John Wayne: The Franchise Collection DVD Credits:

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John Wayne: The Franchise Collection DVD Release Date: 5th June 2006

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John Wayne: The Franchise Collection DVD Review:

Don’t expect The Searchers in this compact little collection of The Duke’s lesser known films. Actors in the forties made a considerably larger number of films in a year’s time. These days a star will have one or two large films a year. John Wayne has made so many films and many fall in between the cracks and are lost for years. This collection is filled with a few of these films. They aren’t bad films, just less famous and popular. They are the kind of films that Turner Movie Classics was made for.

Seven Sinners (1940)

This black and white musical really stars Marlene Dietrich, and John Wayne is a burly sailor she falls in love with momentarily. Dietrich stars as a South Seas cabaret singer who has a way about her. Every island she goes to ends with barroom brawls over her. We are supposed to buy this when she begins purring songs out in a thick accent. John Wayne comes along to try and save the day, and all ends well. This is a pleasant and entertaining film.

The Shepherd of the Hills (1941)

This is another strange role for Wayne. He plays Matt Mathews, a Young Ozark mountain moonshiner who swears to kill the unknown father of his family. The family believes that the father put a curse upon the family when he left, which led to the early death of Matt’s mother. He is so filled with hate that his girlfriend won’t marry him. When a stranger comes into town and begins doing kind deeds, he is called “The Shepherd”. Matt is wary of the man, which leads to all kinds of problems. The film is based on the novel by Harold Bell Wright.

Pittsburgh (1942)

In this classic American story by George Owen and Tom Reed John Wayne is a coal miner with an ambitious streak that brings him success. It’s a slow moving drama which is also kind of a love triangle. Wayne and Randolph Scott star as two friends that happen upon Marlene Dietrich, and spend decades of their lives fighting over her. Wayne takes an unhappy turn towards money and ends up abusing the coal miners in the same mines he used to work in. After a tragedy he spends years trying to do good deeds to make up for his greed.
This patriotic tale may be too slow for some, but it is held up by good performances and a pleasant story will keep enthusiasts entertained. The narrative can get old and the end of the film drags, but it is a decent enough film. Wayne seems at ease in this charming role.

The Conqueror (1955)

Wayne plays Genghis Khan in this stiff oriental western which was listed in the “Fifty Worst Films of All Time”. Why would this film be included in the collection? It seems that this would be one of the more embarrassing films to add to a John Wayne collection, especially considering the bad luck that came with the entire shoot. It was a very expensive film which was backed by Howard Hughes, but the dialogue is wooden and as badly written as delivered. The photography is quite breathtaking, so watch it without the sound and you will enjoy it much more. The film mostly covers an early conflict that Khan had with an enemy and his attractive daughter. Some of the fights almost make the film worthwhile.

Jet Pilot (1957)

This might not be the best of the five films in the collection, but it certainly is my favorite. The plot is absurd, perhaps because Howard Hughes was more obsessed with the flying scenes, which are truly incredible. The reason that I love it is simply the charming performance by Janet Leigh as a defecting Russian jet pilot that flies into an Alaskan Air Force run by a love-struck and suspicious colonel (Wayne). Leigh is sweetly seductive in a hilarious scene near the beginning where she uses her sex appeal to make Wayne uncomfortable. Jet Pilot was filmed in 1950, but it took seven years for Hughes to release it. It’s a silly film, but entertaining enough to be forgivable.

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John Wayne: The Franchise Collection DVD review written by: Ryan Izay