WWJWD: What Would John Wayne Do?
Welcome to a new resource for loving your inner American. Where else to start but from the heart of the 20th Century’s primal American- The Duke. In the future, this feature will include commentary on movies, music, and books which shaped American culture during the 20th century, classics which helped define how America defined itself and how the world viewed it. Some will be John Wayne classics, but many will be from other actors and actresses, directors, and artists who contributed to the domestic and international understanding of America.
For the first post related to a form of American hero, take a look at the link below on a classic film, Cool Hand Luke, with Paul Newman as the anti-hero, Lucas Jackson. You can also check it out directly through the blog page!
For this first post, something a little bit different from John Wayne. In 1975, he recorded a patriotic album of poems (America, Why I Love Her) including a version of The Pledge of Allegiance. Here is a link to a video to enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVPGdP8U2ak
The full album is available on Spotify, including a number of titles on John Wayne’s love for America.
But it isn’t only John Wayne that brought his love for America into his popular art. Ol’ Blue Eyes himself recorded a classic on his view of America even earlier, preserved by the Library of Congress in its National Film Registry as an American classic. The film short, The House I Live In, was recorded in 1945, based upon lyrics written by Abel Meeropol. It is a focused critique on discrimination against fellow Americans based upon their religious or ethnic backgrounds, and originally against anti-semitism. Frank Sinatra’s version was so popular that it was one of the few songs which always made his playlist when he performed overseas in public, by popular demand.