John Wayne's racist and homophobic 1971 Playboy interview resurfaces: 'I Believe in White Supremacy'

[sandensea]

John Wayne, who died at age 72 in 1979, made headlines on Tuesday, February 19, after his racist and homophobic remarks resurfaced via Twitter.

Wayne expressed his views after taking aim at African American political activist Angela Davis. “With a lot of blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment along with their dissent and rightfully so,” he told the publication. “But we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks.”

He added: “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgement to irresponsible people.”

Wayne also claimed that “the academic community has developed certain tests that determine whether blacks are sufficiently equipped scholastically,” and “some blacks have tried to force the issue and enter college when they haven’t passed the tests and don’t have the requisite background.”

Although he expressed his support for African American actors, he told Playboy that he casts them in what he deems to be “proper” roles.

Wayne, who was known for his Western films, also slammed Native American Indians for their role in history. “I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. There were great numbers of people who needed new land and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.”

Wayne also made insensitive remarks about LGBTQ representation in Hollywood, telling Playboy that he considers films like Midnight Cowboy and Easy Rider to be “perverted.”

“Wouldn’t you say that the wonderful love of those two men in Midnight Cowboy, a story about two fags, qualifies?”

At: https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/john-waynes-racist-homophobic-playboy-interview-resurfaces/

John Wayne and his friend Ronald Reagan during Reagan's 1976 campaign.

As brash and brazen as his Hollywood persona, Wayne was in some ways a pioneer of the extremist New Right movement that took over the GOP after 1980.

[SHRED]

1. John Wayne was a rotten arrogant bastard

Here's another incident:

http://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/John_Wayne

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Even for the time, he was an awful right-winger.

Couldn't stand him then; still can't.

[underpants]

8. He was a John Bircher member

I saw an interview where he said everyone in Hollywood thought he was in a cult.

[brush]

30. Ditto. I've know of his views long before he died.

Something about those macho, cowboy types—see Clint Eastwood also.

[The Blue Flower]

3. The man never served his country

He built his tough-guy image on Hollywood roles and nothing more. I change the channel when his old movies are on because he was such a phony.

[sandensea]

4. +1

To think many Trumpkins think he did serve in World War II.

He had almost demi-god status among Orange County Republicans when I lived there some years ago.

[underpants]

12. Tiny feet

I checked out his cowboy boot footprints at Grauman's years ago. Tiny tiny feet. My daughters feet are about the same size and she isn't even in high school.

[sandensea]

16. No wonder he wobbled to and fro so much

Between his drinking habit and those tiny feet, he must have been falling on the furniture all the time.

Or poor Pilar.

[Dustlawyer]

36. Freaky small. I was shocked they were so small.

[underpants]

11. He actually profited and started his career when a lot of stars were serving

Fonda
Stewart
Gable
Even Reagan (not really the same level of star)
Hell Ted Williams quit playing baseball TWICE to serve.

Wayne was there to fill in on roles and it mushroomed into a career. I heard an interview once where he said he caught a lot of crap about that especially from guys back from Vietnam. Not an excuse for him but just something I heard him say years ago.

[sandensea]

22. The inspiration for Cap'n Bone Spurs no doubt.

And Ted Nugent, Bush, Cheney, Limbaugh, and the rest of the draft-dodging chicken hawks.

Thanks for the great info. Had heard about that vaguely; but it's nice to get the skinny.

[argyl]

33. I recall as a kid I had seen The Alamo with Wayne ....

and was just gobsmacked by the red, white, and blue Duke.

Not too long after I'd seen the movie we were visiting my Uncle Homer and I was going on about Wayne. Serious hero worship. My Uncle Homer who flew 25 missions over Germany in WW II, won the Distinguished Flying Cross and came home with the greatest respect for the Tuskegee Airmen and their courage and skill. And whose favorite cousin John's plane was shot down over Germany and whose body was never recovered.

Said the only war Wayne ever fought was on a movie screen. And that really gave me something to think about.


Johnn Wayne wasn't fit to tie my Uncle's bootlaces.

And I read that Playboy interview when it came out. It turned my stomach.

[still_one]

5. No surprise, he was always known as an ultra right winger for a long time. In fact, a lot of

Hollywood was Republican up until the mid 50’s and 60’s before that started to change

[sandensea]

9. Good point.

Wayne's appeal among the Archie Bunker types helped make John Birch-style politics more acceptable among people who might have otherwise feared "sounding too extreme."

He was a catalyst for much what we have to deal with now.

[still_one]

15. If you get a chance to see the movie Trumbo I highly recommend it. John Wayne, Hedda Hopper, and

others were not presented in a very complementary way

[sandensea]

21. Absolutely.

I saw it last year; it was a real education.

And kudos to Trumbo for rubbing Wayne's faux military service record in his face.

Reminds me of President Bone Spurs here.

[3Hotdogs]

34. Its available on Netflix DVD

[still_one]

40. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Aristus]

45. I saw it a couple of weeks ago.

Excellent film.

I have loathed John Wayne and everything he stood for for decades.

My stepson, the sweetest, nicest guy in the world, adores John Wayne. I don't see any way of disabusing him of the notion that Marion was some kind of All-American patriot. He'll just have to find out for himself.

[CaptainTruth]

6. "I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgement...

...to irresponsible people.”

I guess if he were alive today he would oppose Trump & his entire cabinet?

[sandensea]

10. "Weeeell, give the guy a chance won't ya!"

That's how he'd put probably defend Cheeto these days.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

7. Have always loathed him!

[Loki Liesmith]

13. Why is this news?

It’s literally the exact opposite of new.

[samnsara]

14. when i was 14..or there-abouts....i remember my mom saying she would no longer...

...watch John Wayne because she found out he was a Republican. She LOVED JW!....my dad was also a repug. We had an interesting childhood.

[AJT]

17. It made me sad to find out Jimmy Stewart was a right winger too....

[sandensea]

18. True.

But my guess is that Stewart was of the less ideological, cut-my-taxes brand of Republican.

What most in today's GOP would call a RINO these days.

[demigoddess]

25. same on Wayne, but there may have been an actual reason for his military deferment.

He was a stunt man before he became an actor. Jumping and falling off of horses not to mention riding them must have turned his back into a wreck. Read about the men who fought and died with Custer. Their skeletons showed huge damage to their spines. And they were all about age 20. Wayne was older than that, late 30s I believe. So his deferment may have been authentic.

[brush]

31. Oooh, I didn't know that. I'm glad one of my favorites, Jsames Garner was a Dem..

He met his wife at an Adlai Stevenson rally and marched in Washington protest marches with Dr. King.

Link to tweet

/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E490831049077690368&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnews%2Fmorning-mix%2Fwp%2F2014%2F07%2F21%2Fjames-garners-legacy-a-commitment-to-civil-rights-and-political-activism%2F

[arenean]

38. Jimmy Stewart

Jimmy Stewart was nothing like John Wayne though - he was more of an old school republican.

He was best friends with Henry Fonda, one of the most liberal actors of his generation. They just kept away from talking politics.

[Mosby]

60. yeah, after fonda kicked his ass.

They agreed to not talk politics.

Stewart wasn't a RINO, he supported Goldwater, Reagan and Mcarthyism.

[lunasun]

19. His real name was Marion . I like that one of his lasting legacies is an urban myth about his colon

What current racists do you suspect will be rumored to be full of old poo when they die?

[BlueStater]

20. There's rumors that he was gay.

So he was possibly a self-hating homosexual.

Also, weird how he cited Midnight Cowboy as a film that he had disdain for. That movie started Jon Voight, who we all know later became a massive Puke himself.

[sandensea]

24. Say it ain't so!

In all seriousness, I had heard those about Reagan when I lived in L.A. (whom, so they say, was bisexual and was fond of taking boy toys to his Lake Tahoe ranch on some weekends - even as governor).

Jack Kemp, so I was told, got his start in politics during those Lake Tahoe stays.

Never about the Duke - though it's certainly possible he was bi like Reagan (they say) was.

Of course, I can't claim to know all these Hollywood down-low stories.

Here's to the day none of those things mattered anymore.

[progressoid]

37. From the movie Repo Man...

LANGUAGE WARNING:

[BHDem53]

23. He is at the top of my list of

unwatchable actors along with raygun, heston and eastwood.

[czarjak]

26. Chain-smoking, draft-dodging, womanizing alcholic...

True American hero!

[sandensea]

27. A weak man's idea of a strong man

Like someone else we know.

[pangaia]

28. A terrible, terrible actor.

I never in my life was able to get through more than a few minutes of one his movies..

[Dawson Leery]

29. Yellow draft dodging scum bag.

[YOHABLO]

32. He wasn't at all a very good actor. In every picture he was just ''John Wayne''.

He was also an avid antique collector.

[MFM008]

35. Stage coach

And the Cowboys.
The rest of his life was a waste.

[marble falls]

42. The Quiet American.

[MosheFeingold]

39. He'll never work in Hollywood again!

Sure, seriously a bigot. The man was born in 1907, and is a product of his times.

This is nothing compared to what I heard from my own ears coming out of LBJ’s mouth. Or pretty much everyone.

[erpowers]

41. Wasn't He a Cross Dresser

I heard that he was a cross dresser. I thought there were pictures of him dressed in women's clothing.

[marble falls]

43. You're thinking of Marie Dressler ...

[magicarpet]

46. Well cowboy grubs were not his only attire...

https://m.imgur.com/r/funny/en2RXmq



Closer up.... John Wayne's camel foot crotch with a wonderful matching male purse....

https://goo.gl/images/21KmBM

[sandensea]

47. I thought was was his old friend J. Edgar

[Blue_Tires]

44. I don't get it...

Did people out there not know this already?

[sandensea]

48. Sure. But most people had forgotten, or never heard, about this interview.

Republicans, as you know, like to dog-whistle and tap dance around their often deep-seated hatred issues. They seldom admit it in as many words.

But that one time, the Duke put it all out there - unfiltered and un self-censored.

Goes to show how much truth can come out when people get a few drinks in them.

[Zorro]

49. Curiously enough

all three of his wives were Latinas.

[dalton99a]

58. +1

[MicaelS]

50. Why is this being brought up now?

The interview is 47 years old, and Wayne died 40 years ago. So what is the point?

Something is definitely going on, the question is what?

[BeckyDem]

51. Idiot white man says"""""""""""""""""

what a shame, such a terrible bigot.

[Hassler]

52. It is no surprise that Wayne's biggest fans also love fellow racists, Putin and Chump.

[dameatball]

53. I never was a giant John Wayne fan, but he had the benefit of some great cinematography

Such as "The Searchers." Never cared much for his war movies. "Green Berets" as prime example. I consider him a product of his times who took advantage of his on screen persona to elevate his career. Same as Ronald Raygun, although his movie career was not comparable to Marion's.

[thucythucy]

54. "The Green Berets" was horrible right wing pro-war apologist crap.

Last edited Fri Feb 22, 2019, 04:22 PM - Edit history (1)

The plot was laughable, the dialogue stilted--the movie such a string of right wing toxic male clichés it even had Wayne walking into the sunset over the South China Sea, though of course Vietnam is to the WEST of that body of water!

A perfect example of style (of sorts) over substance, myth and fantasy as opposed to facts and critical thinking.

[stopbush]

55. I'm a lifelong D, and as much as I dislike Wayne's politics and his social stances

I have become quite a fan of his movies.

Sorry, DU. I refuse to be boxed in on this one.

[sandensea]

56. I hear you.

Never been a fan of the Duke's - but I've always liked Clint Eastwood's work.

I doubt Eastwood and I would agree on much; but I always look forward to any new film of his.

[MicaelS]

59. Agreed.

It takes a lot for me to not watch an actors work. This does not even come close.

[Power 2 the People]

57. Dalton Trumbo calling John Wayne out on his phony patriotism

Just like faux-patriot Ronald Reagan,John Wayne spent WWII in Culver City wearing makeup on a film set.