Why would I be reading John Wayne - The Life and Legend (#419)? I'm not particularly a John Wayne fan, although I've seen bits and pieces of many of his movies on TV. It's because I've been fortunate enough to see Scott Eyman, its author, in action at our local library's annual book festival BookMania! twice in the last few years, emceeing author panels and interviewing individual authors about their show-biz related books. That was enough to convince me that any book he authored would be worth reading. John Wayne is a perfect case in point.
At close to six hundred pages, Eyman makes Duke Morrison, the man behind his screen image John Wayne, interesting and accessible. He is not always admirable or likable, but Eyman treats his subject with sympathy in recounting the good, the bad and the ugly in his life. Overall, I found this biography vastly entertaining, more so than I could ever have imagined.
Maybe some day my husband and I will join the twenty-first century and upgrade our electronics so we'll have access to a streaming video service so we can order up John Wayne films at our own convenience. Reading his biography and the descriptions of what happened on a number of his film shoots has really instilled a desire in me to see some of his better pictures which I've never seen: The Searchers, Hondo and The Shootist just to name a few, and to watch some of the more familiar movies like She Wore a Yellow Ribbon with new eyes and appreciation. I envy Scott Eyman's access to the various film archives which have enabled him to see as many of John Wayne's films as he has. Of course, that did mean he had to sit through some real losers like The Green Berets, and The Conqueror so I guess it all evens out in the end...
If you've ever seen a John Wayne film in your life (and who hasn't?), I guarantee you'll find something to enjoy in this comprehensive look at an American screen legend.
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