John Wayne and the Oldest Profession Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Though he had been a leading man in B-movies since the ambitious failure of his first starring role (1930's "The Big Trail"), John Wayne's first major success as an actor was his performance in John Ford's seminal 1939 western "Stagecoach". Prophetically enough, the Duke's character, Ringo, found himself in love with a soiled dove by the sobriquet of Dallas. Who played Dallas in this great film?

Answer: Claire Trevor

In fact, Claire Trevor received top billing over the Duke - and John Carradine! She would go on to win an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress) for 1949's "Key Largo".

2. As "Stagecoach" opens, Dallas is being summarily run out of town by the Law and Order League, presumably for plying her trade. Which character is being expelled from the municipality along with her?

Answer: Doc Boone

Thomas Mitchell would win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in his role as Doc Boone, the alcoholic physician who repeatedly comes through in the pinch, delivering a baby and facing down the film's putative villains to make sure the Duke gets a fair fight.

3. Throughout "Stagecoach", Ringo, though noble, is not the most cerebral character, and he remains blissfully unaware of Dallas' d�class� career until the film's denouement. How does Ringo discover Dallas' profession?

Answer: He walks her home after the stagecoach ride - to a very seedy brothel.

To his credit, Ringo does not retract his proposal of marriage to Dallas. The pair ends up fleeing to Ringo's ranch in Mexico - ahead of the legal authorities who are pursuing Ringo for a false charge!

"Stagecoach" was a remarkably influential film; Orson Welles screened it some forty times when preparing camera angles for "Citizen Kane". The Duke would co-star with Claire Trevor in "Allegheny Uprising" and "The Dark Command" in the following year. Trevor would capture top billing both times.

4. John Wayne's second film with John Ford was another ensemble piece, the merchant marine drama "The Long Voyage Home". The Duke plays Ole Olson, an amiable seaman trying to return home after a succession of voyages that habitually conclude with him getting drunk and losing his pay. After the end of the combat-pay job in this film, however, it seems that Ole really will get home. Standing in his way, however, is a lady of the evening (Freda by name) working with a corrupt sea crew looking to shanghai the big Swede. What distinctive drink does Freda (played by Mildred Natwick) drug in an effort to kidnap the homeward-bound sailor?

Answer: Ginger beer

Ginger beer was Ole's choice in an effort to remain sober and avoid the outcome of his earlier efforts to return home. (Though not a favorite of Ole's, the real-life John Wayne would come to have his own Bourbon label.)

"The Long Voyage Home" was John Wayne's only attempt at a screen accent. Suffice to say that, though he does not ruin the film, the Duke's dialectical skills do not exactly evoke comparisons with Meryl Streep or Johnny Depp. This would cause John Wayne to lose a bit of shine in John Ford's eyes, and Ford would cast the Duke in less challenging roles for years to come. This did not change until Ford saw the Duke's masterful performance in Howard Hawks' "Red River". Remarked Ford: "I didn't know the big [so-and-so] could act!'

5. In 1949's "The Sands of Iwo Jima" John Wayne plays Sgt. Jack Stryker, a seemingly hard-hearted platoon leader who, as the film progresses, reveals a complexity to his character in ways both noble and dark. At one point in the film, Stryker goes home with a woman who, it is strongly hinted, is a courtesan. The encounter is halted, however, when Stryker realizes that she is in the business to support her baby. Stryker concludes the evening by helping prepare the baby's formula, contributing some currency without recompense, and discreetly excusing himself.

Answer: True

By the end of the film, we learn that Stryker is estranged from his family, much to his torment. Beyond even the pressing battle with the Japanese, the conflict between Stryker the warrior and Stryker the human man is the defining motif of the film.

The Duke would receive an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Stryker. True to form, the Academy chose to honor this more conventional role as opposed to his more challenging - and more critically acclaimed in retrospect - performance in "Red River" the year before. Either way, by the end of the 1940s film professionals and critics alike were recognizing that the big so-and-so certainly COULD act.

6. 1957's "Legend of the Lost" finds John Wayne playing Joe January, a guide for a missionary Paul Bonnard (Rossano Brazzi) on a treasure hunt into the Sahara desert. What screen legend plays Dita, a street girl who follows the two men in search of redemption?

Answer: Sophia Loren

Considering the star power of the Duke and Loren, it is rather odd how obscure this rather enjoyable film has become. However, most of John Wayne's films are reasonably family friendly and, despite its overarching theme of personal transformation for the good, "Legend of the Lost" does have some content that wouldn't play well to the TBS Sunday-morning crowd - the Duke repeatedly refers to Dita as a "chippy", for example, and the film makes good use of Loren's rapidly-diminishing dress as repeated wardrobe malfunctions take their toll. Still and all, I do recommend it - the role is another rather surprising stretch for John Wayne.

7. At the outset of "Legend of the Lost", Dita despises Joe January - her occasional customer - for the abusive and dismissive way he has treated her. On the other hand, she idealizes Paul Bonnard - who has refused her services - for the moral redemption his way of life offers. Does she come around to the Duke's character by the movie's end?

Answer: Yes

When Bonnard realizes his goal - albeit in a lost pagan city rather than the mysterious holy city he was exepecting - he becomes increasingly paranoid, forsakes the moral teachings he has imparted to Dita, and abandons his partners to the unforgiving Sahara. As you might suspect, the canny Dita and Joe survive.

A major plot hole in the film is worth pointing out here: all involved emphasize the value of the conventional treasure - gold and gems - found at the site, while ignoring the unbelievable archeology of the Roman ruins they find (the real life Leptis Magna). Beyond their intellectual importance, the relics of the site would also have a cash value far outweighing the breadbox full of jewelry they unearth.

8. 1960's "North to Alaska" features John Wayne as successful prospector Sam McCord and the strikingly beautiful Capucine as the paid companion Michelle. Although McCord meets Michelle in a Seattle house of ill repute, he is not initially interested in her amorously. Why not?

Answer: She reminds him of his best friend's former fianc�e (Jennie), and he invites Michelle to come to Alaska as Jennie's replacement.

As in "Stagecoach", the Duke's character is noble but not terribly bright - he figures that if his partner fell in love with one beautiful Frenchwoman, any one will do! As the film progresses, Sam treats Michelle with great respect, and she ends up falling in love with him. Like "Legend of the Lost", "North to Alaska" was directed by Henry Hathaway, who handles the blossoming romance between the two leads with much more understanding than in the former film.

Sadly, the beautiful Capucine, a very effective actress in this underrated (and more morally palatable) precursor to "Pretty Woman" did not come to a good end. She battled bipolar disorder throughout her life, committing suicide (after many unsuccessful attempts over the years) in 1990 by jumping from an eighth-floor window.

9. 1963's "McLintock!" sees the Duke, playing the title role, separated from his wife Katherine, played by frequent collaborator Maureen O'Hara. Early in the film, Katherine arrives in the cattle town that bears her husband's name, intent on securing a divorce and taking their daughter (played by a young Stephanie Powers) back to the East Coast. As the film progresses, however, it becomes obvious that the two still have feelings for each other. Katherine is loathe to admit this, largely because she is suspicious of her husband's relationship with his cook Mrs. Warren (Yvonne De Carlo) and "soiled dove" Camille (Mari Blanchard). Katherine "makes nice" with Mrs. Warren, who ends up marrying the local sheriff, but does not so reconcile with Camille. How does Katherine retaliate against her less respectable rival?

Answer: Dumps her in a water trough

For the record, it is never definitively established that the Duke had relations with either woman - the closest he gets to Camille is when she watches him play chess. Camille does mock Katherine's pretentiousness throughout the film, however. O'Hara masterfully sheds her character's haughtiness and avenges Camille's slights by dunking Blanchard as the film reaches its climax.

As the film concludes, she and the Duke get rip-roaring drunk. O'Hara and John Wayne would make five films together: "Rio Grande", "The Quiet Man", "The Wings of Eagles, "McLintock!", and "Big Jake".

10. One of John Wayne's last films, "Rooster Cogburn" saw the Duke reprise his Oscar-winning role as the eponymous sheriff. Starring opposite John Wayne was Katherine Hepburn, playing a madam who commissions Rooster to "look after [her] girls".

Answer: False

Far from it! Hepburn plays a minister's chaste daughter. She hires the Duke to track down the outlaws who sacked an Indian village and killed her father. At one point, the duo ends up ferrying nitroglycerine down raging rapids - an ordeal that sees Rooster pledge to stop drinking if they survive!

As always, I'd love to hear any comments you might have, especially those that will make this a better quiz. Thanks for playing.

Source: Author stuthehistoryguy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

In his career of over 150 films, the Duke's interaction with "fallen" women was a recurring motif. How much do you remember about these classic, challenging films?

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