Exploring the early westerns of John Wayne—from his first starring role in the The Big Trail (1930) to his breakthrough as the Ringo Kid in John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939)—the authors trace his transformation from Marion Mitchell Morrison, movie studio prop man, into John Wayne, a carefully crafted film persona of his own invention that made him world famous. Wayne’s years of training went well beyond honing his acting skill, as he developed the ability to do his own stunts, perfected his technique as a gun handler and became an expert horseman.

Larry Powell is a professor of communication studies at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He is the author or coauthor of several books and articles.
Jonathan H. Amsbary is a professor of communication studies at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He is author of books and articles on communication dynamics.

Larry Powell and Jonathan H. Amsbary
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 193
Bibliographic Info: 30 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6413-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2994-0
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1
1. 1930: The Big Trail 7
2. 1931: Arizona and The Range Feud 14
3. 1932: Texas Cyclone to Haunted Gold 18
4. 1933: The Telegraph Trail to Sagebrush Trail 31
5. 1934: The Lucky Texas to ’Neath the Arizona Skies 48
6. 1935: Texas Terror to Lawless Range 77
7. 1936: The Oregon Trail to Winds of the Wasteland 102
8. 1937: Born to the West 113
9. 1938: Pals of the Saddle to Red River Range 118
10. 1939: Stagecoach 133
11. Wrapping up 1939: The Night Riders to The New Frontier 144
12. Looking Back, Looking Forward 154
Chapter Notes 163
Bibliography 177
Index 181