Summary

• John Wayne's Western movies, while seen as iconic, faced backlash for problematic depictions of Native Americans and women.
• The lack of diversity, racial awareness, and complex history in Wayne's Western movies has received criticism in recent times.
• Wayne's conservative views influenced his movie choices, leading to for staunchly conservative Western films like Rio Bravo.

The Western movies of John Wayne have included some of the greatest depictions of the Wild West ever produced, but rewatching them today, decades after they were first released, some harsh realities must be faced. Looking at Wayne’s Western output through a contemporary lens it’s impossible to ignore how problematic some of his movies were, as their depiction of indigenous communities, women, and even gun violence left a lot to be desired. While Wayne’s reputation as a legend of Western cinema was undeniable, it made sense that concepts around representation and diversity in the media have evolved over the years.

Wayne made a name for himself during Hollywood’s Golden Age and starred in dozens of Western movies, from low-budget B-movies to highly acclaimed classics through Wayne’s collaboration with the legendary filmmaker John Ford. While looking back on issues such as the representation of Native Americans in Wayne’s Western movies can be problematic, it’s so important to that they were boundary-pushing at the time and, in some instances, addressed the brutality of American imperialism. There were plenty of harsh realities when rewatching Wayne’s Western movies, but that does not change their status as highly beloved and important films.

10 The Depiction of Native Americans

The Searchers (1956)

Perhaps the single most controversial aspect of John Wayne’s old Western movies was the way they depicted the Native Americans and indigenous cultures in general. Full of outdated stereotypes and simplistic presentations of barbary, at their best Wayne’s Westerns were insensitive, but at their worst, they could be considered downright racist. Despite Wayne’s reputation as an Old Hollywood icon, the harsh reality was that Wayne’s racist past and statements have led to some controversial reappraisals in recent years.

Ford even later itted in a 1964 interview that there was “merit to the charge that the Indian hasn't been portrayed accurately or fairly.

While the Western movies that Wayne made with the legendary filmmaking John Ford have gone down in cinematic history as some of the greatest movies ever produced, the depiction of Native Americans in films like The Searchers was problematic. Despite The Searchers attempting to address the brutality of white settlers directed at indigenous people, it was still a product of its time and lacked the racial nuances expected of today’s media. Ford even later itted in a 1964 interview (via Studlar & Bernstein) that there was “merit to the charge that the Indian hasn't been portrayed accurately or fairly.”

9 Women’s Lack Of Agency

The Searchers (1956)

While there have been plenty of female Western heroes, the truth was that John Wayne Westerns rarely depicted women as anything more than a damsel in distress or as a one-dimensional character whose purpose was to prop up the male lead. Wayne was working during an era where women had far less agency than today and the importance of recognizing a woman's capabilities and equal status to a man was not often a priority in the Western film genre. Of course, there were occasions when this trope was subverted, like Maureen O’Hara in McLintock!, however, even that had sexist undertones.

The Searchers played into ideas about women’s lack of agency through its central premise of young woman being abducted by Comanche, which promoted a rescue mission by Wayne’s character Ethan Edwards. Simple narratives around women in need of a savior were common in the Western genre and often served as the basis of the entire adventure and plot. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, Wayne’s Westerns often failed to properly flesh out the female characters or their experiences of their own suffering.

8 A Lack Of Diversity and Racial Awareness

The Alamo (1960)

The language used in John Wayne’s old Western movies could be considered quite shocking by today’s standards, of course, movies today feature a lot more profanity than they did during Wayne’s heyday, but the derogatory and flippant discrimination felt majorly outdated. Along with this, there was a major lack of diversity in Wayne’s Western movies which meant the main casts were overwhelmingly white, and when other races were depicted, it was normally stereotypically or offensively. However, these criticisms cannot be directed at Wayne alone, as these were issues across the board during his time in the spotlight.

A prime example of the lack of diversity and racial awareness in a Wayne Western was the 1960 epic historical film The Alamo, which depicted the 1836 Battle of Alamo, a brutal 13-day siege that saw hundreds killed and wounded. The Alamo featured an all-white main cast was largely overlooked the Tejano and Mexican American fighters' role in the battle. When Mexican soldiers were depicted, the lack of nuance around their characterization only served to reinforce racist stereotypes.

7 The White Savior Narrative

Fort Apache (1948)

Along with all the issues of race and representation seen in John Wayne Westerns, one of the most prevailing recurring themes was that of the white savior narrative. This was a cinematic trope seen across classic Hollywood movies where the white characters are portrayed as messianic figures needed to rescue the people of color from their plight. During Wayne’s Western era, this trope was commonly seen and it’s only with the power of hindsight that its problematic, simplistic, and infantilizing nature can be reevaluated.

Fort Apache was one of the few Western movies of its era to present a respectful and sympathetic portrayal of Native tribes and has been lauded as one of the best Westerns ever made.

The John Ford Western Fort Apache fell victim to the white savior narrative as Wayne played Captain Kirby York, the newly arrived commander of the Fort Apache outpost trying to avoid an impending battle with Native Americans. Fort Apache was one of the few Western movies of its era to present a respectful and sympathetic portrayal of Native tribes and has been lauded as one of the best Westerns ever made. Despite this, Fort Apache still reinforced a paternal view of indigenous people and the need for a white leader to step in and negotiate their troubles.

6 A Simplistic View Of History

Rio Grande (1950)

The good versus bad nature of many of John Wayne’s Western movies led to a simplistic portrayal of real historical events paired with a lack of explanation about the true root causes of them. The stories of ‘cowboys and Indians’ by their very nature presented a black and white viewpoint that consistently failed to explore the cultural, political, and social, circumstances that led to battles, conflicts, and even wars during the era of the Wild West. While that was understandable in a fictional narrative, when Wayne’s Westerns dealt with real events they skewed the public’s perception of history.

In the John Ford directed Wayne Western Rio Grande, Wayne played Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke, a cavalry officer stationed in Rio Grande who faced off against murderous, raiding Apache. At its core, Rio Grande was about a man’s fractured relationship with his wife and son, but its plot, which was loosely based on the real expeditions of the 4th Cavalry Regiment, failed to address the Native Americans' side of the conflict. Portrayed as hostile and primitive, Rio Grande was a simplistic view of Native American history.

5 The Normalization Of Gun Violence

The Shootist (1976)

Guns were as central to the Western genre as cowboy hats, hard drinking, and horses, and there were very few John Wayne Western movies that did not normalize gun violence. Full of duels and shootouts, many of Wayne’s Westerns were built around characters with a philosophy to shoot first and ask questions later, which led to huge death counts and outrageously over-the-top portrayals of gun violence in the Wild West. This has of course continued into modern Western movies but when rewatching Wayne’s movies felt relevant due to the prevailing concerns around gun safety, regulation, and mass shootings.

While gun violence can be seen throughout Wayne’s career, one prime example was in his final film appearance before his death as the lead of The Shootist in 1976, where he played the sheriff-turned-gunfighter J.B. Books. Having already killed countless men, the terminally ill Books spent his last days recklessly murdering hordes of bandits and outlaws. The Shootist worked well as enjoyable, escapist fun, propped up by performances from James Stewart and Lauren Bacall, but the casual nature of the gun violence in The Shootist felt grandiose and jarring.

4 They Are Seriously Conservative

Rio Bravo (1959)

John Wayne may be known for starring in many of the most iconic Western movies ever produced, but despite their trailblazing nature Wayne himself was a sternly conservative man who rejected a role in the classic Western High Noon and called it “the most un-American thing I've ever seen” in a harsh critique against what he perceived as an attack on American law enforcement and a promotion of communist ideals. Wayne was not alone in this viewpoint, as High Noon was produced during the era of McCarthyism when many actors, directors, and writers were being blacklisted for their political beliefs.

In response to High Noon, Wayne instead chose to work with Howard Hawks on the staunchly conservative Western Rio Bravo, which took every opportunity it could to undermine communist ideals and reinforce the noble image of those who defend the law. In the decades since both movies were released, they were each ed as Western classics, but, with the power of hindsight, Wayne’s criticisms seemed aggressive. This criticism of High Noon took on extra relevance considering Wayne contributed to its screenwriter Carl Foreman being forced out of the United States (via NY Post.)

3 Low Budget B-Movies

The Oregon Trail (1936) & Adventure's End (1937)

Today John Wayne has been ed as one of the greatest Western movie stars of all time but before his breakout role in Stagecoach in 1939, the harsh reality was that he toiled away in dozens of low-budget B-movies, horse operas, and singing cowboy films. When rewatching old Wayne Western movies it’s normally the classics that audiences returned to, but this ignored the vast array of unknown and underappreciated Westerns there were to discover in his vast filmography. While it’s easy to dismiss a lot of those movies, Wayne’s presence made them an important document in film history.

Wayne’s b-movie Westerns throughout the 1930s have been referred to as Poverty Row films, which was a term describing low-budget, quickly made, movies that consisted of unknown actors and were hastily put together productions. The dozens of Poverty Row movies Wayne starred in were so disposable that there are two lost John Wayne movies from that period. The first was The Oregon Trail, where Wayne played a captain seeking revenge for his murdered daughter. The second was Adventure’s End which was a poorly received picture at its release in 1937.

2 Some Truly Forgettable Movies

The Fighting Kentuckian (1949)

When thinking about John Wayne Western movies, the first thing that came to mind was the sheer quantity of classic entries in his filmography, such as The Searchers, Rio Bravo, and Stagecoach. However, with 169 film roles, 83 of which were Westerns, there were some really forgettable movies in his long and impressive Hollywood career. From Wayne’s low-budget Poverty Row output to even his time as a major Hollywood star, not every movie can be an absolute knock-out and only a select few regularly rank among classic Westerns that everybody should watch at least once.

Despite having plenty of redeeming qualities, movies like The Fighting Kentuckian, The War Wagon, and The Undefeated, have been mostly forgotten by general audiences and lacked the staying power of Wayne’s best work. As such a committed and determined actor, Wayne often starred in multiple movies per year, and it made sense that every single one of them would be ed in the decades since they were released. In fact, during the era in Hollywood that Wayne was most prolific, the idea that audiences would still be rewatching these movies decades later would have come as a positive surprise.

1 A Colonial Viewpoint

North to Alaska (1960)

One harsh truth about rewatching John Wayne’s Westerns was that the conquest of the United States by white settlers was portrayed as an innately positive development, without digging into the injustices behind it. While Wayne Western movies like Fort Apache did present a sympathetic view toward the qualms of the Native Americans, these movies never got the heart of the historical complexities that led to the decimation of indigenous cultures across the Wild West. The seemingly unquestionable rights of settlers to implement their laws and customs on disputed land was rarely a moral question posed by Wayne’s Western movies.

One example was the 1960 film North to Alaska, which starred John Wayne as Sam McCord, a man sent to Seattle to bring a man’s fiancée to Alaska during the Alaskan gold rush. This comedy Western reinforced a colonial viewpoint about settlers' right to the newly discovered gold and failed the address the indigenous communities' claim to that land and the wealth that it provided. While issues such as this were not as topical during the era of John Wayne’s stardom, when rewatching movies like this they appeared increasingly relevant.

Sources: Studlar & Bernstein, NY Post