“Undoubtedly”: The worst movie of John Wayne’s career, according to John Wayne
Known as one of the very best actors in American cinema, creating such classic movies as The Searchers, True Grit and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the legacy of John Wayne marks him as one of the most definitive Hollywood stars of the era. Sharing his limelight only with the likes of James Stewart, Humphrey Bogart and Marlon Brando, Wayne remains an iconic Hollywood name, even 44 years after his death.
His position as one of the most famous men in cinematic history is undeniable, but so is his infamy. In the decades since he has passed, Wayne’s interviews and unwelcome comments have continuously put him in the firing line with modern audiences, and rightly so. The actor has now become one of the most polarising figures in the history of Hollywood.
Though he would enter the industry as early as 1926, Wayne wouldn’t properly find his feet until the late 1950s, after countless low-budget western flicks and a good number of John Ford collaborations. Once the end of the ‘50s came around, though, he was an established western star but had yet to add many influential movies to his name. But then, in a flurry of cinematic inspiration, The Searchers, Rio Bravo and The Horse Soldiers would all come out at once.
Although he wasn’t the luckiest actor when it came to the Academy Awards, the ‘50s and years following it would shower Wayne with praise, receiving a nomination in 1950 and 1961 for Sands of Iwo Jima and The Alamo, respectively. Yet, despite the seemingly consistent success during the era, just like many actors, he didn’t choose the right projects 100% of the time.
Released in 1957, Jet Pilot, by director Josef von Sternberg, was one movie he was greatly unhappy with, starring in the role of Col Jim Shannon opposite Janet Leigh’s Lt Anna Marladovna Shannon in a film that followed an Air Force Colonel who is asked to escort a defecting Soviet pilot, only for the enemy to have a few ulterior motives.
While the plot of the film is rather mundane, the story behind its origins is far more interesting, with the film being produced by the millionaire rocket scientist and businessman Howard Hughes. Made in order for Hughes to showcase the latest and greatest aircraft, the underqualified producer edited the film over a great number of years, and by the time the film was released, many of the aircraft were outdated.
Understandably, considering that the film was largely one big aerospace advertisement, the screenplay was largely ignored, with Wayne only signing on because he liked its political themes. Yet, by the end of the film, he wasn’t best pleased, stating in Marc Mompoint’s John Wayne: A Photographic Celebration, “It is undoubtedly one of my worst movies ever”.
Considering the sheer dearth of movies Wayne made during his career, with 179 titles to his name, including movies and TV appearances, this is a truly impressive claim. The maths of the situation suggests there are over 80 that are below average, so singling out one as his worst of all time might mean that Jet Pilot is perhaps not only the worst John Wayne movie ever made, but one of the worst of all time.
For those readers brave enough to delve into Wayne’s worst movie, check out the trailer for Jet Pilot below.
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