The realm of western cinema was invariably dominated by a few notable figures. In terms of directing, the likes of Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah and John Ford did much for the genre, but as far as the acting profession goes, it’s hard to look beyond the impact of the legendary Clint Eastwood and John Wayne.
Of course, Wayne and Eastwood came through the ranks in starkly different periods of cinema. After making his breakthrough performance in Raoul Walsh’s 1930 film The Big Trail, Wayne set about becoming one of the most notable stars in American cinema history, with acclaimed efforts in the likes of Stagecoach, Red River, True Grit, The Quiet Man and Rio Bravo.
Eastwood, on the other hand, ushered in the next generation of acting talent, particularly in the western genre. He made his name on the TV series Rawhide shortly before coming to international acclaim after starring in Sergio Leone’s famed series, The Dollars Trilogy. Elsewhere, Eastwood had also offered his talents to the likes of Dirty Harry, The Outlaw Josey Wales and, much later, Unforgiven, which he also directed.
While Eastwood certainly took on the mantle of the greatest western hero from Wayne, it was true that Wayne did not have the greatest impression of the new kid on the block. In fact, he had once dismissed Eastwood’s film High Plains Drifter as being something of a mockery of the western genre, although Eastwood had fought back and defended it from The Duke’s criticism.
Still, Eastwood couldn’t help but admire the work of Wayne from afar. After all, The Duke had given some of the most memorable performances of the 20th century, and it was only right for Eastwood to give credit where credit was due. When speaking at a Director’s Guild of America event, he stated his three favourite Wayne movies.
The first came in John Ford’s Stagecoach, which focused on a group of strangers riding on the titular vehicle through dangerous Apache territory. It was considered an important work in the western genre, although its depiction of Native Americans was widely criticised. Speaking highly of the work, Eastwood noted, “I remember seeing Stagecoach as a kid when it first came out. Ford had an influence on me subconsciously, and I watched his films in a dark theatre with my knees up on the chair in front of me, sometimes twice in a row.”
Eastwood was particularly impressed by the way Wayne was able to play a character much older than his age at the time. Even better for Eastwood, though, was Wayne’s effort in Howard Hawk’s 1948 film Red River, which tells of the first cattle drive that took place from Texas to Kansas along the Chisholm Trail, with Wayne playing the Texas rancher who initiates the drive.
Finally came the movie through which Eastwood thought Wayne “proved he wasn’t just a movie star but a really good actor” too. The film in question was the one that many consider to be Wayne’s best, John Ford’s 1956 effort The Searchers.
It sees Wayne play a middle-aged Civil War veteran who sets out looking for his abducted niece accompanied by his adopted nephew. Wayne’s character is a bigot, but he soon learns the price of his views as the film progresses into becoming one of the best westerns ever made.
While Eastwood and Wayne certainly seemed to have their disagreements, Eastwood simply could not stand by and not offer up his respects for The Duke. Wayne was not everyone’s cup of tea, but he did indeed give some brilliant performances, which Eastwood was willing to admit.