John Wayne’s controversial “last performance” was his only sci-fi movie: “It’s really something”
Cashing in on a dead celebrity’s residual name value reeks of exploitation when done without the blessing of the deceased’s estate, and using John Wayne as a means to drum up misleading publicity for a movie that went unreleased for 25 years falls firmly into the former camp.
While the legendary actor continues to bring in revenue on an annual basis through official channels, much like any other long-dead star who retains a following decades after their demise, one unscrupulous producer deliberately omitted the facts when touting the final film to be released that features footage of ‘The Duke’.
Throughout his career, Wayne’s ironclad principles ensured he never took any interest in fantastical fare. He made westerns, dramas, romances, thrillers, cop movies, crime flicks, and the occasional light-hearted dramedy, but he was never caught anywhere near out-and-out horror, fantasy, or sci-fi.
However, when someone who claimed to be a longtime friend wanted to make waves with a picture they’d produced that didn’t have anything worthwhile to capture an audience’s attention, Dave Burleson overtly suggested that he had the Holy Grail for Wayne’s fans: never-before-seen footage.
Burleson, who worked occasionally as Dean Martin’s stunt double and played bit parts in dozens of westerns when ‘The Duke’ was still alive, produced the 1984 film Thunder Riders of the Golden West, a gallingly cheap-looking B-movie that follows a bunch of truck drivers hoping to secure a multi-million dollar stash of gold in the middle of an atomic testing site, where the sci-fi elements come into play.
Naturally, Burleson’s claim that he’d been waiting a quarter of a century to release the picture piqued interest, especially when he hyped up Wayne’s involvement. “It’s not the last movie he acted in, but it’s the last performance to be released,” he told Kerrville Daily News in 2009 while being very careful with his choice of words.
“After all these years, it’s great to finally get my film out there,” he said. “But it’s really something for people to see one last John Wayne performance.” Based on the way he told it, it was reasonable for potential audiences to assume that Thunder Riders of the Golden West would uncover new scenes ‘The Duke’ had shot before he died in 1979 that had remained under lock and key for decades.
As far as selling points go, it was undeniably tantalising. Everyone knows The Shootist was the final entry in his filmography, but what the hell was Thunder Riders of the Golden West? Was it a cameo? Cut scenes from another production that he’d agreed to let Burleson use? A full-blown performance nobody knew about? Unfortunately, it was none of the above.
When the shoestring effort eventually, and inevitably, leaked online, the ruse was exposed. Burleson had touted it as “one last John Wayne performance,” but in reality, his contributions to Thunder Riders of the Golden West were assorted clips from black-and-white pictures in the public domain that were inserted into the movie for seemingly no other reason than to allow the producer to hang his hat on a technicality.
Technically, yes, it’s the most recently released new film to feature footage of John Wayne in an acting role, but Burleson pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes and incited controversy among ‘Duke’ diehards by refusing to elaborate. Or more accurately, tell the truth.
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out John Wayne Newsletter
All the latest stories about John Wayne from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.