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In the post-war era, Hollywood was flooded with western movies and TV series. For some reason, the only way American survivors of World War II could imagine forgetting all the guns and violence was to watch cowboy movies full of guns and violence set a little closer to home. John Wayne was undoubtedly the greatest hero of the prairie at the beginning, with appearances in classics such as The Wild Seekers And Rio Bravo.
Wayne’s acting talent is often criticized today, but in his day he became well-known and prolific thanks to his memorable stage presence. Before he got into acting, Wayne worked as a props technician at Fox, where he made some important contacts. After convincing Raoul Walsh with his youthful charm and natural charisma, Wayne landed his very first role in the 1930 western “Pre-Code.” The great way.
Wayne then took on the legendary filmmaker John Ford, who had the vision to make the actor an American hero, a male role model for the Second World War. But before popular masterpieces such as Stagecoach And The long journey homeIt took Wayne a while to find his voice as an actor. After all, he was a prop man with no formal training on stage or screen.
By the 1940s, Wayne was a national star and had begun to popularize the Western genre as one of the most popular on American movie screens. While his performances could not rival those of Marlon Brando or Humphrey Bogart, audiences loved him for his familiarity, created by his slow enunciation when delivering iconic lines and a walk that became standard for Western films.
Although the two later fell out, Wayne’s seminal work in Western films of the ’40s and ’50s inspired Clint Eastwood and several other rising stars, including Jimmy Stewart and Steve McQueen. Wayne, in turn, was inspired by a variety of acting talents that emerged before and during his time in the spotlight, including Laurence Olivier, Spencer Tracy and Lionel Barrymore.
Above all, Harry Carey was Wayne’s greatest acting influence. Wayne and Carey appeared together on screen several times between 1941 and 1948, including in The Shepherd of the Mountains, The spoilers, Angel and the BadmanAnd Red RiverThe most famous of these titles, Red Riverwas released after Carey’s death in September 1947, when he was 69 years old.
Carey’s son Harry Carey Jr. and his wife Olive Carey were also actors and followed him into western films as friends of Wayne. Carey Jr. worked with Wayne in several films, including Rio Bravo And Big Jakewhile his wife was part of the cast in The wings of the eagles And The AlamoMother and son appeared alongside Wayne in The Wild Seekers as Mrs. Jorgenson and Brad Jorgenson respectively.
In Joseph McBride’s book In Search of John FordWayne is quoted in a conversation with Carey Jr. While talking about the immeasurable influence of Carey Sr., Wayne gushed about his biggest acting influence. “I’ve been watching your father since I was a kid,” he said. “I copied Harry Carey. That’s where I learned to talk the way I do, that’s where I learned a lot of my mannerisms. By watching your father.”
According to Wayne, Carey “radiated a quality we like to see in men of the West,” a quality that was later attributed to Wayne above all others. The book also notes that the classic closing shot of The Seekers, where Ethan Edwards stands as a silhouette in the doorway while the music plays, was a tribute to Carey. In the shot, Wayne holds his elbow in his hand, copying one of his hero’s iconic poses.
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