Happy Birthday ‘Wars’ and ‘Wayne’
by matt @ 1:03 pm. Blogged under Nostalgia, Movies
These past two days are special celebrations in the film world; today would have been the one hundredth birthday of John Wayne (born May 26, 1907), and yesterday was the thirtieth anniversary of the first Star Wars film release. Had I given it more thought I might have arranged a Star Wars weekend, complete with films and Star Wars Trivial Pursuit – the problem is I don’t know any other Star Wars geeks like me so it’d be a lonely weekend. It might have been a better bet to have a John Wayne weekend as I know a few more fans of ‘The Duke’.
Having been brought up by a Mother moderately obsessed with John Wayne (or Marion Robert Morrison as he was born), I have been brainwashed into watching his films whenever I come across one on TV – a real problem these past few days. Having said that, there are some real classics like True Grit, and my favourite - The War Wagon (which co-starred Kirk Douglas). In the old days of VHS video my mother built up quite a collection of TV-recorded films, one label accidentally written by me as a child was ‘They were Expandable’… they were actually ‘expendable’ but wouldn’t it have been a better film if John Wayne had been expandable? Ahhh the creative genius of a child.
My own personal Star Wars obsession only really kicked in about four years ago, when I discovered an old Darth Vader carry case on Ebay – one which a friend at nursery school had owned. I bought that to ease my childhood jealousy, filled it with more original figures and moved on to buying brand new carded and unopened figures from the past three films. The original carded figures go for a few hundred pounds now, I’m hoping my current collection will pay for junior’s university education in twenty years. On the plus side junior is even luckier, he/she gets to have a Father as obsessed with Star Wars as his/her Grandmother is John Wayne.
[tag]star wars,george lucas,john wayne,the duke,marion morrison,true grit,kirk douglas[/tags]
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May 26th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
I wonder what will endure the test of time the longest, Star War Films or John Wayne films? Well…..I know which I’d go for.
Below is my contribution to the John Wayne celebrations. Yee Haa!
Now I have to go and watch ‘a one-eyed fat man’ ,John Wayne is on BBC 2 in True Grit.
Ode to John Wayne.
Shall I compare you to Brad Pitt,
Connery, Di Caprio, Gere or Cruise?
No, you were more handsome, more temperate,
Who could walk in your legendary shoes?
No one here can emulate that famous gait,
Nor respect and treat a man with like mind.
So many roles played to contemplate,
More than two hundred films made in your time.
Those rugged looks never diminished.
In the saddle you always rode so tall,
With ideals forever untarnished.
Naturally you were a box office draw.
And so long as men can breathe and eyes see,
Death will not take away your deserved fame,
Your place in American history,
Your eternal summer will never wane.
So we will not stand at your grave and weep.
But give thanks on this twenty sixth of May.
You left us such sweet memories to keep.
We wish you ‘Happy One Hundredth Birthday’.
May 26th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
A ‘Mother moderately obsessed’ I think I understated that…
May 26th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Shame I don’t have the little figures to go with my obsession. lol
May 28th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
!
I’m speechless