John Wayne believed Burt Reynolds would “come the closest” to being his heir
Icons are irreplaceable, and in Hollywood, they don’t come much bigger than John Wayne. While there were plenty of pretenders to the throne who took their shot at the king and missed, there was only one actor he called the closest thing in the industry to his heir apparent.
It wasn’t Clint Eastwood, though. If anything, despite becoming stars in the same genre, they were total opposites. ‘The Duke’ preferred to continue making westerns in the way he had for decades, whereas the newcomer was ushering in the age of revisionism in films like the Dollars trilogy and Hang ‘Em High.
Naturally, since he actively despised the direction in which Hollywood was heading, Wayne wasn’t thrilled with the young upstart becoming the 1B to his 1A. They could have starred in a picture together, which would have been a nailed-on smash hit, but ‘The Duke’ didn’t want to lower himself to Eastwood’s level.
Every time a new star emerges on the scene who carries even a passing resemblance or similarity to someone from days gone by, they’ll inevitably be labelled as ‘the new’ whoever. Tom Hanks struggled with those James Stewart comparisons, and enough performers have been dubbed the second coming of Marlon Brando that it doesn’t even register anymore.
However, there was, and always will be, one John Wayne. His filmography, legacy, and iconography were so welded to the persona that he’d crafted and curated for himself that the best anyone could hope for was doing a half-decent impression, and there have been more than a few of those over the years.
That said, ‘The Duke’ did point to one up-and-comer as a potential heir apparent, and it’s not a coincidence that they happened to be a manly man who rose up the ranks to become the reigning box office champion by trading on their manly man credentials to headline a string of all-American action flicks that coasted by on their star’s charm, charisma, and machismo.
As Albert S Ruddy, director of 1974’s The Longest Yard, recalled, Burt Reynolds received the highest praise possible from one of Tinseltown’s resident titans. “John Wayne once told me that Burt would come the closest to filling his sense of dedication and work ethic, and character,” the filmmaker told The Oklahoman, and the moustachioed man would have no doubt been thrilled to hear it.
They never worked together, but as one of the many who’d grown up with his films, Reynolds was a huge fan. They did have a tangential connection, though, with Wayne turning down the lead role in the TV series Gunsmoke and instead recommending James Arness for the part, and that very series would give the future Cannonball Run headliner the first major opportunity of his screen career.
In his memoir, Reynolds was equally enthralled. “Duke was a force of nature,” he marvelled. “When he walked into a room, it got quiet. And he could persuade you to do anything.” Did he become his heir apparent? No, but it looked like he might for a while. Still, Wayne wasn’t one for handing out that kind of praise for anyone, so it was a huge badge of honour either way.
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