A Little Humor: An Elderly Retired Naval Officer

Two young buck naval officers who thought they were hotshots were making fun of an elderly retired naval officer napping in a chair under the tropical sun outside of the officer’s club at the U.S. naval station at Subic Bay in the Philippines in the 1970s.

“Hey, old timer,” one of the young officers asked the retired officer, “When was the last time you had sex with a woman?”

Both young officers were laughing as the elderly officer sucked on his pipe and thought about it.

“1945,” the elderly officer finally said.

They roared with laughter and then one of the young officers said, “1945? Are you kidding me? How can you even remember that long ago?” 

The elderly, retired naval officer looked at his watch and said, “It’s only 2100 now…”

Note: The above photo is of director John Ford, a Navy captain during WWII, as he directs the classic war film, They Were Expendable, in the Philippines.   

The Duke: Happy Birthday To The Late, Great American Actor John Wayne

Today is the birthday of the late, great American actor John Wayne. He was born on this day in 1907.

John Wayne in one of my favorite actors. I love his westerns with director John Ford, such as The Searchers, Fort Apache and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. And I also love John Wayne's war films with John Ford, such as They Were Expendable and The Wings of Eagles.

I also love The Alamo, which John Wayne directed as well as starred in. And I love The Green Berets. 

Only the Duke had the courage to make a pro-Vietnam War and pro-military film in 1968 when most of the media was against the war. The media by and large hated the film, but the public loved it.

I also love The Shootist, John Wayne's last film.

Like millions of his fans, I can watch John Wayne films over and over. He was a great actor and a great American.   

You can read a brief biography of John Wayne via the below link to his website:

http://johnwayne.com/legacy/biography/ 

On This Day In History In 1979: American Icon John Wayne Dies

As History.com notes, on this day in 1979 actor John Wayne died from cancer. He was 72.

John Wayne is one of my favorite actors. I love his westerns with director John Ford, such as The Searchers, Fort Apache and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. And I also love John Wayne's war films with John Ford, such as They Were Expendable and The Wings of Eagles.

I also love The Alamo, which John Wayne directed as well as starred in. And I love The Green Berets. Only the Duke had the courage to make a pro-Vietnam War and pro-military film in 1968 when most of the media was against the war. The media hated the film, but the public loved it. 

I also love The Shootist, John Wayne's last film. 

Like many of his fans, I can watch John Wayne films over and over. He was a great actor and a great American.    

You can read about the Duke's life and work and watch a video clip via the below link:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-wayne-dies?cmpid=email-hist-tdih-2016-0611-06112016&om_rid=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa&om_mid=56500577&kx_EmailCampaignID=5363&kx_EmailCampaignName=email-hist-tdih-2016-0611-06112016&kx_EmailRecipientID=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa

You can also read an earlier post on a recent book about John Wayne via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/04/john-wayne-10-things-you-might-know.html

And you can visit the John Wayne website via the below link:

http://johnwayne.com/

Reclaiming John Wayne: The Duke's Ten Best Films

Timothy Mangan at ocregister.com looks back at the late great actor John Wayne.

John Wayne was a great actor. There, I said it.

It may get me thrown out of certain intellectual circles, it may cause some to wonder about my politics, but that’s my premise and I’m sticking with it.

Sooner or later (usually sooner), anyone who writes about Wayne has to face the topic.

“For years,” writes Scott Eyman in his new biography “John Wayne: The Life and Legend,” “the debate about Wayne centered around the ridiculous question of whether or not he could act, with liberals generally taking the negative position.” That’s a big part of the problem in assessing Wayne’s acting skills. His personal politics (conservative) got in the way of seeing the acting clearly, much in the same way that Mel Gibson’s loopiness or Woody Allen’s family troubles get in the way of seeing them.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wayne-631983-film-way.html

You can also read an earlier post on John Wayne via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2013/05/happy-birthday-to-film-legend-john-wayne.html

The 5 Best Goddamn John Wayne Movies

John Wayne is one of my favorite actors and he made so many fine, entertaining and memorable films that picking five of his best is hard to do.

But Calum Marsch at Esquire.com did just that.

You can read his piece and view video clips of his picks via the below link:

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/john-wayne-best-movies?src=nl&mag=esq&list=nl_enl_mtv_non_060414_john-wayne-movies

These are good choices, as I too am a great fan of The Searchers, They Were Expendable, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I've watched these films again and again over the years.  

But I would substitute Fort Apache for Flying Leathernecks and The Shootist for Rio Bravo.      

Happy Birthday To Film Legend John Wayne

Happy Birthday to the one and only Duke. Actor John Wayne was born on this day in 1907.

John Wayne is one of my favorite actors. I love his westerns with director John Ford, such as The Searchers, Fort Apache and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. And I love John Wayne's war films with John Ford, such as They Were Expendable and The Wings of Eagles.

I also love The Alamo, which John Wayne directed as well as starred in, and I love The Shootist, John Wayne's last film.

Like many of his fans, I can watch John Wayne films over and over. He was a great actor and a great American.    

You can read about John Wayne and watch a video clip on his life via the below link:

http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-9525664

Legendary Film Director John Ford Honored With U.S. Stamp

 

The Los Angeles Times reports that the late, great film director John Ford has been honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a stamp.

Ford, one of my favorite film directors, made many of my favorite films, such as Fort Apache, The Horse Soldiers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, They Were Expendable and The Searchers. All of these classic films featured John Wayne, one of my favorite actors.

You can read the Times piece via the below link:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/08/iconic-director-john-ford-to-become-a-forever-stamp.html

John Ford was a proud patriot and he served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral. You can read about his naval service via the below link:

http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/ford_john.htm