True Grit

Loved this one. Very strong female character (although she did drive me a little crazy). After her father is killed by one of his employees, who then hides out on Indian Territory, she hires John Wayne to go in after him because she heard he has true grit. Justice is finally served and I would watch this one again.

The High and the Mighty

Decent John Wayne movie. A departure from the westerns I've been watching. He plays the co-pilot on a plane going from Hawaii to California that experiences some engine trouble. It comes down to a matter of minutes on whether they'll make the shore or have to ditch. Enjoyed very much, but won't be adding to my collection as I prefer the westerns.

3 Godfathers

How cute is this movie! John Wayne actually plays a good bad guy in it. He and two others ride into town with the intention of robbing the bank. A cute house catches their eye and the nice man who owns it happens to be out front...and turns out to be the marshal. They successfully rob the bank, but on the way out of town the kid gets shot in the shoulder. They start heading across the Arizona dessert in search of water, but the marshal and his men beat them to their destination, so they backtrack to another water source. Once there, they discover a disabled wagon with a pregnant woman inside. When her husband found the well was dry he blew it up seeking water below the surface. When that didn't work he set off on his own, but perished. The woman was in labor. She gave birth to a son, but she didn't live much beyond the delivery. She named her son after each of the three men, who she made his godfathers. They set out with the baby in tow, but by the time the end of their journey was in site, only John Wayne and the baby had survived. The marshal and his men finally caught up with them and brought John and the baby back to town. John was sentenced to one year and a day because he refused to break his promise to a dying woman and sign over custody to her aund and uncle, who happened to be the marshal and his wife. Great movie!

Stage Coach

Enjoyed this one. Opens in a little western town with a stagecoach pulling in carrying a woman and a man. The woman is a calvary officer's wife on her way west to join him and the man is a whiskey seller. While the stage coach changes its horses, the woman goes into the cafe with some friends who are also with the calvary and the man goes into the bar. When they are ready to push on, they are joined by a drunken doctor, a wanton womam, a notorious gambler, and the sheriff, who is seeking John Wayne, an escaped prisoner. Because Geronimo is in the area, a calvary detatchment escorts them to the next town over and leaves. Upon arrival, the woman learns her husband is no longer there, but at the next town over, and wounded. She is ill and passes out, later giving birth to a little girl. They planned on waiting another day to let her rest, but the sight of indians forces them on. The wagon train is attacked and just as they run out of ammo, the cavalry arrives to save the day. John is released and he and the wanton woman head to his ranch across the border. The drunken doctor is played by the man who played Gerald O'Hara in Gone With the Wind and one of the other characters sounds like the guy that played the drunk Santa at the start of Miracle on 34th Street.

Fort Apache

Loved this movie! Will Danaher was back and Shirley Temple was in it, too. Hated her father, though. He was such an arrogant jerk and responsible for an entire contingent's deaths because he wouldn't listen to my beloved hero...Keeper!

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

Awesome movie! Totally a keeper. John Wayne's a calvary commander a few days shy of retirement when he's told his final mission is to bring his commanding officer's wife and niece to the next major town to catch the stage home. Along the way they are set upon by Indians and eventually must turn around when they find the town is no longer inhabited and the stage coach has been burned. What I loved about this one was that it co-starred two of my favorite actors from the Quiet Man. The actor who played Will Danaher and the actress who played the wealthy widow that owned White-A-Morning. Lots of laughs. Loved the ending! Gotta get this one! Next up are Fort Apache and Stagecoach.

Red River

Red River starts our promising but peeters out. Half the movie is spent driving about 10,000 head of cattle. Shortly before the end it finally picks up when they come across a wagon train of women and gambling equipment headed for Nevada. Not going on my keeper list. Hopefully She Wore A Yellow Ribbon will be better.