An American Icon: John Wayne Franchise Collection DVD Review
Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 07.12.2006
Five out of the norm films featuring the Duke
Any longtime reader of my Ask 411 Movies column knows that I am a huge John Wayne fan. This collection is not the recently released and superior John Wayne/John Ford collection, but rather five lower tier films Wayne made here and there for Universal. They give a unique insight into Wayne’s persona and career at two very distinct times. When he was coming into his own as a leading man in the early forties and when he was firmly entrenched as such and heading toward screen legend in the mid fifties.
MOVIES
Seven Sinners (1940): This is a Marlene Dietrich film that Wayne just happens to be in, as the included trailer can attest to. It’s standard Dietrich as she has the entire universe pussy whipped until she falls in love with one man, who she doesn’t treat any differently than anyone else. Bijou Blanche (Dietrich) is a notorious saloon singer who is deported from one south sea island to another. Her cohorts are ex-Navy lunkhead Little Ned (Broderick Crawford) and would be magician pickpocket Sasha (Mischa Auer). Bijou befriends Dr. Martin (Albert Dekker) as a kindred spirit, but still gets off the boat at the next port of call thanks to it having a new territorial governor. She returns to work at the Seven Sinners and runs afoul of former knife throwing acquaintance Antro (Oskar Homolka). The island is a current base for the US Navy and Bijou becomes involved with Lieutenant Dan Brent (John Wayne). Brent wants to marry Bijou, but it will disgrace him and possibly get him killed by Antro.
Outside of being a template for drag queens, I never got the appeal of Dietrich. The whole affair just comes as silly to me as I don’t buy her as this mesmerizing object of desire. Wayne is still green here and doesn’t play the forlorn lover well. He comes off best when he has to be tough. A hellacious final fight redeems matters a good bit, but the overall is your standard B-grade soap opera potboiler.
Rating: 5.0
The Shepherd of the Hills (1941): John Wayne’s first color film. Daniel Howitt (Harry Carey) is a stranger in a rural Appalachian community. He befriends Sammy Lane (Betty Field) after he removes a bullet from her father’s (Tom Fadden) back courtesy of revenuers. Sammy has eyes for young Matt (Wayne), who is a slave to his uncle Old Matt (James Barton) and Aunt Mollie (Beulah Bondi). Young Matt’s father left his family and Aunt Mollie says this caused a curse on the family, which can only be lifted if Matt’s father is killed by his hand. Most can probably see where this is going as it’s revealed that Howitt is Matt’s father, but not before he helps the mountain community get on a profitable and moral track as a ‘shepherd of the hills.’ Most John Wayne films have to have a centerpiece fight scene and this one is a doozy with old buddy and grossly underrated character actor Ward Bond.
Three directors could always get the best out of Wayne; namely John Ford, Howard Hawks and Henry Hathaway who helms here. While Wayne still comes off as a bit green there are times when he has that trademark glint in his eye and that swagger in his step, which Hathaway helped to cultivate in him. Costar Harry Carey was an idol of Wayne’s and they have good chemistry. Carey gives a subtle, thoughtful performance where others might have tried to be more commanding and dominating in the part. Betty Field is the right mix of tomboy and raw beauty and it’s a shame she didn’t have a bigger career. As mentioned below, the color cinematography of the Appalachian Mountains really warranted a digital widescreen transfer. The ending is a bit anticlimactic and more could have been to done to flesh out the superstitions of the mountain folk and Howitt’s efforts to put them on a productive track.
Rating: 8.0
Pittsburgh (1942): Charles “Pittsburgh” Markham and John “Cash” Evans are two fast talking, fun loving coal miners in Western Pennsylvania. When Markham needs money for a new suit (Shemp Howard has a great bit part as a tailor) he connives Cash into going three minutes with a boxing champion for $100. At the theater Markham has his eye caught by Josie Winters (Marlene Dietrich). Cash and Markham whisk her off to help with a mine cave in and Markham learns that she’s a ‘hunky’ from a coal mining family herself. Josie lights a fire under Markham to do more with his life and he wheels and deals Cash and himself into a lucrative coke operation (not nose candy, but a coal byproduct used for iron and steel making). Usually it’s the woman who comes between two friends, but it’s Markham’s own greed and social climbing that weakens his friendship with Cash and pushes Josie into his arms. We get a short, but rousing fight between stars Wayne and Scott. Of course, Markham sees the error of his ways in the end and reunites with Cash just as World War II sets in and the government is in need of their services. It’s sort of a B-version of Citizen Kane with a more conventional ending.
Wayne, Scott and Dietrich have great chemistry with each other. This is their second film, the first being The Spoilers. However, what a difference two years makes as Wayne goes from supporting in a Dietrich film to Dietrich being arm candy in a Wayne picture. Dietrich was more tolerable to me here as her part was played down and she does a good job of playing the spurned lover. Scott and Wayne have great timing with each other and it’s a shame they didn’t make more movies together. Some might be surprised at Wayne’s turn as a fast talking sharpie, but he hits all the rights notes. You find his arrogance and backstabbing annoying, but can’t help to love his charm and drive. The first half is a lot of fun, especially the Shemp Howard section, but the film bogs down into melodrama by the time Markham gets married and then segues into propaganda for American industry toward the end. Still, it’s enjoyable overall thanks to Scott and Wayne.
Rating: 7.5
The Conqueror (1956): John Wayne as Genghis Kahn. That’s probably all you have to know as to why this film has an infamous reputation as one of the worst movies ever made. Additionally, the movie shot near the sites for the atomic bomb tests in New Mexico and consequentially just about everybody who worked on the movie contracted and/or died of some sort of cancer. In fact, radioactive dirt from the location was shipped back to Hollywood for back lot use. Executive producer Howard Hughes felt so guilty about what happened that he bought every last print of the movie and kept the film out of circulation until losing the rights to Paramount in 1974.
Temujin (Wayne) and his blood brother Jamuga (Pedro Armendariz) come upon a caravan where a rival chieftain is transporting his new Tartar wife Bortai (Susan Hayward) home. Bortai is the daughter of the man who killed Temujin’s father. He takes the caravan and claims Bortai as his wife. A “Taming of the Shrew” ensues. Temujin visits the current Kahn for backing to go after Bortai’s father. On the way back he is captured by Tartar forces and tortured. Bortai frees him. He returns home to find that Jamunga has taken over and he believes he has betrayed him. Tamujin sends Jamunga and another men to the Kahn where they are captured. Jamunga escapes, but is captured by the Tartars. Tamujin attacks the Kahn’s city and takes control. He uses his new forces to ride on the Tartars. Bortai’s father is slain and she takes her place at Temujin’s side. Jamunga knows that Temujin will never trust him again and asks for his death, which we do not see. Armendariz is about the only member of the cast who comes through unscathed. Everyone else looks like they’re playing Klingons on the original “Star Trek.” Hayward and Wayne’s wooden delivery of the mock Shakespearean dialogue is laughable. From Hayward’s heatless dance routine to Wayne’s praying to his gods, it’s just one bad scene after another. About the only good part is the cinematography and much like Shepherd of the Hills it deserves a digital redo.
Rating: 2.5
Jet Pilot (1957): Colonel Jim Shannon (Wayne) is head of an air force base in Alaska. A Russian jet enters his airspace and is forced down. Shannon is shocked to discover that the pilot is a woman named Anna (Janet Leigh, looking smoking). She claims she’s seeking asylum in the US, but won’t give up any Russian secrets. Shannon is charged to pump her for information by building a relationship. He falls in love with her and marries her when deportation is threatened. It is then found out that Anna is a Soviet spy named Olga. When jail time looms Shannon sneaks her back to Russia. He is held captive, but is actually turning the tables on Anna by working as a spy for the US. When Anna fins that a new drug will erase Shannon’s memory she realizes she loves him too and sneaks him back into the US…where they eat steak in Palm Springs.
You will be immediately struck by the fact that none of the Russians have an accent. Which makes Anna’s confusion at American customs and slang come off like she’s mentally challenged and not from a different society. Not that a large amount of the plot and situations comes off as silly anyway. The film picks up in the second half with the move to Russia, but it’s still a pretty stale romantic comedy dressed up as a cold war adventure film. Even the aerial footage is pretty tame and lame. If you think it feels dated today, the movie was actually made in 1950 but not released until 1957 so all of the equipment and aircrafts were obsolete anyway.
Rating: 3.5
TECHNICAL SPECS
All of the movies are in 2.0 mono sound. The first three movies are full screen. The Conquer is in 2.35:1 widescreen. Jet Pilot is in 1.85:1 widescreen. A widescreen version of Shepherd of the Hills would have been preferable. All films have subtitles in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish. Everything comes off as really good television copies. Again, Hills and Conqueror should have warranted a digital remastering and color refreshing.
EXTRAS
Every film save Jet Pilot comes with a trailer and that’s it. Knowing that Universal doesn’t have the largest Wayne catalogue I can understand the lack of extras, but there are several possible featurettes I can think of that they could have done. Such as examining the supposed relationship between Dietrich and Wayne that came up during this period or how The Conquer differs from the real story of Genghis Khan.
The 411: Lovers of classic films should see Shepherd of the Hills. Lovers of truly bad movies should see The Conqueror. Overall the set is for Wayne fans only. It is nice to see a Wayne box set not filled with the usual western and war movies or the public domain serials. Even though most of the movies here aren’t that great. Still, it’s a unique set that any Duke aficionado will probably want.
