John Wayne and Clint Eastwood
Author: Dusty_Trail
Without a doubt, the two actors who defined the Western film genre were John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Before these two hit the silver screen, the Western was only an idea in the backs of director’s minds. John and Clint brought the Western to life with their portrayal of memorable characters in films like The Shootist and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Though Clint Eastwood is still alive and has since acted in and directed a number of great films beyond his Western days, John Wayne stands immortalized in bronze at the John Wayne Airport and in the hearts of millions of Americans.
The apparel that these two wore in their films, including the traditional western hat, cowboy boots, and leather jacket has been celebrated as a central part of American culture. While you can argue that most of America’s was popularized in other countries before it was here, the Western aesthetic began in Spain, but was made famous by America.
One Response to “John Wayne and Clint Eastwood”
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February 10th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I love Clint Eastwood’s films especially the Lafayette Escadrille ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051840/ ), I like the story and world war 1 scenes. I’m not actually into John Wayne’s movies, but I’ve seen a few like The Shootist and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. But I love John Wayne’s quote in the Shootist, “I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.”
Living in a western country, I love cowboy’s hats too. Cowboy’s hat is one of the well-known symbols of being a cowboy. But recently, I read an article at New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/sports/othersports/10helmets.html) and other blogs ( http://mycacties.com/blog/cowboy-culture/178/cowboy-hats-or-helmets ) that more and more cowboys are replacing their traditional hats with helmets, which I think will eventually be widespread due to security precautions. But I still love those iconic cowboy hats…
Just my thoughts..