Customer Reviews

John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth

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British journalist Michael Munn does a good job at delving into the core of a remarkable man, the motion picture legend we call "the Duke." Some people have criticized John Wayne over the years for not acting, but Wayne carefully crafted and honed his Duke persona to give his audiences something they could take with them, especially during the grim days of World War II. Wayne wanted to enlist, but he was a man of his word and under contract. Instead, he boosted morale through his films.

John Wayne embodied the spirit of the rugged American. He was a man's man who never backed down from a fight, on or off screen. And yet, he showed a flexibility and tolerance with actors who marched to a different drum. Kirk Douglas and Rock Hudson are examples of men whose politics and lifestyle, respectively, John Wayne disagreed with very strongly. But Wayne respected their acting credentials and for him that was the decisive factor. Wayne was a true acting professional and a man of passion who could project himself as larger than life.

Munn captures all of this and more. Where he goes astray, perhaps, is with his curious anecdote about Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin wanting to kill the Duke. Surely as cunning a player on the world stage as Stalin would never have risked an international incident, or even war, by having John Wayne assassinated. I'm not sure of the source Munn used, but it could be of the "red herring" variety. This jazz about the Duke getting the scoop from Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, Stalin's wily successor who admittedly did his share of de-Stalinizing, is far-fetched. Yet, it all adds to the mystique.

This book was an easy read and I liked pouring through it. One has to be aware, however, that John Wayne was no saint. He caroused with women while letting his marriages fall apart, he drank hard, and he used salty language. Munn quotes Wayne and his circle of friends verbatim, especially when director John Ford was among them, so be forewarned that there is profanity in this book. In the end, Munn's take on the Duke leaves you feeling like you almost knew him, and that is good. Rev. Dennis J. Mercieri, alumnus of Holy Apostles Seminary

This is a "must read" for any John Wayne fan. The book is written with a deftness and style similar to the character of the man of whom it portrays. Munn is a self-described fan, yet is able to depict Wayne in a realistic light while using great sensitivity and care. The book is based largely on Munn's personal interviews (spanning several years) with John Wayne's colleagues and more importantly, the Duke himself, which lends credibility to his words. I have come away from this book not only with an historical view into John Wayne's career, but also with a great sense of respect for Waynes's honesty and "no-nonsense" approach to life. His love for his country is more than admirable, especially now in such times of partisanship and complacency. Sadly, John Wayne's era has gone by the wayside so kudos to Michael Munn for keeping his spirit alive.

Michael Munn's "John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth" (2003) presents the life of one of America's greatest 20th century icons. This 386-page hardback is comfortably researched with 17 pages of filmography (describing, briefly, each John Wayne film), 5 pages of sources, and a two page annotated bibliography.

Munn brings motion picture super star John Wayne to life with a comprehensive chronological narrative of his life and career. Using Wayne era media documentation, personal interviews with friends, family, and co-stars, and reviewing books about the Duke the author reintroduces readers to John Wayne's greatness. Memorable stories are told from the Duke's personal, family, and performance lives.

We hear from John Agar, Lee Van Cleef, Rock Hudson, Charlton Heston, Jennifer O'Neill, Sammy Davis, Jr., Maureen O'Hara, and many more about Wayne. Readers learn about his opinions on Richard Widmark's acting, John Huston's directing, and daughter Aissa's script reading. One discovers which one of Wayne's films was his own favorite ("The Alamo") and which was the simplest for him to make ("True Grit"). (John Wayne turned down the "Dirty Harry" part after Frank Sinatra's refusal because he didn't want a Sinatra's rejection and the Duke also didn't like the image of a rogue cop.) Wayne's families, religion (as a back-sliding Presbyterian), politics (as an Orange County Reagan Republican), love for alcohol, and lung cancer (which ultimately killed him in 1979) are reviewed.

Munn's story of John Wayne's rise from a movie back lot janitor (as an injured USC football player) to mega star adored by millions is interesting and at times riveting. Much of the Duke's life was like a John Wayne movie. The Duke was involved in hunting accidents, stage and scene mishaps, and was once targeted by the Brezhnev government for his anti Soviet views. The Duke liked fist fighting, rifle shooting, and loving Latinas. (Munn is comprehensive, reflective, and convincing.)

Michael Munn's "John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth" is written in a non-technical novelistic style. For me, it was a quick read. All John Wayne aficionados should own a copy. It is recommended to everyone.

When is someone going to come out with a satisfactory biography of America's greatest star? It used to be that people scoffed at John Wayne's acting, but in recent years the circle has come around and i think we all know he wasn't a bad actor but an incandescent performer with infinite gobs of star quality radiating all around him like shooting stars. And yet the biographies of him lack his moral depth and complexity. Invariably they are written by people like Michael Munn, an okay journalist but a man with too many irons in the fire (18 previous books, including lives of Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone) to afford himself the luxury of time--the precious time it would take to write a first-class biography of this great, iconic presence. Munn has interviewed a lot of people, all of whom sound pretty much the same in his chatty transcriptions, and he has gotten close to many who were close to the Duke, and the book is readable enough, but it doesn't come close to conveying what happens to an audience when they sit through a John Wayne picture, the intense identification and mythologizing of his screen character as it moves from frame to frame, decade to decade. Munn also in British and gives Wayne through the British tabloid lens, when as we know Wayne was American as apple pie.

And he brings a lot of rumors to the book, particularly those which emphasize Wayne's right-wing political views and his proud conservatism. All very well and good but to make Wayne a hero on the basis that Joseph Stalin put out a fatwa on him is just ridiculous. If Stalin had wanted Wayne assassinated (for what reason?) wouldn't it have been taken care of during Stalin's lifetime?

Munn also fails to gloss over Wayne's miserable personal life. In fact the way he lingers on it makes you think he enjoys seeing the Duke brought to his knees by the women around him and by his troubled, semi-nutty mentor John "Pappy" Ford.

A hastily written book full of rumors and statements that didn't know Duke any better than the author did. This does not do Duke's life justice. He was a great actor, he was a generous man that for over 50 years gave us not only great films to cherish for generations to come but taught us morals and the right way to live and raise our children. We could use a thousand John Wayne's right now and the fact he remains in the Harris Polls top 5 greatest actors over 32 after his death says something about his popularity. The author spends too much time on rumors and doesn't present the facts. He never dodged the draft, he was 34 at the time Pearl Harbor was attacked and he was too close to the age restrictions plus he had a family and children so they gave him a 3-A status. He tried to get into John Ford's film company but Republic didn't want him to go. After he finally received a 1A status Republic filed papers to get it change to 2A to stop him from going and threatened him with a lawsuit. John Wayne deserves a book that tell the whole story behind his life and this one is not it. If you want a good book on Duke pick "John Wayne American". 1000 times better than Munn's book and it has "just the facts". By the time I finished reading Munn's book I was furious. It gathers dust in the basement now.

Book started out a little slow but as it went along it became a more interesting read. I do recommend it for any John Wayne fans.

He rejected communism and anything that threatened freedom of the individuals which made himself the object of threat by stalinists and Maoists.
This biography is revealing the actor`s personality since the author knew Wayne and many of his family members and closer friends personally.
Wayne made friends with anybody who shared his political views.
"American" would have been the suitable gravestone inscript that could have best pictured his life which was also a life of a dedicated patriot. This book gives not only an account of his private behaviour but also about the background of the shooting of his films. In his latter years he realized that he felt no longer at home in a world that lost the virtues for which John Wayne stood. Interestingly the great time of the western movies in which the good is victorious over the bad went down with the upcoming of the modern society in which values are questioned and sometimes reversed. John Wayne played always himself they said, as long as he embodied the American dream of freedom and justice.
That made him a living legend. But he was much more gentle and wise than the characters on the screen: "Never think anyone is better than you and and never think that you are better than anyone else. You have to try to be decent to anybody unless they give you a reason not to. I missed another great quotation which I found in the spot where he made some of his best films (Monument Valley). "Courage is almost scared to death but saddling up anyway". That was one of the maxims in his life.
And he kept to it until his death. No John Waynes any more in our times.

This book is one of the best of the books on The Duke. It is written in a easy to read style that follows his life and career. Well done

Dear Duke,
Yet another greenhorn (and a Limey to boot) has come forward with a biography of your life. I think you'll like this one. At least it's by someone you knew and considered a friend. You remember the kid you gave a list of all your friends with their phone numbers to when he interviewed you while making Brannigan? Michael Munn, the one who called you a living legend, that's right. Well he did his home-work and came up with a terrific little book on you. He really admired you and you can tell from his writing. But it's an honest look at your life and I don't think he could have done it without some of that blunt honesty of yours having rubbed off on him during those few days you spent together. He was too much of a fan of yours to include such private and untoward moments in your life otherwise.

He's no Hemingway but he was able to put together a pretty good narrative out of the many anecdotes from your friends and even a number of Hollywood and Washington types you've butted heads with. Best of all, he did a great job of clearing up quite a few misconceptions about your personal beliefs and activities.

I hope you'll take time to read the book. It will give you peace because you'll find out how folks really thought of you and it will also surprise you to see that your work is appreciated a lot more now than when you were still working.

If I had to rate the book, I'd give it 3 stars for research, 1 more for its literary value and 1 more for a total of 5 because you told him to try and write a book about you and he did with your kind of honesty.

Your friend and fan,
RJ
PS: You were right about Clint Eastwood.
PPS: They did a remake of True Grit with Lloyd's boy, Jeff, in the lead. Don't get mad when you see it. They were trying to follow the original novel, not re-invent you.

British writer Michael Mann turns his attention to John Wayne in this relatively short 386 page biography. Mann is a prolific biographer having done bios of Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, etc.

Mann writes well and incorporates his own research and experience with quotes from many of the people who worked closely with Wayne during his 50+ year career.

There isn't a lot here you will not have already read elsewhere, although Mann seems to endlessly drone on about a Russian plot against Wayne's life and Wayne's "off the books" work for the OSS during World War 2.

The reader looking for a short easy to read biography will find this book a good choice.