John Wayne filmography (1941-1960)

The filmography of John Wayne from 1941 to 1960. John Wayne also acted in many films from 1926-1940 and 1961-1976.

Overview

John Wayne had achieved stardom in motion pictures by 1941 and, by the end of the decade, was one of the cinema's top ten box office attractions. During the latter half of the 1940s Wayne starred in what many film fans and critics regard as being among his finest work, notably the "cavalry trilogy" "(Fort Apache," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", and "Rio Grande)" for director John Ford, "3 Godfathers", also for Ford, and "Red River" for Howard Hawks. Wayne also began producing some of his own films during this period.

The 1950s would see Wayne continue as a major star although the artistic quality of his work varied greatly. For instance, he followed one of his finest films, "The Quiet Man", with one of his weakest, "Big Jim McLain". By contrast, after making one of the worst films that he (or anyone else for that matter) made, "The Conqueror", he made one of the greatest films that he (or anyone else for that matter) made, "The Searchers". Wayne also continued his producing activities during this period as well, notably with the formation of his own production company, Batjac.

In 1960, Wayne appeared in his most personal production, "The Alamo", which he produced and directed as well as starred in.

Studio name abbreviations

Wayne's box office popularity

The following list is from the "Motion Pictures Herald"'s annual poll of film exhibitors to deterinme the year's "Top Ten Stars." With one exception (1958), John Wayne appeared on the list every time from 1949 to 1973, indicating that he was one of cinema's most durable stars.

The period covered in this section is 1949 to 1960.

Footnotes

References

* Boswell, John, & Jay David. "The John Wayne Album." New York , NY. Ballantine Books, 1979.

* Eyles, Allan. "John Wayne." New York, NY. A.S. Barnes and Co., 1979.