{"product_id":"9780786143276","title":"Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlmost two decades after his death, John Wayne is still America's favorite movie star. More than an actor, Wayne is a cultural icon whose stature seems to grow with the passage of time. In this illuminating biography, Ronald L. Davis focuses on Wayne's human side, portraying a complex personality defined by frailty and insecurity as well as by courage and strength.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavis traces Wayne's story from its beginnings in Winterset, Iowa, to his death in 1979. This is not a story of instant fame: only after a decade in budget westerns did Wayne receive serious consideration, for his performance in John Ford's 1939 film \u003ci\u003eStagecoach\u003c\/i\u003e. From that point on, his skills and popularity grew as he appeared in such classics as \u003ci\u003eFort Apache, Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Quiet Man, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eTrue Grit\u003c\/i\u003e. A man's ideal more than a woman's, Wayne earned his popularity without becoming either a great actor or a sex symbol. In all his films, whatever the character, John Wayne portrayed John Wayne, a persona he created for himself: the tough, gritty loner whose mission was to uphold the frontier's-and the nation's-traditional values.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo depict the different facets of Wayne's life and career, Davis draws on a range of primary and secondary sources, most notably exclusive interviews with the people who knew Wayne well, including the actor's co-star Maureen O'Hara and his widow, Pilar Wayne.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blackstone Audio, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47094463332592,"sku":"9780786143276","price":23.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780786143276_p0.jpg?v=1763665510","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780786143276","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}