Is John Wayne really Luke Skywalker?

[itdo]

Director John Carpenter, who's an admirer of Howard Hawks, made one of his most controversial and brutal films, "Assault on Precint 13", a quasi-remake or hommage of Rio Bravo:
The lone inhabitants of an abandoned, police station are under attack by the overwhelming numbers of a seemingly unstoppable street gang. Looks like the Burdette boys are at it again! Quite a gory movie. I think Carpenter used "John T. Chance" as his own writer's credit.

[itdo]

After some brainstorming I can bump my favorite topic to the top:
there's a crack about John Wayne in "The Survivors", a somewhat forgotten Robin Williams film in which he teamed up with Walter Matthau. Now I can't really remember the exact line but it's about Matthau and Williams leaving for the mountains, trying to survive - and obviously this inspires them to joke about JW. 20 year old movie, not really one to be remembered - except of course for this reference.

[itdo]

Remembering one more film in which JW is referred to, I may bump that topic of mine to the top again:

In the 1984 "Angel" about a highschool girl who works as a hooker at night, we have old western stalwart Rory Calhoun as an over-the-hill stuntman who says something like (don't remember the exact line): JW was on of the tough guys - never used a double!

[A Girl Named Jen]

Hi there Roland:

Since you bumped this up, I was able to view it and think of a movie with a JW reference. I didn't have time to read the entire thread, but I don't think this was mentioned.

There's a movie called Always starring Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfuss. (I could be wrong but I believe this was also directed by Steven Spielberg; I guess he's quite the JW fan.) I won't give away the plot but there's a scene where HH is riding in a car with a hunky guy she's just met (the actor's name is Brad Johnson, just for the record). She gets mad about something and he puts on this kind of cheesy but still instantly recognizable JW voice: "You know, you're mighty pretty when you get angry, waha." I don't know what the "waha" is supposed to be but they say it a lot. (Did Duke ever say this?) Then they go back and forth with this and laugh call each other "pilgrim" and stuff like that. I guess this is a little homage to Duke and to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Thanks for a fun topic.

[itdo]

You're absolutely rrrright about "Always", Jen!
The impersonation he did was so bad that Holly Hunter did not know at first who that was supposed to be.
Once you start thinking about these references, they pop up by the dozens!

[Robbie]

Roland

I like this topic and here is another quote for you I hope it hasn't been used already.

In 'Patriot Games' Harrison Ford' was involved in a big shoot out he was later accused of 'going in there and doing a John Wayne on them', I'm sure you will be able to tidy this up a little.

[itdo]

OK, I found another one:

In Wim Wenders' film "The State of Things" (1981) there is a reference to The Searchers: It is the film that's being played at the local theatre, and in one scene somebody is just adjusting the letters of "Starring John Wayne" outside the theatre.

[Robbie]

Found a good one for you yesterday Roland.

Have you ever seen the James Bond movies 'The Man With The Golden Gun' and 'Live and Let Die'. There is a character in these movies called 'JW'(John Wayne) from Texas whom by what he says seems to be a characterture of John Wayne. I could be wrong what do you think?

[itdo]

the only character appearing in those two 007-films outside the regulars is the police officer pepper - I myself can't recall a character like JW appearing in both films. Which part would that be?

[Robbie]

The police officers name was JW.

[itdo]

Then I wouldn't say he was meant to be a reference. "Pepper" is one of the beloved sidekicks of the 007-series in his own right. The character is originally a Louisiana police officer, chewing tobacco, talking with a broad southern accent. And being RACIST! Nope, don't think they were thinking about Wayne when they created that hillbilly.

[A Girl Named Jen]

Oh dear. THAT guy. As I've told some of you before, I have family in Louisiana. Sure, they talk different from me, but they don't talk like that idjit! Honestly. I think for that movie they were just playing off some southern stereotypes - for example, that a good ol' southern boy would be named after John Wayne. And I daresay Duke is more popular in the South - where there are more people who are in line with his politics and who can identify more readily with some of the people, situations, and values in his films.

This is not to say that northern folks can't & don't like Duke (not at all!), just that I think there are probably more JW fans down south than there are up north.

[itdo]

So I can pop up that favorite topic of mine again. Just seen an episode of "Married with Children" (don't know if this one has been pointed out before):

Al wants to catch "Hondo" on TV, and his worthless life depends on watching it. Needless to say, Peggy is going to make him wish once more he were dead. He puts on the TV when the film ends and a voice says it can be seen again in 2004 (probably not intended, but I hope Batjac saw that one)! When Al tells his fellow Americans about what once used to be good in the US, the film goes to black and white, a western sequence, in which Al appears as a very bad impersonation of John Wayne.

[itdo]

On the DVD of "Lonsome Dove" there's an interview with the producer.
"Lonsome Dove" was originally scripted for Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda, to be directed by Peter Bogdanovich. In the interview, the producer mentions that. "It was originally set for James Stewart (thinks).... Henry Fonda.... (thinks more)... and... (yes, go on!!)... oh, I forgot the other one."

Bah!

[Robbie]

Roland

That sounds familiar to an interview that Clint Eastwood did over here. He was asked to name other actors from his era that he got ideas from when moulding his image. He stated Gary Cooper(pause) James Stewart(longer pause) Robert Mitchum(very long pause) and of course Fonda. I dont understand when he didn't state the Duke maybe he feels a little threatened as Duke is still very popular over here. I have noticed that Clint has bypased mentioning Duke quite a bit as of late where he could have been mentioned I don't understand why.

As for movies in the football movie Ronney Dukes name is mentioned by a boy who asks 'What are you doing all these John Wayne heroics for. Don't know if you already have this one.

cya