John Wayne: The Unquiet American Biography 

Those are beautiful sentiments. Still, I hope that we will discontinue this habit of trying to deify a sinning mortal, of which we are all part of. We are flawed individuals, and so was Wayne. I don't think his views on "white supremacy," for example, should become a standard for human behavior, however powerful a cinematic figure he was!

indeed those were my words and how I felt about him, also I didn;t say he hung on a cross that was the task for one, who sits on HIS throne in Heaven, and as for the white supremacy thing, being a Black American that was just the time he grew up in no different than my Mother who often says things that reflected that America, that's all

I agree; Yet, it seems as though even as far back as the early 1970's, John Wayne saw what was already happening in politics and in hellywood as well and he didn't like what he saw then; So, I don't feel that he would be surprised at how it has turned out. Maybe if he were younger and was still with us; then he would have been a force to reckon with and maybe things wouldn't have gotten so bad in this country. He would have been a powerful and respected activist against the communism being inflicted upon us today; in my humble opinion. We are still allowed our opinions aren't we? lol Well, barely; same as our freedom of speech with the pc ridiculousness and our liberties slowly being erased. America seems to have been seized by our enemies from within.

A country where Donald Fucking Trump can get elected as POTUS, and you think communism has taken over America??

I'm British but I agree wholeheartedly with you as America is easily my favourite foreign country. We didn't start as friends but damn hell have we ended up as one. Unfortunately the same communist s**t has taken root firmly in Britain too. I don't want a return to Empire, but a return to Churchill would be the dream of many.

how has communisum taken over America? still America last time i looked. and a much better America and will still get better. no one wants to be a hypenated American but it is people who think like a John Wayne who keep you from becoming an educated American citizen then blames you for not becoming one then tells you to stop whining about it. but i still believe America is a Great Country, we just have to wait for all those small minded selfish people to disappear and they will and America can really be Great Again.

+lonewave1 thank you for getting this right. American men no longer know how to be MEN. I am a marine, starting in Viet Nam stand 6'5" and 283 pounds and live with six very real wolves as housepets. I have stopped dating American women since they are quick to castrate you anyway they can. I prefer the attention I get from my wolves, some are 200 pounds. I met the Duke while I worked on his boat, the Wild Goose. He was the same man you saw on screen. You felt good just to be in his presence.

+Jennifer Gearhart ...I m not American but I grew up with John Wayne movies and as kid, he was my idol. Your absolutely correct when u say that he would be disgusted at the way the U.S has turned out all in the the name of avarice...sheer and utter greed and as a result will pay the price dearly in the near future. I firmly believe that once china has amassed a military fleet not only equal to the U.S but far superior with the man power to match....that we all had better start learning to speak mandarin. It was once asked...Do the Chinese celebrate xmas.........NO, but I hear they have bought it.

A positive force, the image of which shaped by whom? The jury is still out on whether or not he was a "positive" force. I myself even wondered whether he retooled his thoughts on "white supremacy" once he met Woody Strode, Sidney Poitier, and perhaps even someone in the African American community on the level of General Colin Powell. Or better yet, Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche, diplomat and humanitarian.

He played a drunk I don't see that as a positive image . A Republican not a good image in my mind. They vote against middle class and poor.

Jay Young If you are saying that Wayne shaped his own image then you are right. However, most people will shape their own image. Why? Because we all have the "greater than what we are" complex. It's what kind of an image that is being presented and is it one that encourages others to be better for themselves [positive] or one that tells them to play the victim roll and blame others for their problems [negative]. There is no jury per se on his being a positive force. My observation was about the documentary and it's bias in it's presentation. Wayne never pushed the idea of white supremacy only people like Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were big on that idea. Poitier, Powell and Bunch were men who had deep passion about their professions. I believe Wayne would've agreed and left it at that. The idea that they were Americans of colour wouldn't have done anything to change that point of view. Also look at his view on the American indian and how they've been treated. Racist? No way. Was he a saint? No! But what he wanted to leave behind was a positive message that individualism is something we all need to seek. Thanks. Have a good day mate.

A Hollywood western now days, Brokeback Mountain which was nominated for best picture Oscar. Give me a break, Hollywood and the motion picture industry has turned into a bunch of crap. Reflecting the downward spiral our country is in. John Wayne reminds me of how great America was. When the Duke died we lost more than a great actor, but a symbol of the greatest country "America" that is the Duke!!!

Andrew Garrett We lost a Republican no big deal.

A man of Intellectual supr

A Man Of Intellectual Supremacy ...MORON

That's not true. Do your homework before spouting off.

Another aspect of Wayne's thinking stands out. His earlier statements on "white supremacy" raised eyebrows. So it was interesting that none of his wives was Anglo! And the super patriot icon he became in movies, it was also interesting that he was not a veteran of any war! Finally, I wondered what his attitude, being Celtic and of Irish descent, was on the plight of the Irish in their historically testy relationship with England. And it wasn't untill recently that the English Royals visited nearby Ireland since the reign of George V, I think it is.

Hate to tell you but the way these assholes made it sound he wouldn't go. He would have gone, but some of the powers that be wanted him making war movies. If you think the pussy Hollywood elites are right then you're a lost cause.

Hate to tell you but if he wanted to go, he would have gone, same as Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, James Arness, Ernest Borgnine, Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, Tyrone Power, Carroll O'Connor, Steve McQueen, and the WW2's most decorated soldier, Audie Murphy, among other actors who put country first. You can cling to your fantasies about John Wayne and whatever else you choose to delude yourself because truth rocks your world, makes you wonder if anything is as it seems. Yes, there is reality, and there is bullshit. It's up to each person to find the truth, then respect it... or live in an idiotic dream world.

How is that related to John Wayne ? I like a lot of people felt that she crossed the line but still didn't believe that we should have been involved with Viet Nam. Still , what does that have to do with Wayne ?

Oliver went to Vietnam. Marion dodged the draft in WW2.

Did you drink like him that was not a act.

Garry Lafferty I said nothing about his drinking or smoking. All great heroes have human frailties. Well, except for the messiah Obama.

Republicans make them saints there not. Being a movie star don't make you a saint nor patriot.. Just like superman don't make you a hero. Its a movie not real.

Garry Lafferty Maybe you should delve into their back story called their REAL life. All patriots and not because of fame.

Maybe you should admit Democrats are more patriot then Republicans.