How Do You Became A John Wayne Fan?

[JWfan]

hi,
How do you became a John Wayne fan?

How did I became a John Wayne fan?

I looked since I was 5 westerns and that became because my father and grandfather always looked westerns and I was going to look those westerns too, all kind of westerns and I dont knew the actors then but I only watched the actionscenes with saloon fights and indian-army fights.

But a year later I saw Chisum and that was for me the great different between a John Wayne western and other kinds of westerns, ofcourse before Chisum I already saw the cavalry trylogy and Red River but I saw by Chisum the John Wayne style, and since then I was all time looking John Wayne movies, and I still do.

How do you became a John Wayne fan?

jwfan

[Araner]

I had always heard of John Wayne, but had never seen any of his movies until my father-in-law introduced me to them. He had so many of JW's movies on tape and watched them that I have now become a bigger fan than his is and have more movies taped.

Araner

[smokey]

i don't really know how i became a jw fan it just happened i grew up in the bush and his movies were the ones mostly shown at the local movie house so i must have been a jw fan since i was about 4yrs old we liked the indian fights and we used to act them out playing i was always the indian as i was the youngest and was a easy catch to tie up so thats how i became a jw fan

cheers smokey

[chester7777]

It is fun to find out how different people come to love the Duke.

As for me, I've always been an unofficial fan, but in the last 4 years I have been increasingly renting, watching, and finally acquiring my own collection of John Wayne movies. I now consider myself an Official Fan. It has become an obvious addiction in my life. I'm not sure if there is a cure . . . .

You see, our family doesn't subscribe to cable, and where we live, if you don't have cable, all you get is snow on the screen. Our alternative entertainment has been to rent movies, and we have really enjoyed the older movies, as most of them are suitable for all ages (at least the ones we choose). As we started renting JW movies, we realized how much we really enjoyed them, and of course their star, the Duke. When we saw them on sale at K-Mart or similar places, we scooped them up, and that's how our collection began. Our youngest son, now 7, has been an avid JW fan at least since he was three years old, when he announced, "I a cowboy! I John Wayne!" He remembers more details from the movies than my wife and I put together - it's amazing! Our movie collection is up to 71 titles, not including 5 documentaries. Most are on video, and I am starting to build up titles in DVD now. "The Sands of Iwo Jima" movie poster hangs on the wall, about two feet away from a life sized cardboard cut out of the Duke. As many of you know, we just went down to Tombstone, Arizona, to celebrate John Wayne's 96th birthday with other members of Duke's Hollywood Cowboys. I've got the leather vest, now if I could only find the right hat . . . . It's a slippery slope, and I'm slidin' fast! :D

Chester

[AEC23]

I guess I became a John Wayne fan when I was around 10 or 11. Every Sunday afternoon I would pile on the couch with my Dad and watch westerns. There was one channel on tv that would play westerns all day. We'd watch Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Maverick, Big Valley, and then they would always show a couple of western movies in the evening. The Duke was my Dad's favorite, and shortly became mine also. I started recording and collecting his movies. My Dad started my collection of memorabilia by giving me an old Look magazine with the Duke on the cover. I've been collecting ever since. My sister calls it a sickness. If it is... I don't want to be cured. :

Amy

[Chris Maude]

I Guess i was brought up with JW movies i think the first i remember is the Searchers my late father was my best friend and i would sit there and watch all movies and football and documentys as i was the only son so i couldn't play cowboys and indians till i got to shcool, there is a scene in the Searchers that reminds me of my father the look JW gives the girl who grabs the doll from martin he walks away and looks back before he goes out the door that was my father all over but the rest of the movie not a thing reminds me of him,so i think it was a great feeling to watch those old movies then it just struck home i was hooked.

[stacy]

Hi!
This is a very cool question!
When I was about 6 years old, we went down to Tuscon and visited with family. For fun they took us to Old Tuscon were some of John Waynes pictures were made! It has to be the best memory I have, going to Old Tuscon. Someone said it had burned down a while back, is that true? I hope not I would love to go back, to show my husband. Anyway, after getting home, because there was John Wayne everywhere, I started watching his movies and asking! And instead of a picture of like Shawn Cassody on my wall, which was on of the popular stars at the time I was growing up, I had a pictue of John Wayne on my wall! I have been a BIG FAN ever since!
I think he was the greatest!
Stacy

[doug]

I have always loved John Wayne movies, every since I can remember, I remember when The Alamo came into the theater for the first time, My firend Bruce and I went, this was when I was 10 years old.
As I grew older, I watch a lot of TV and saw a lot more of John Wayne, I began to realize that what I heard about him was true, I never heard a bad thing about John Wayne except in the Hippie Days, when I remained a fan despite the fact that he was unpopular at that time because of his politics--I was probably the only John Wayne fan in those days who was also an ultra-liberal hippie type. Ultimately this disqualfied me from being a real hippie and I began to grow up. As I grew up my admiration for the man also grew.
He was, is, and will always remain my hero. With the passing of Peck, they are all gone, all the great actors which personified Hollywood, today no one even come close to the kind of man The Duke was. I can only think of one who may qualify and that would be Mel Gibson--who I have heard is a good father, honorable man, gun-owner, believes in the freedoms we enjoy in this country and doesn't bend to the Holywood "left".
Doug

[doug]

Oh and I forgot, Yes Stacy, it is true, Old Tucson burned about 3 years ago now, it has been entirely rebuilt but it is just not the same anymore. Before you could see places in Old Tucson then see them again in movies like Rio Lobo and El Dorado.

Doug
Tucson

[Hondo Duke Lane]

My fan status would be around 1991 when I started collecting John Wayne on the Timelife John Wayne collection. This started out with Rio Bravo, and I have been a rabid fan ever since.

But going back, I saw my first Duke movie in 1967 with the re-release of McLintock! and love the comedy. I especially enjoyed as a 6 year old the fact that adults could get a wooping if they act up, but the mud fight scene was the best. Later, I saw The Green Berets, Ture Grit, The Train Robbers, and The Shootist at the drive-in.

I collected John Wayne posters in the early days before his death, and of course hung them up with Farrah Fawcett Majors, and some other cute women (can't remember their names, must not have been important).

I remember seeing Duke on Bob Hope specials, Laugh-In, Red Skelton and Lucy Shows. He was always someone I respected and liked. I loved him on a Dean Martin Roast, and found him funny. So, I guess, I have always been a fan as long as I can remember, but more so today, because of his causes, and beliefs. He was tough, and hard, but he was a very fair man. He always wanted what was best for everyone, and he was no nonsense kind of person.

During the "hippie days", I didn't hear much about Duke, because I was caught up with the scene, and Duke didn't fit in that scene. He wasn't in my generation, and I was into what my friends were into.

By the time I got into high school, I had several friends who loved John Wayne and loved imitating him by his talk and walk. We all did that, and had a great time.

Most of the movies up to the time of 1991 I seen on TV were his movies in the '60's and '70's. So what a great discovery to find classics in video before the '60's.

Hondo B)

[stacy]

Thanks Doug for the information.
That is a bumber, it was so neat to see the areas were his films were shot. I loved going there, but like you said it just isn't going to be the same. Thanks for letting me know.

Stacy

[dukefan1]

I didn't grow up watching Duke on TV. If he was on, I didn't pay attention. None of my friends were fans, so he was never a topic of conversation. When I was 15, some friends and I were bored so we decided to go to the drive-in. We wanted to see a movie I know forget the title to but The Shootist was playing on the double bill. Well, seeing Duke up on that screen...dominating it...I was hooked. Whenever I came across him on TV, I started paying attention. Wow. I couldn't believe the enjoyment I got out of his movies. I am one to learn all I can when I get to wanting to know more, so I bought a book about him. Then another and so on. If you read his life story and all about his beliefs and what he stood for, you can't help but admire the man. I Started buying his movies after aquiring my first VCR. Then came the pics and statues and mugs. It never ends...nor do I want it to. I still have no other fans in my family so thank s to the internet, us fans finally have others to talk to about it. I am just sad that I came into being a fan after he made his last film. I would have loved seeing more of him on the big screen. dukefan1

[BrianB]

I became a John Wayne fan in the 60's watching his movies on TV after school with my dad and mom, Even coming home on leave in the service I remember taking my mother to see the shootist at the theater.

Brian
Tulalip Wa

[chester7777]

I'd like to "bring this topic back to the top", since there have been so many new members in the past few weeks, and this thread was tucked way back on page 16 or so.

I hope some of the newer members will enjoy reading about how some of us have come to love the Duke , and post their own stories as well. I enjoyed reading this entire thread again.

Chester

[Monique]

Hello
Saturday and Sundays, and weekday afternoons with my father watching John Wayne

Monique