We all know and love John Wayne and his iconic cowboy image.
But we never knew, however, how picky that star was about one part of that appearance.
Thanks to his stellar career, John Wayne is considered one of the biggest film stars in history. He embodied the image of the strong, quiet cowboy or soldier, and personified the idealized American values of his time.
But his legacy is disputed, and in recent years more and more people have questioned the macho persona John Wayne adopted on and off the screen.
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- John Wayne never served in WWII – and here’s why
- John Wayne’s son followed in his father’s footsteps – recognize him?
- Despite having 7 kids, John Wayne’s grave went unmarked for 20 years
And did you know that the legendary actor was always careful about the type of pants he was wearing for films?
Wayne knew how to present himself to the world and to audiences, but director Henry Hathaway is the one to have revealed the actor’s primary concern.
Hathaway and Wayne worked through six major films together through the years.
Their first feature film was 1941’s The Shepherd of the Hills, where Wayne played Young Matt, a steadfast mountaineer who seeks revenge on the father he never knew.
Their next film was the 1960 feature North to Alaska, where Wayne played Sam McCord. Sam is one of two prospectors dealing with issues of romance in addition to a con man.
The duo’s third film was in 1965. In The Sons of Katie Elder, Wayne played the oldest of four sons who seek revenge after the swindling of their mother and the death of their father.
The most beloved film worked on between Hathaway and Wayne was 1969’s True Grit, a film starring Wayne as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn. Cogburn helps a young girl in her journey to track and kill her father’s killer.
The other two films developed by the Hollywood legends, 1957’s Legend of the Lost and 1964’s Circus World, were not nearly as successful as their other three blockbusters.
READ MORE
- John Wayne never served in WWII – and here’s why
- John Wayne’s son followed in his father’s footsteps – recognize him?
- Despite having 7 kids, John Wayne’s grave went unmarked for 20 years
Scott Eyman’s book, John Wayne: The Life and Legend, detailed Hathaway’s experience working with the famous cowboy actor. According to the director, Wayne was particular about the type of pants he wore. He was so careful that his pants could have been considered his first priority.
”A funny thing about Wayne…” Hathaway said and continued:
”Wayne is more particular about the pants he wears than anything in the world. Unless he gets the thinnest kind of material, it drives him crazy. And I [told him], ‘You’ve got to wear homespun. You can’t wear cotton gabardine, for Chrissakes, or poplin or something. You’ve got to wear homespun.’
About 25 years later, Wayne stood in Hathaway’s office at the Paramount lot and stared at the poster for The Shepherd of the Hills in his wall.
According to the director, Wayne looked at the ”homespun” pants he wore in the poster and asked, ”Do you remember those damn pants?”
Wayne knew how important his Western aesthetic was for his audiences and for the authenticity of his films.
While many critics of the actor claimed his characters were not unique or diverse across different films, Wayne’s understanding of what his audiences wanted to see is what made him the legend he still is today.
READ MORE
- John Wayne never served in WWII – and here’s why
- John Wayne’s son followed in his father’s footsteps – recognize him?
- Despite having 7 kids, John Wayne’s grave went unmarked for 20 years
While some criticize John Wayne acting, to me, what I like about him is he is a very American icon, and there is no denying that!
