"If John Wayne were alive, he'd be rolling over in his grave."

[QC]

That's what Ernest Borgnine says in the current Entertainment Weekly, in response to Brokeback Mountain. (The full quote is "I didn't see it and I don't care to see it. I know they say it's a good picture, but I don't care to see it. If John Wayne were alive, he'd be rolling over in his grave.")

Maybe I'm just confused or something, but if John Wayne were alive, why would he be in a grave?

[havocmom]

1. He was often dead drunk

:shrug:

[physioex]

2. Hmmm....

And he was a racist. Believe it or not, I have an issue of Playboy that has an interview......

[tuvor]

3. I use that phrase all the time, knowing full well that it's ridiculous.

I hope Mr. Borgnine does, too.

[JI7]

4. what a dumbass

and i don't get this whole John Wayne crap. and it's usually men who do this with all the talk about how he was a real man not some "homo" and other crap.

isn't there a pic somewhere with Wayne in daisy duke type shorts ?

[Hissyspit]

8. And he was an actor. He pretended to be a "real man" on screen.

It's easy to do when it's being made up and you can stop the camera, etc.

[laheina]

17. Yes. Let's not forget

that the man wore make-up for a living. :eyes:

[QC]

34. Yes, there is such a picture out there--I've seen it.

It's in Garry Wills's book John Wayne's America.

He's wearing the most fetching little ensemble of hot pants and espadrilles that you ever did see.

[mitchum]

36. I started a thread last month, asking for that photo...

it was once all over the web, but now seems to have disappeared.
IFIRC, the makeup smeared juicer was also wearing a fetching little man purse.

[alphafemale]

39. kick to put in another request for the picture.

It really is loverly.

[Spinzonner]

5. Suffering from an irony deficiency ?

[terrya]

6. Ernie doesn't seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.

[Syrinx]

7. hey QC!

Maybe Ernie was trying to be funny. That's an old joke, maybe from the Marx Brothers. I haven't seen the article though.

EDIT: By the way John Wayne was a racist phony. He was all cowboy and soldier, but he had a chance to fight in "The Big One," but for some reason that didn't happen. I used to have an mp3 file of a drunken Marion Morrison revealing himself to be the complete racist bung that he was. I don't know if I still have it.

[QC]

11. Is Borgnine witty enough for that?

He's never struck me as a person much given to ironic humor, but who knows?

[Syrinx]

12. I don't know

Probably not.

[QC]

18. I'm not sure either.

Of course, the real meat of the quote is his refusal to see the movie. If he and Tony Curtis (who is not unfamiliar with the issue of homosexuality, if decades of rumors are to be believed) are saying this kind of thing publicly, it does make on wonder how many other Academy voters who have not gone public share the sentiment.

But I don't want to dredge up that discussion again--the John Wayne bit just tickled me.

[Bushy Being Born]

14. Upload it if you do!

http://zshare.net/
http://www.yousendit.com/

or similar.

[Syrinx]

22. just grepped my files for "Wayne"

But the only match I found was for "Kenny Wayne Shepherd." If I find it, I'll share.

[Hissyspit]

9. And we should care what John Wayne would think because why exactly?

[QC]

24. Because stupid people consider him the epitome of manhood. n/t

[RagingInMiami]

10. Wasn't his real name Marion Morris?

[Syrinx]

13. close

Marion Morrison. My dad used to love his movies. But even as a child, I sensed that they guy was a complete phony.

John Wayne, not my dad. ;)

[QC]

15. Yeah, a real phony. Dodged the draft during WWII

while people of real talent, like Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable, and even Erroll Flynn, elnisted. Then, of course, when Vietnam came along and he was too old to have to risk his ass, Wayne became Mr. Superpatriot and attacked everyone who refused to go, just as he had done twenty years earlier.

A real piece of crap.

[RagingInMiami]

16. He was a phony

Draft Controversy

Wayne did not serve in the US military in World War II. This fact has been controversial, particularly in light of his political positions. Wayne was throughout his life an outspoken supporter of anti-communism, patriotism and the military, perhaps most well known through directing The Green Berets (1968) and his criticism of Jane Fonda. He also often was critical of those who objected to the Vietnam-era draft calling them cowards. It is true that Wayne did not serve in the military, despite being of legal draft age at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. Wayne was 34 when the U.S. entered the war and was raising four children, and when he requested deferment he was granted a 3-A deferment for family reasons. Later in the war his deferment was changed to a 2-A deferment with the explanation that having him serve was not in the national interest. It is worth noting that other movie actors with families did serve, such as William Holden, Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart (who actually served in combat). And that several actors served in non-combat or stateside roles to support the war effort. Fonda was 37 when he enlisted and was the father of three children. Despite not serving, Wayne did support the military through participation in USO shows for U.S. servicemen.<1>

Wayne later claimed to have applied and narrowly missed out on attending the U.S. Naval Academy, whose graduates are required to serve in the United States Navy.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne

[Hissyspit]

20. He was a chickenhawk. n/t

[0007]

26. ....and as an actor, I never cared for Mr. Wayne for that very reason.

Audie Murphy was a real war hero, but was a terrible actor in my opinion.

[Marie26]

33. Marion Morrison!

:rofl:

[Bluebear]

19. John Wayne. Another guy who had "other priorities" over the military

Namely his acting career.

[democracyindanger]

21. Any "Repo Man" fans?

'Cause there's a line from that movie that's perfect for this occassion.

[bluedonkey]

23. Everytime I hear the name

John Wayne I have to giggle,because it reminds me of a scene out of "The Birdcage" where Robin Williams is trying to teach his lover to walk like a 'man' and he picks John Wayne as an example of a 'real' man.It's hilarious!

[keopeli]

25. I said the same thing about Passion of the Christ...but it was MLK

...and, of course, I didn't mix my metaphors.

botched metaphor story:

I was a teller at a drive in window and a man drove up and asked to buy a cashier's check. I told him he must come inside to do that.

He replied, "No I don't. I didn't just fall off the watermelon truck, you know."

After a beat, I replied, "Did you mean...turnip truck?"

My boss thought it was funny.

[Neshanic]

27. This from a 60's crappy sitcom star.

[Totally Committed]

28. Very Yogi Berra-esque....

it's deja vous all over again. Borgnine and his wife, Tova, are but Republican supporters. Next time he comes to a fork in the road, perhaps he should take it. ;)

TC

[MrBenchley]

29. "There are dead men walking the streets today because of him."

(attributed to Samuel Goldwyn)

Malapropisms are wonderful....

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

30. He'd be yelling "Let me out of here!"

Ba dum tsss!

[Ce qui la baise]

31. They were from a different generation. That's

how it used to be. Thank god some things have changed. Not enough but it's a good start

[alcibiades_mystery]

38. Tell Rock Hudson

;-)

[Marie26]

32. He got confused by his anger

Borgnine was getting worked up & upset over Brokeback Mountain, while still trying to give the appearance of a reasonable, unbigoted person. That's hard to do, so he starts twisting his words & mixing cliches at random. You can see a similar phenomenon when Bush speaks. :) It's hard to hide what you really feel - people usually give it away one way or another.

[mitchum]

35. Odd, considering that Borgnine's character has a definite thing for...

William Holden's character in "The Wild Bunch"
It's just one of the many things that makes Peckinpah's masterpiece one of the greatest films ever made.

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. Elvis was a hero to most/ Elvis was a hero to most/ Elvis was a hero

to most
But he never meant shit to me but a straight out racist
The sucka was simple and plain
Motherfuck him and John Wayne...

- Public Enemy, Fight the Power.