John Wayne's America
The Politics of Celebrity

The author, who normally writes about politicians, sets out to investigate what is it about Wayne that made him so iconic/political that he continued to be listed as one of the greatest American male movie stars long his death. A character accepted as definitively Male, and yet is usually overlooked......more

I was impressed with this cultural biography of John Wayne, more an examination of his star image and filmography than any kind of classical life story. It certainly added a lot of films to my watchlist. I was disappointed Wills chose to ignore Wayne's infamous Playboy interview, not because of my o......more

Disappointing. Wills spends far too much time and space dissecting the movies/roles themselves, and the relationship with John Ford, and not nearly enough on the connection between those movies, Wayne's stardom and "America." When he does get around to that analysis, especially in the superb closing......more

The low rankings for this book aren't a surprise. John Wayne is a legendary figure in American film and often described as "A great American hero". Those films of directors John Ford and Howard Hawks were instrumental in building a myth and image of the man of the Western plains. To this day Wayne i......more

"John Wayne...you telling me John Wayne's a fag?".---Joe Buck speaking to Ratso Ritzo in MIDNIGHT COWBOY "I gave my balls for the American flag. I gave them for John Wayne"!---Ron Kovik, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY Only John Wayne could evoke such passionate emotions from his public. Us Wayne fanatic......more