Thursday, January 13, at 7:00 p.m. the Beltonian Theater will feature “The Searchers”, starring John Wayne, as part of our mini-film festival weekend of John Wayne Westerns. Admission is $6. John Wayne plays an ex-confederate soldier who spends five years searching for his niece who was captured by the Comanches who massacred his family. What […]

If you look at the very early John Wayne films you’ll discover a very different person. First there was the name: it was originally Marion Michael Morrison. Morrison went to USC and played football. He might have gotten his first taste of stardom from silent star and “It girl” Clara Bow. There were rumors that […]

JOHN WAYNE’s RINGO KID and ALAN LADD’s SHANE have landed top spots in a new poll of the greatest movie cowboys. The two movie icons’ western heroes in the films Stagecoach and Shane, respectively, feature in Cowboys & Indians magazine’s list of the 15 most beloved film characters. Also making the grade: Gary Cooper’s Will […]

A few exceptions like “Ben-Hur” and “The Departed” aside, Oscar hasn’t smiled on too many remakes. But that’s no reason to count out Joel and Ethan Coen’s “True Grit,” which has been described not as a redo of the 1969 Henry Hathaway film but as a more faithful adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel. Jeff Bridges, […]

The California Rodeo Salinas plans to present the John Wayne classic, “Tall in the Saddle,” Thursday at the Forest Theater in Carmel. Those who attend the film should dress warmly and bring a picnic to enjoy, including beverages of choice (alcohol is allowed but not for sale), blankets and stadium seats if desired. # What: […]

A standoff is underway between several members of John Wayne’s family — with his son and daughter battling each other over millions. It’s all over The Duke’s estate — worth somewhere between $10 and $15 million … depending on which kid you ask. In legal papers, filed Thursday in L.A. County Superior Court, John’s daughter […]

Winterset, Iowa has honored its favorite son by dedicating a life-size statue of John Wayne. Wayne was born Marion Morrison in Winterset on May 26, 1907. He died June 11, 1979. The town’s celebration marking the centennial of the actor’s birth in 2007 has blossomed into an annual two-day event in May. At Friday’s kickoff, […]

The Associated Press Posted: 04/01/2010 05:05:32 PM MDT HOUSTON—Edward “Coots” Matthews, a famed oil well firefighter and part of a trio who inspired the 1968 movie “Hellfighters” starring John Wayne, has died. He was 86. Matthews and Asger “Boots” Hansen co-founded Houston-based Boots & Coots International Well Control Inc. in 1978, after a 20-year career […]