Fan Favorite Friday: The True Grit of John Wayne

Marion Mitchell Morrison, better known as John Wayne, appeared in more than 170 films from 1926 to 1976, so please forgive us if we neglect to mention a personal favorite during this week's Fan Favorite Friday.

And, remember, you can borrow any and all of these movies from Mentor Public Library.

1. Where to begin with Wayne, a man who has portrayed so many iconic characters in so many classic films? Sure, all of those characters seemed to share a common diction and disposition, but Wayne wasn't an actor—at least, not in the way Gregory Peck was or Paul Giamatti is.

Even when Wayne was alive, he was a legend; and, when he appeared on the silver screen, he wasn't so much acting as he was building a legend.

So where to begin is a matter of personal preference and we prefer to begin with Rio Bravo. So how good was Wayne in Rio Bravo?

Good enough that he made us believe Ricky Nelson was tough.

So good that I don't even need to invoke Dean Martin when discussing how good this film is.

"So good, he feels he doesn't need to prove it..."

2. Wayne was nominated for three Oscars, two as an actor. His only win was for his performance in True Grit where he played a U.S. Marshal out for revenge. His only other acting nomination: The Sands of Iwo Jima.

3. Wayne's most associated with the western genre, but he seemed to reserve his best work for war films. The Green Berets is excellent; another personal favorite is They Were Expendable, which you can stream for free on Hoopla.)

4. Bet you didn't know that Wayne could sing. OK, maybe he's no Judy Garland, but he did play in Singin' Sandy Saunders in one of his lesser known flicks, Riders of Destiny. (You can watch it as part of the John Wayne ultimate collection.)

5. When you think of Wayne, you probably think of westerns and war films, but he had comedic chops too. He was great as himself in the fifth season of I Love Lucy. (Lucy tries to steal his hand prints from in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.)

6. One word: Hondo.

7. Wayne—much like Clint Eastwood, who perfected the John Wayne prototype—could be a surprisingly compelling romantic lead. In this regard, he was best when paired with Maureen O'Hara; and they were at their best in The Quiet Man.

8. Wayne's performance in Red River was so good that John Ford, the director behind Stagecoach and several other Wayne westerns, admitted that even he didn't know Wayne could act like that. If you don't know much about Wayne, Red River is a great place to start.

9. Wayne saved one of his best for last. The Shootist is not a film the young Wayne could have made. It took a wizened actor and man to play an aging gunfighter who dying of cancer. And, yes, you could this was just Wayne playing himself once more; but Wayne's performance is strong yet subtle. And any great artist will tell you that subtlety comes last, if it comes at all.

10. John Wayne is a fascinating man and his been the subject of dozens of biographies. We have ten—that's right, ten—of them at Mentor Library. Feel free to check them out. Even if you're a Wayne aficionado, you main learn things you never knew that you never knew.

Come back each week for a new Fan Favorite Friday.

Throwback Thursday: Remembering our Fallen Heroes

The Mentor Public Library—all branches—will be closed Sunday and Monday for Memorial Day.

We hope you spend some time with your family and friends, but never forget the real reason it's a holiday. It's not so we can barbecue or work on our base tan. It's so we can thank those who have served to keep us free.

While it may seem trite to suggest a movie or a book to coincide with Memorial Day, sometimes entertainment is the most effective way to remind ourselves of what others have sacrificed for us. So this week we're dedicating Throwback Thursday to remembering our fallen heroes.

(As always, you can check out any and all of these movies and books from the Mentor Public Library. We’ve even linked to our collection so you can put them on hold wherever you are.)

1. Saving Private Ryan—If this film ended after its depiction of the Omaha Beach assault, it would still be worth mentioning. By 1998 (when Private Ryan premiered,) war movies had transcended the dichotomy of either being patriotic or critical of war. This film (and especially its first 30 minutes) told war as it was: sometimes brave, sometimes heroic, often violent and always tragic.

2. The Sands of Iwo Jima—John Wayne is best known for his work in westerns, but he reserved his best work for war films. (Also see They Were Expendable, which you can stream for free on Hoopla.) Iwo Jima encapsulates more than its titular battle. It portrays a hard man—Marine Sergeant John Stryker—during harder times.

3. Platoon, Apocalypse Now & Good Morning, Vietnam—The Vietnam War does not lend itself to optimistic films. Frankly, this list could be longer: Full Metal Jacket, Casualties of War... none of these films stir your patriotic spirit. But they are films that will move you.

4. Gettysburg—Perhaps because it's based on a book, this film plays more like a novel than a war film. There are dozens of characters. Each have their own motivation for fighting. Most importantly, every person in this movie thinks he is fighting on the side of right; or, at least, that his side is as right as any. (Also, if you love Gettysburg, check out Gods and Generals—either the book or the movie.

5. Twelve O'Clock High—There's something about the Air Force, right? No other movie juxtaposes the tragedy of war with the majesty of flying as memorably as Twelve O'Clock High, which tells the story of the United States Army's Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany and occupied France.

6. The Patriot—Considering how important it was for our country—for example, we wouldn't have a country without it—there are surprisingly few films about the Revolutionary War. The Patriot is a good place to start. You may also like Johnny Tremain and John Adams.

7. Hurt Locker, Three Kings, Turtles Can Fly—The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have already inspired several films. While few have been box-office hits, many of them have been critical favorites and shaped how people view the wars.

8. All Quiet on the Western Front—For as many classic movies as there are about World War II, there are surprisingly few depicting WWI. All Quiet tells the story of Paul Baumer, an enlistee in the Imperial German Army. This 1930 film is realist, harrowing and, in many ways, ahead of its time. It predicts the nihilism of later war movies.

9. M*A*S*H—MASH is an incredible film in that it makes war funny without making it any less tragic. It tells the story of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. If you only know the TV show, you owe it to yourself to check out the movie.

10. Restrepo, The Tillman Story, Taxi to the Dark Side, Standard Operating Procedure—In addition to movies, there have been a lot of thought-provoking documentaries produced about wars.

Also, if you want to watch something right now, IndieFlix is streaming several war films, shorts and documentaries from its site right now, and you can watch as many of them as you want with a Mentor Public Library card. (Here's how to stream videos from IndieFlix, in case you forgot.)

Once more, we at Mentor Public Library want to take this opportunity to thank all those who have served and sacrificed for this country!

Come back each week for a new Throwback Thursday profile.

Throwback Thursday: Once Upon a Time in a Western

The western, as a genre, seems to have fallen out of vogue. Not even high-powered combination of Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski could make the recent Lone Ranger film a sure thing. (That having been said, if you want an awesome Johnny Depp western, may I recommend Rango.)

But the American west will always have a nostalgic appeal for those who grew up on John Wayne, Louis L'Amour and Bonanza. That's why we're dedicating this week's Throwback Thursday to the western.

With all due respect to the aforementioned L'Amour, the first name in westerns will always be John Wayne. Yes, his range extended beyond a 10-gallon hat and a stoic stare. (Personally, I loved his turn in I Love Lucy.) But if you need a place to start, check out his Oscar-winning performance in True Grit or his classic turn in Hondo. Try his Ultimate Collection if you want to get a taste of the Duke's lesser known films. You can also stream several of Wayne's movies for free onto your computers, phones and tablets with you library via Hoopla. (How to use Hoopla, in case you forgot.)

If you're looking for a more contemporary film, my personal favorite is Tombstone, but 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jesse James are both well worth your time.

There are plenty of classic westerns for the small screen too and you can borrow any of them—Bonanza, Rawhide, Wild Wild West (even the other Wild Wild West)—from Mentor Public Library.

The westerns were such a revolutionary genre of film and television, they created their own style of music to accompany them—wavering harmonicas, barely tuned pianos and rustling spurs for percussion. The most famous composer for westerns was Ennio Morricone, but he's just the tip of the iceberg. And if you love the music as much as you love the movies, you can borrow both at the library.

If you'd rather read than watch, we have dozens of L'Amour books available for checkout. And if you want something more contemporary, may I recommend Elmore Leonard?

And if you like your Western movies a little broader, well, there's always Blazing Saddles. It's the perfect movie if you hate westerns and if you love them.

Come back each week for a new Throwback Thursday profile.