By James Whittington, 21st March 2024
Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of March sees LEGEND celebrate the cinematic career of one of Hollywood's screen legends with JOHN WAYNE WEEKEND, a collection of films starring 'The Duke'. This is highlighted by the Channel premiere of classic comedy western MCLINTOCK!. Also featured are Henry Hathaway's deeply affecting drama THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS, Cecil B. DeMille's historical spectacle REAP THE WILD WIND, the gun-slinging ANGEL AND THE BADMAN, THE CONQUEROR, in which Wayne stars as Genghis Khan, and cold-war thriller JET PILOT.
John Wayne Weekend films in transmission order:
We start at 2pm on the Saturday with THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS. Based on Harold Bell Wright's novel about an Ozark moonshiner who vows to kill the father who deserted him long ago, "Shepherd of the Hills" features a well-crafted, patient performance from screen legend John Wayne. Gorgeously filmed in vibrant Technicolor, this is a rustic and affecting story of surprising depth. REAP THE WILD WIND follows with Wayne starring as the captain of a salvage business in 19th century Key West. In an era when piracy ran rampant on the high seas, His job is to return sunken treasure to plundered merchants. Also starring Paulette Goddard as Wayne's romantic interest, and Ray Milland as his rival for her affections. Day one ends with a true classic, ANGEL AND THE BADMAN. John Wayne stars in this well-crafted Western classic as a gunslinger wounded by his arch-rival and taken in and sheltered by a Quaker family. He falls in love with the daughter of the household, a dark-eyed angel (Gail Russell) who could entice Satan himself to the path of virtue.
Then on Sunday from 2pm we have another terrific trio starting with THE CONQUERER. John Wayne stars as Genghis Khan, the famed Mongolian warlord who must do battle against the rival tribe that killed his father. Susan Hayward is the Tartar princess he has kidnapped and intends to woo in order to fully establish his impressive empire. Produced by Howard Hughes, this sweeping epic also features a powerful performance by Agnes Moorehead. Then we reach for the skies in JET PILOT. John Wayne stars as an air force colonel charged with protecting a defecting Russian jet pilot (Janet Leigh) who is also secretly a spy. A classic Howard Hughes production, this classic action drama features enthralling aerial photography that includes some stunt work completed by aviation pioneer Chuck Yaeger. We end with a channel premiere, MCLINTOCK!. Aging rancher George Washington McLintock (John Wayne), a wealthy self-made man, is forced to deal with numerous personal and professional problems. Seemingly everyone wants a piece of his enormous farmstead, and as McLintock tries to juggle his various adversaries, his wife, who left him two years previously, suddenly returns. But she isn't interested in her husband -- she wants custody of their daughter. Loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, the project was produced by Wayne's company, Batjac Productions.
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