True Grit (1969)
Famous for saying Rooster Cogburn was the easiest role he ever played, John Wayne walked away with a Best Actor Oscar for the – take a deep breath – lousy western True Grit. Of all the dozens and dozens of westerns the Duke made in his career, this was one of the worst ones. Even the sequel was better, and it was basically a knockoff of The African Queen. And yet, for such an easy role in a lousy movie, he beat out Peter O’Toole, Richard Burton, Dustin Hoffman, and Jon Voight. To his credit, Duke apologized to Dick in the morning.
So, let’s not blame John Wayne for winning an Oscar. Every actor may want one in his career, but he certainly doesn’t want to get it for one of his worst performances. If you’re one of those list-hounds who only watch the classic movies that make it to the top of “experts’ lists”, you’ll probably have only watched True Grit and The Searchers and think he’s a terrible actor. John Wayne is not only a staple of American cinema but the personification of “the good old days”. You owe it to him to watch his better movies and just forget about this one. I don’t care what the experts say. If you watch Hondo, The Wings of Eagles, or Island in the Sky, you’ll think it’s a completely different actor than the craggy, old shouter with the eye patch.
Kim Darby, the teenage girl who hires Duke to help her find her father’s killer, repeatedly calls him fat and old, which I found very disrespectful. He was a little older and heavier than he was in his prime, I’ll admit, but he wasn’t in good health, so undoubtedly, some of his medication made him a little bloated. She should show some respect! After all, he shows he’s still John Wayne in the famed double-fisted shootout scene (and he does have a bit of a potty mouth thanks to the demise of the Production Code).
Speaking of Kim, her monotoned delivery was pretty painful. She wore the same open-mouthed blank stare for pretty much the entire movie, and it got old very, very quickly. I don’t understand why she was cast, or why famed director Henry Hathaway couldn’t get any more out of her than he did. As I always remark to myself, the final cut includes the takes that were kept. Just imagine how terrible she was during the outtakes! She really did ruin the movie. Had the film been made ten years earlier, Wayne still could have been in the lead, and Jane Fonda could have wrapped audiences around her little finger as the spunky teen. When an actor or actress is lacking in everything including talent, you have to wonder why they got the part. And Jane would never have consented to wear a wig so ill-suited to the time period.
Glen Campbell, whom no one would accuse of being a good actor, was undoubtedly cast because John Wayne enjoyed giving popular singers a break on the big screen. It helped lure in ticket sales, and they were enthusiastic about learning and trying. He proudly acted alongside Paul Anka, Ricky Nelson, Frankie Avalon, and Fabian. So I do forgive Glen’s performance; he sang the title song and brought in some teenie-bopper tickets. Who did Kim draw in?
In the supporting cast, you’ll see Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Strother Martin, John Fiedler, and Jeff Corey. I don’t know why Jeff Corey was cast as the heartless villain in True Grit. I always associate him as the Swedish honeymooner in Third Finger, Left Hand, and he doesn’t seem mean at all in that role. But the joy of being a character actor, I’m sure he’d argue, is that he gets to have a variety of roles. Still, in this movie, you’re supposed to hate him and hope Kim and Duke string him up by his slippers.
On the upside, there is the lovely theme by Elmer Bernstein and the coordinating title song that runs throughout the film. There’s nothing like a pretty western theme to make a bad movie seem mediocre. If you love John Wayne and are loyal to him, you probably won’t mind watching him at his worst. But if you’re just getting started, don’t watch this one first.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Alexandra Colon" for posting!
More Jeff Corey movies here!
So, let’s not blame John Wayne for winning an Oscar. Every actor may want one in his career, but he certainly doesn’t want to get it for one of his worst performances. If you’re one of those list-hounds who only watch the classic movies that make it to the top of “experts’ lists”, you’ll probably have only watched True Grit and The Searchers and think he’s a terrible actor. John Wayne is not only a staple of American cinema but the personification of “the good old days”. You owe it to him to watch his better movies and just forget about this one. I don’t care what the experts say. If you watch Hondo, The Wings of Eagles, or Island in the Sky, you’ll think it’s a completely different actor than the craggy, old shouter with the eye patch.
Kim Darby, the teenage girl who hires Duke to help her find her father’s killer, repeatedly calls him fat and old, which I found very disrespectful. He was a little older and heavier than he was in his prime, I’ll admit, but he wasn’t in good health, so undoubtedly, some of his medication made him a little bloated. She should show some respect! After all, he shows he’s still John Wayne in the famed double-fisted shootout scene (and he does have a bit of a potty mouth thanks to the demise of the Production Code).
Speaking of Kim, her monotoned delivery was pretty painful. She wore the same open-mouthed blank stare for pretty much the entire movie, and it got old very, very quickly. I don’t understand why she was cast, or why famed director Henry Hathaway couldn’t get any more out of her than he did. As I always remark to myself, the final cut includes the takes that were kept. Just imagine how terrible she was during the outtakes! She really did ruin the movie. Had the film been made ten years earlier, Wayne still could have been in the lead, and Jane Fonda could have wrapped audiences around her little finger as the spunky teen. When an actor or actress is lacking in everything including talent, you have to wonder why they got the part. And Jane would never have consented to wear a wig so ill-suited to the time period.
Glen Campbell, whom no one would accuse of being a good actor, was undoubtedly cast because John Wayne enjoyed giving popular singers a break on the big screen. It helped lure in ticket sales, and they were enthusiastic about learning and trying. He proudly acted alongside Paul Anka, Ricky Nelson, Frankie Avalon, and Fabian. So I do forgive Glen’s performance; he sang the title song and brought in some teenie-bopper tickets. Who did Kim draw in?
In the supporting cast, you’ll see Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Strother Martin, John Fiedler, and Jeff Corey. I don’t know why Jeff Corey was cast as the heartless villain in True Grit. I always associate him as the Swedish honeymooner in Third Finger, Left Hand, and he doesn’t seem mean at all in that role. But the joy of being a character actor, I’m sure he’d argue, is that he gets to have a variety of roles. Still, in this movie, you’re supposed to hate him and hope Kim and Duke string him up by his slippers.
On the upside, there is the lovely theme by Elmer Bernstein and the coordinating title song that runs throughout the film. There’s nothing like a pretty western theme to make a bad movie seem mediocre. If you love John Wayne and are loyal to him, you probably won’t mind watching him at his worst. But if you’re just getting started, don’t watch this one first.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Alexandra Colon" for posting!
More Jeff Corey movies here!