The Icon Status of John Wayne
STAR POWER is a phrase often used in the Industry.
Less heard is the phrase HOLLYWOOD ICON. Which begs the question — What actors in front of the camera today will end up being a Hollywood Icon in the future?
It’s a tough call because the nature of Movies, and the business of making films has radically changed over the last fifty years. Even with all the cultural change, certain performers in the past have had no problem maintaining their status as Hollywood Icons.
Marilyn Monroe continues to be on top of the Icon list. Her image is one of the first that comes to mind when the word “sexy” is mentioned. I also believe James Dean has maintained his lofty status as the poster boy of “Cool,” even among many younger filmgoers who have probably never seen one of his movies.
However, not all of the classic Hollywood Icons have aged as well over the years. John Wayne is a prime example.
At one time, the “Duke” was the biggest star on the planet. Indeed, his cultural persona became so huge, that what happened to John Wayne is what happens to many Hollywood Icons — they evolve to become… a metaphor. Marilyn and Dean became metaphors for “sexy” and “cool.” However, something strange happened after Wayne became a metaphor for “Manly Hero.”
The transformation began as a generational thing — John Wayne was what your father (or grandfather) loved about movies. Not you. Or at least not those who were part of the generation that was staking a flag in the cultural landscape hoping to fight to make things different. And this generational shift ended up being the foundation for a deeper, more wide-ranging attack on John Wayne… his movies… and especially his gold framed, velvet icon image hanging on the living room walls all across middle America.
For many people who had grown up in a progressive culture, questioning everything that had gone on before they were born, John Wayne represented not only what had been gravely wrong with this nation’s history, but the Duke was the star in the establishment’s attempt to white wash all the sins from our past using Hollywood as its propaganda machine.
While the cultural legacies of Marilyn and Dean were poolside getting a nice tan, the status of John Wayne’s legacy was being scorched. His status as an Icon was not only being questioned, but condemned in the same way many people now wonder why we have a holiday that celebrates Christopher Columbus.
Film critic Doug Pratt shares his thoughts on John Wayne’s most famous Western films in an excerpt from his DVD Newsletter on pitandpen.com. Pratt’s coverage of the Duke’s movies mostly stays within the boundaries of film history. There’s no reference to John Wayne’s ranking on the Icon power list.
That’s my excuse to offer my opinion as to why I believe John Wayne’s Hollywood Icon status deserves a higher place on Monument Mountain. After all these years, and all that has happened since the Duke’s films were first released, his star presence up on the screen still shines as bright as a super nova.
pitandpen.com
