Today is John Wayne's birthday. Here he is in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" from 1962, one of his last films with director John Ford. It's as good a Western as you'll ever see, one of Ford's finest films, and a criminally underappreciated classic. It was pretty much dismissed when it came out, and its reputation has grown steadily amongst us movie geeks ever since. By the way, this is the film the whole John Wayne impersonation "Pilgrim" thing comes from.
Next time you see it--you HAVE seen it haven't you?--pay attention to the steaks they eat in the saloon. They're huge! Served on plates bigger than most serving trays, the beef hangs off the edge as Jimmy Stewart passes them out to hungry cowboys like Wayne, Andy Devine and Lee Marvin.
Also notice that the bulk of the picture was shot on the backlot in pretty flat-looking black and white. Ford was paying homage to his silent film days, right down to the hat Wayne wears. Oh, the Gene Pitney song of the same name is not heard in the film.
Aside from being one of my favorite Westerns, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" has special significance to me. My wife and I watched it on our honeymoon back in 1998 at a dude ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona. Even if it stunk, it'd be one of my favorite films.
Happy Birthday, Duke. If it was up to me, the banks and post offices would be closed, the kids would be home from school, and we'd all be watching "The Searchers," "Rio Bravo" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" on TV.
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