Movies - TV
John Wayne Named These Three Roles As His Favorite
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By JEREMY SMITH
Three years before his death from cancer, John Wayne hit the publicity trail to promote his 1976 Western "The Shootist" and commune with his fans for one of the very last times. During one such meeting, captured on "The Phil Donahue Show," a shy, gray-haired lady rose to ask The Duke, whom she addressed as "sir," to name his three favorite movies.
In his trademark brevity, Wayne replied, "I loved 'Stagecoach,' naturally, because I stepped on that stagecoach and it's carried me a long ways. I liked 'Hatari!,' which is a picture we made in Africa because I had a three month safari free. [...] And 'The Quiet Man' because I got to work with all of the Abbey Players and some forebears of my own family."
"Stagecoach" feels like an obvious choice since Wayne rocketed to stardom as Winchester- wielding The Ringo Kid in John Ford’s groundbreaking Western. So does Ford’s "The Quiet Man," an Irish romantic comedy that left audiences laughing and swooning, which was considered one of the most beloved movies ever made at the time of the Donahue interview.
Surprisingly, Wayne singled out director Howard Hawks' "Hatari!" over "Red River" and "Rio Bravo," although his portrayal of Ahab-esque rancher Thomas Dunson in "Red River" ranks among his very best. Meanwhile, fans can speculate he didn't want to publicly mention "The Searchers" or "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" due to their revisionist, anti-heroic themes.