III"* (when they are back in the 1800's; hey, Harry Carrey Jr. was in it!)

5.* Oklahoma (if he had learned how to sing* :D )

So that's my two cents worth!

Cheers!

Chester

P.S.* Where's smokey hidin'?* We haven't heard from her in a while and we miss her . . .
:huh: I' m sorry but I have to disagree with you on the Hellfighters. He did a great job on that film. The part where he is on the airplane and it opens up and there he stands with his big smile and that cowboy hat makes the whole movie as far as I am concerned.
When he gets so protective of his daughter when he finds out she went to a fire, and knockes whatshisface for a loop. Now that is classic John Wayne. :D
I don't know too much about what you folks feel about this, I for one, am a true blue John Wayne fan. I grew up watching him, and I still watch him alot.
The Undefeated is one he should have passed on. :(

He should not have made The Conqueror, the Alamo, The Green Berets or the Hellfightors.

The movie I would like to have seen him in is Ride the High Country. It's one of my favorite films. I understand he wanted to do the film but Peckinpah would not cast him because the two main characters needed to be equals he felt Duke overshadowed everyone. I think it would have worked with him opposite Fonda, Stewart or Joel McRae.

should not
1. Jet Pilot
2. The Conqueror
3. The Barbarian and the Geisha
4. Big Jim McLain


should
1. Tom Siesmore's charactor in Black Hawk Down
2. Mel Gibson or Sam Elliot in We Were Soilders
3. Sam Elliots or Gary Busey charactor in Rough Riders
4. Battalion CO in Band of Brothers
5. Harrison Ford in Air Force One
6. Michael Douglas in The American President

Brian
Tulalip Wa

BrianB,

First of all, welcome to the John Wayne Message Board. I see you've taken it by storm! Since you've made several references to accessing the board from your own PC, and judging by the times of your posts, I'm guessing you must be the night desk clerk someplace, where you have to stay awake, but there's not much to do - am I even close?

I totally agree with you, as far as John Wayne fitting the role played by Harrison Ford in Air Force One. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I think you hit the nail on the head with that one.

Chester

Chester7777,
Thank you for your welcome. I am a retired infantry 1SG that is currently working as a security supervisor at the Tulalip Casino. On June 5th we opened a new casino and closed down the old one to be remodeled. So every 3rd or 4th day of work I'm at the old casino from 6pm-6am. Well I found this site with ten hours to go on my shift. needless to say those ten hours went quick.

Brian
Tulalip Wa

:rolleyes: Hello :rolleyes:

A few ideas here :huh:

Should of done B) "Men of the Fighting Lady" as the hard nosed CAG

Maybe :unsure: "The Bridges over Toko Ri"

And way out their :o "The Day the Earth Stood Still" it's a classic and the only SciFi I could see the Duke in :unsure:
The ending message is so strong B)

Monique ;)

Another one to resurrect!
I can't picture the Duke playing an alien. Actually, Michael Rennie was chosen specifically because he was relatively unknown at the time "The Day The Earth Stood Still" was made. The producers thought a name star would upstage the story, but I don't think JW would have made a good fit anyway.
Cheers - Jay ^_^

I voted "should not of" on the "Undfeated" also. I have watched it several times thinking maybe I was missing something but all I can ever come up with is that without John Wayne this picture would probably would not of made it.

I agree with BrianB on "Air force One", I kept thinking during the movie that this was such a John Wayne part.

Baby Sis

Let's see...some films I wish Duke never made (discounting the 'B' movies from the 1930s):

Seven Sinners (just plain boring)
Reunion In France (most likely the worst film he ever starred in)
Pittsburgh (a good companion to 'Seven Sinners', in that nothing happens)
A Lady Takes A Chance (People seem to like this film, but I never warmed up to it)
The Fighting Seabees (dialog seem to have been written by a 10 year old)
Without Reservations (the 3 leads were all about 15 years too old for their characters)
The Barbarian and The Geisha (plodding storyline...no real action)


Some films that I don't mind, but would not have been a great loss either, if he didn't make them:

The Fighting Kentuckian (again, the leading actress hurts the film)
Legend Of The Lost (nice to watch, but kind of a silly plot)
Chisum (the secondary characters were just plain bad)

Originally posted by falc04@Mar 23 2005, 12:09 PM
Let's see...some films I wish Duke never made (discounting the 'B' movies from the 1930s):

Seven Sinners (just plain boring)
Reunion In France (most likely the worst film he ever starred in)
Pittsburgh (a good companion to 'Seven Sinners', in that nothing happens)
A Lady Takes A Chance (People seem to like this film, but I never warmed up to it)
The Fighting Seabees (dialog seem to have been written by a 10 year old)
Without Reservations (the 3 leads were all about 15 years too old for their characters)
The Barbarian and The Geisha (plodding storyline...no real action)
Some films that I don't mind, but would not have been a great loss either, if he didn't make them:

The Fighting Kentuckian (again, the leading actress hurts the film)
Legend Of The Lost (nice to watch, but kind of a silly plot)
Chisum (the secondary characters were just plain bad)
15529


I agree with your assessment of all these films except "Fighting Seabees" and "Barbarian and the Geisha", both of which are among my top 30-35 JW movies.

I never seen this topic when it came out, so I was interested in the content.

I didn't see anything he should have made. It's not John Wayne in those movies. As for the should not, I picked The Undefeated. I'm not a big Rock Hudson fan (even before hearing about him being gay), and that movie just didn't click. As a matter of fact, if there was a redeeming quality, it was Duke. Just plain and simple. That was out of the list provided above. I wish he didn't make some other movies, but I won't list them. Maybe later when some topic appears about that subject.

Cheers B)

Alright,

You caught me on this one. I completely forgot I did see this topic and I even responded, but I didn't vote until now. And I thought I didn't see this before. I posted 1,603. Should I remember all I post here. :lol:

Cheers B)

Yes Hondo, you should remember ALL of your posts!!! :lol: :lol:

I wish John Wayne played in the dirty dozen.

I agree about The Undefeated is not one of his best very bad story, even me could have made that up. But the action scenes are very good directed so as always by Andrew V. Mclaglen. I also agree about the chemistry between Wayne and Hudson, it is not as good as Wayne and Mitchum in El Dorado for example.

cya Jwfan

Originally posted by Hondo Duke Lane@Mar 23 2005, 05:54 PM
Alright,

You caught me on this one.* I completely forgot I did see this topic and I even responded, but I didn't vote until now.* And I thought I didn't see this before.* I posted 1,603.* Should I remember all I post here.* :lol:

Cheers* B)
15546


Hondo,

If it makes you feel any better, while we do remember having seen and read this topic recently, we didn't remember having posted to it way back when (hey, it was almost two years ago! Time flies when you're havin' fun, right? :D ).

And we didn't vote until today. We were thinking that John Wayne would have been a much better sheriff in High Noon than Gary Cooper.

Chester :newyear:

Duke should have done "Dirty Harry". now most people think he jumped on the band wagon after Clint Eastwood.

Emmanuel.

.................................

I'll try one of those black beers....THE QUIET MAN.

I'd say he fits all the parts, none that he should have done and none that he shouldn't have done. I'm happy with his filmography.

The film that Duke should have done would be Dirty Harry. If he had done it early enough it would have opened up a new genre for him.

Others should have been Magnificent Seven. It would have been great to see him in a movie with Steve Mc Queen,

Mc Kenzie Break instead of Brian Keith I could see JW in that role.

Controversially, I would like to have seen him in Stalag 17 in Holden's role. I believe with work on the role he could have pulled off a hell of a performance

Beau John with Ron Howard. I think it would have been an interesting movie.

Finally, Dirty Dozen it could have been a great role with Duke as Marvin.

Films I wish he hadnt done

The Conqueor it is a weak film but if he hadnt done it he wouldnt have been exposed to any radiation.

Jet Pilot nothing redeems this movie

The Barbarian & The Geisha ditto with Jet Pilot

Trainrobbers & The Undefeated I could live without both of these as they are pretty empty and they simply filed his Batjac schedule.


Mike

A very shouldn't have is The Conqueror.

As should have...pffffff...not sure.Would've liked him in Quigley down under.That's a pretty good film.Also perhaps as the president in Airforce One,that would've been a good role for him.Watching King of Texas I expected him to hop into to screen on his horse so any role would've been good in that film.Can't think of any more but what if he would've been able to be Indiana Jones??

Should not:

Jet Pilot
Big Jim McLain
The Conqueror
Legend of the Lost
The Barbarian and the Geisha
Donovan's Reef
The Magnificent Showman
McQ

I actually quite liked Hellfighters, though mainly for the excellent special effects. I'm glad Duke didn't play Dirty Harry because at 64 he would have been too old.

What an interesting matter of taste. Many of the movies you mentioned here is amoung my favorites, others I quite enjoy, some are very entertaining. I can see only one movie he souldn't made - Reunion in France.
Regards,
Senta

Both his cop movies were a bad mistake, because he was far too old.

Patton could only be George C. Scott, so besides that film, I'd go with High Noon. I actually liked all of the should not have films..but then I like the Conqueror, so go figure.

I would have liked to have seen Duke in the Magnificent Seven. Great cast and plot he would have fit right in. :shades_smile:

i like all of his movies. i think he could play any part he wanted to.

I can't imagine any role in "The Great Escape" that would be suitable for Duke. I don't even think he'd fit in the tunnel.
"The Magnificent Seven" was an ensemble cast and he would have over powered everyone else. Remember the villain Calvera was a pretty short guy. It would look like a doberman fighting a chihuahua. Besides, I don't recall that Duke ever wore a tie-down holster. His six gun was usually worn around his behind, but I'm going to research that.
I mentioned in other posts that McQueen should have played Ricky Nelson's part in "Rio Bravo". That would have been a treat.
I'll watch any of Duke's films again, except "Greatest Story Ever Told". I even like "The Conqueror".

We deal in lead, friend.