John Wayne, a towering figure of Hollywood’s past, had a career that stretched from the silent film era of the 1920s to the American New Wave, marking him as one of the most enduring stars of American cinema. Born Marion Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, Wayne would come to define an era that became synonymous with rugged, larger-than-life roles that captivated audiences for decades. For over 30 years, Wayne was a leading light in the industry, symbolising a particular brand of American masculinity and starring in some of the most iconic films of the Golden Age.
However, as with most revisionism, the light of retrospect often uncovers new perspectives with which we regard icons of the past. Numerous instances have emerged where films, musicians, actors, and directors have been revealed to be problematic, their actions or works brought into question through the lens of time.
Such is the case with John Wayne. At face value, he was the larger-than-life cowboy, 6ft 3in, and the embodiment of modern American ideals—a poster boy for grandmothers everywhere. He starred in Stagecoach in 1939 and The Searchers in 1959 and famously played cantankerous, one-eyed US Marshall Rooster Cogburn in the original True Grit in 1969. He even directed and starred in The Green Berets in order to support the US war effort in Vietnam.
At first glance, the John Ford-directed Stagecoach and other western films of its era may seem like proactive contributions to the American movie scene. However, a closer examination reveals more complexity. As the late film critic Roger Ebert noted, these films were often “unenlightened” at their core. Digging deeper, it becomes clear that the one-sidedness present in many of these works was frequently intentional.
So, what’s wrong with Wayne’s westerns?
Directed by John Ford, who worked with Wayne on The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Stagecoach reflects a familiar aspect of American culture: exceptionalism. The film portrays the Apaches as little more than savages without addressing the historical reality of European settlers invading Native American lands, leading to a prolonged period of destruction that began with the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620.
At this point, it might be easy to forgive Wayne for starring in such narrow-minded films. Some might argue that “it was just how things were back then” or that people “didn’t think about those issues at the time”. After all, on-screen, Wayne embodied the quintessential American ideals, and one might ask, what’s wrong with that? Others might contend that the western genre was simply meant to be entertainment—a sentiment shared by many.
Of course, there can be no doubt that Wayne is a captivating and talented actor. However, it was his actions off-screen that caused the problems. Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, Wayne was an American conservative in the truest sense and used his stature in cinema to advance their causes. The Green Berets came about as a result of this. The film was his successful attempt at rallying support for the ruinous Vietnam War.
Wayne and the “Red Scare”
But where should the line be drawn? It’s true that everyone is entitled to their own political opinions, and it’s a democratic right to campaign for causes considered just. During the height of the Cold War, when tensions shaped much of American life, John Wayne became a symbol of the “democratic” American fight against the perceived threats of communism and the Soviet Union—a situation that became blurred regarding his personality and persuasive nature both on and off the screen.
Wayne detested communism so much that he played a significant role in creating the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (MPA) in 1944 and was voted in as its president five years later in 1949. Although the alliance was officially disbanded in 1975, opponents’ accusations of racism and fascism were thrown at it. Ronald Reagan, Walt Disney and Clark Gable were among the alliance’s members. Even Ayn Rand wrote a pamphlet for the organisation in 1947, which criticised what she saw as subliminal communist propaganda in some Hollywood films.
Wayne was so anti-communist that he emerged as an ardent and vocal supporter of the infamous House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). In 1952, he made the political thriller Big Jim McLain, where he starred as a HUAC investigator hunting down communists in the organised labour of post-war Hawaii. This demonstrated his support for the anti-communist hunt and offered yet another blurring of the lines of reality and fiction in Wayne’s life.
These personal views also meant that he became a known enforcer of HUAC’s notorious “Black List”, which denied employment and destroyed the careers of many actors and writers who had expressed personal political beliefs that were not in line with HUAC’s. This saw directors such as Sam Wanamaker and Dalton Trumbo blacklisted for “un-American activities”. Other members of the MPA who testified against their peers were Walt Disney, Ronald Reagan and Ginger Rogers.
Typically, Wayne was also an ardent supporter of the chief architect of the “Red Scare”, Senator Joseph McCarthy. Wayne became so world-renowned for his proactive anti-communism that allegedly, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin said that he should have been assassinated for his views, even if the Russian leader was a huge fan of his movies. The Stagecoach star even joined the far-right and paleoconservative John Birch Society in 1960. However, he left after the organisation denounced fluoridation of water supplies as a communist plot.
John Wayne, the racist
To some, Wayne’s political commitment might be seen as a strong personal conviction, even if it meant advocating for war or damaging the careers of his peers. However, a more troubling moment came to light in 2019 when his 1971 Playboy interview resurfaced, revealing deeply problematic views. In this interview, Wayne made controversial statements on social issues and race relations, casting his membership in the John Birch Society in a clearer light. This revelation also challenges the notion that his westerns, like Stagecoach, were merely harmless entertainment.
On race relations, Wayne said: “With a lot of blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so. But we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.”
On the history of America and its relationship to its native peoples, he added: “I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from the Indians. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.”
In that infamous interview, Wayne didn’t stop there. He also called Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight’s characters in Midnight Cowboy “fags” for their “love of those two men”. His seething and bigoted outburst also mentioned American social programmes: “I don’t think a fella should be able to sit on his backside and receive welfare. I’d like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologising for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living. I’d like to know why they make excuses for cowards who spit in the faces of the police and then run behind the judicial sob sisters. I can’t understand these people who carry placards to save the life of some criminal, yet have no thought for the innocent victim.”
So, was Wayne a bigot?
It turns out that Wayne had always been a bigot, which is not surprising. Allegedly, at a party in 1957, he confronted Kirk Douglas about his role as Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh in the film Lust for Life. He was purported to have said, “Christ, Kirk, how can you play a part like that? There’s so goddamn few of us left. We got to play strong, tough characters. Not these weak queers.”
In 1973, Wayne would be criticised publicly by the iconic Marlon Brando. Appearing on The Dick Cavett Show, Brando argued: “We (Americans) like to see ourselves as perhaps John Wayne sees us. That we are a country that stands for freedom, for rightness, for justice”. The Godfather star added, “it just simply doesn’t apply.”
Wayne made many troubling statements during his lifetime, particularly in a 1971 Playboy interview, that reflected racist and bigoted views. In that interview, he expressed support for white supremacy, made dismissive remarks about African Americans, and downplayed the historical injustices faced by Native Americans. These views, of course, align with definitions of bigotry, which involve intolerance or prejudice against certain groups based on race or ethnicity.
Specifically, Wayne’s comments about believing in “white supremacy” until Black people were, in his view, “educated to a point of responsibility” and his dismissive attitude toward Native Americans and the Civil Rights Movement revealed a mindset steeped in racial prejudices.
Of course, the legacy of John Wayne is nuanced. Even though he is still regarded as a towering figure in Hollywood history, his reputation has been negatively impacted by his personal beliefs. The clear racism and bigotry that have resulted from his remarks on race and his opposition to important social movements; these issues continue to fuel discussion about how we should remember cultural figures who held deeply unsettling beliefs.