Description
Book Synopsis John Wayne worked on film sets around the globe. This book follows the trail, from his beginnings on the Fox backlot to his final filming in Lone Pine, California. Locations in Mexico, Normandy, Rome, Madrid, London, Ireland, Libya and Africa are covered, along with his favorite vacation spots in Hawaii, Acapulco, Greece, Monaco, and the Hollywood hot-spots he frequented. Anecdotes revisit his most famous scenes, including Rooster Cogburn''s charge in True Grit (1969) and Davy Crockett''s last stand in The Alamo (1960). Production details describe how San Diego stood in for Iwo Jima, how Old Tucson was turned into El Dorado, and how Genghis Kahn ruled over the deserts of Utah. Never before published photos present then-and-now views in this first of its kind guided tour for film location hunters and Wayne aficionados.
Trade Review“Schaefli takes readers on a cinematic journey that spans Hollywood's history as well as the globe. ...previously unpublished photographs will please the most ardent film fans, and a bibliography extensive enough to satisfy serious students of film history. This is a mother lode for diehard Wayne and western-film fans.” —
BooklistTable of ContentsForeword by Chris Mitchum 1
Preface: "Desert's still the same" 2
Introduction: "What makes a man to wander…?" 5
1. The Big Trail: "We can't turn back" 15
2. Hollywood: Home Off the Range 26
3. Shooting Star of the Golden State: California Straight Ahead! 40
4. Ireland: "Peace and quiet came to Innisfree" 58
5. Monument Valley: "Let's go home, Debbie" 68
6. Military Bases: "Just wanted to say hello to the boys" 78
7. Hatari! Big Bwana's Bootprints in Africa 97
8. Utah: "The Gobi Desert seethed with unrest" 106
9. The Studio Backlots: A Tree Is a Tree 116
10. Durango: South of the Border 133
11. Exotic Places: East of the Divide 149
12. Normandy: D-Day for the Duke 157
13. Arizona: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch 167
14. Hawaii: "Does the word aloha make you warm?" 174
15. Venture Abroad: "Got a great idea: European tour" 183
16. Road Trip: Wayne's Way to Work 198
17. Two Roosters: Patching It Up 209
18. Beaches and Bridges: Duke's Detectives 219
19. Without Reservations: "What do I have?" 229
20. The Western Towns: From Rio Bravo to Carson City 239
21. The Lost Locations: Winds of the Wasteland 253
22. And the Hunter Home from the Hill: "A place to live and a place to die…" 269
Chapter Notes 287
Bibliography 299
Index 303
