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Movie Profiles & Premiums - New Store Open plus John Wayne
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Cliff Aliperti
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Nov 17, 2006 02:22 PST
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This is the plain text version of the newsletter. Read this online in
html format and loaded with pictures of movie collectibles at:
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/issues/movie-newsletter-04-11.htm
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A day or so late, but here I am just before the weekend. Hope you had a
great month. I don't know how much things are going to slow down around
here, but I would think they'd have to cool just a little because I'm
finally able to announce:
The new store is open for business!
It's called old-magazines-for-sale.com
(http://www.old-magazines-for-sale.com), but don't let that address fool
you, as the doors open the store has two lanes, Vintage Magazines and
Movie Cards & Collectibles. And rest assured both aisles get equal
treatment, in fact, the Movie section is probably slightly more advanced
as it became obvious to me that I'd be announcing the opening here
first. But don't forget there are plenty of magazines with movie star
covers in that section as well.
For now I've been stocking the store with expired eBay store stock,
which as it ends is no longer available on eBay. Now I'm not expecting
any miracles at the new shop, I frankly don't expect it to make much of
a dent until Christmas...2007, so my eBay auctions and eBay Store will
still be the place to check first for new items of the highest quality.
But there will be hundreds of items listed directly to the
old-magazines-for-sale.com store that never see any face time over on
eBay, simply because I think there's a lack of strong demand--this
doesn't mean they'll be "bad" items, just cards and pics that are more
niche, or have an appeal only to the most selective fans or collectors,
like you!
The old-magazines-for-sale store is taking orders from anywhere in the
United States and Canada, plus several other countries across Europe as
well as Australia and Japan as well as a couple of others--basically
anywhere I've had experience shipping items over the past six and a half
years has been included.
Payments are accepted by PayPal and also now by credit card (Visa,
Mastercard, or American Express). I'm also allowing U.S. customers only
to pay by check or money order as I open up shop, though that is
something which may change if I receive a lot of orders that aren't
completed.
Another facet of the store which I've debated is a minimum order.
Originally I planned to place a $10.00 minimum order at the store, but
decided against it at the last minute. On one hand, I don't want to
drive anyone away, on the other a slew of $4.00 orders can honestly be a
pain to pack and ship if you're pressed for time. Anyway, I decided
against the minimum order requirement for now, no need to drive anyone
away--if they only want to spend $4.00 now, they may want to spend more
later.
So, I'd love for you to check it out, make a purchase, or if not just
let me know what you think. I've been working on this for months,
thinking about it for years, but truth be told I put it all together
myself, so maybe there's something I like that annoys you. If so, let
me know!
thi-@things-and-other-stuff.com
To celebrate the opening, here is a coupon for subscribers only--this
will not be included in the version of this newsletter that's archived
on the site:
Note: The Coupon Code can only be entered on the "View Cart" page, not
in the "Checkout" process itself.
Coupon Code: 60c33 -- 10% off on any sized order, any item on the site.
This can only be used once between now and December 15, but what I'm
going to do is issue you a second 10% off coupon if you use the first.
The second coupon will expire a month from your date of purchase with
the first.
I hope you enjoy the store, once again, old-magazines-for-sale.com.
And if you ever forget where to find us, there's a big link with a
picture of a shopping cart at the top right corner of every page on
things-and-other-stuff.com.
http://www.old-magazines-for-sale.com/
This issue we have one new Photo ID Guide and, of course, a brand new
profile to unveil, this one from Susan M. Kelly, who handles our Golden
Age film stars. Here are the links if you'd like to view these features
on the site:
John Wayne Profile by Susan M. Kelly
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/profiles/john-wayne.htm
(Entire profile also included at the bottom of this email)
along with the
1938 Philadelphia Inquirer Supplements Photo ID Guide
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/ephemera/1936-philadelphia-inquirer-supplements.htm
The Inquirer Supplements were placed at auction on eBay just last night
(Thursday). This is the first time I've seen them, so if you want them
now's the time to bid!
http://tinyurl.com/y36hdw
That's all for now. I have a few other new movie collectibles sitting
on the desk, so there will be a couple of new Photo ID Guides as well as
some auctions in time for next issue, if not before, and I will be
adding more movie stock to the new old-magazines-for-sale.com store as
well. Next issue is slated for December 15 and should include a Silent
Collection entry by Tammy Stone, in the meantime have a great month!
#
John Wayne by Susan M. Kelly
Big, brash, and brawny, John Wayne loomed larger than life over every
one of the more than 200 films he would make during his prolific career.
He became the very personification of a man's man, a legacy which
remains to this day. Ask many people for their definition of the red,
white and blue American man, and almost 30 years after his death
they’ll still say John Wayne. His are truly very large boots to fill.
Born to pharmacist Clyde Morrison and his wife Mary, young Marion
Morrison found himself facing adversity at a young age. When his father
was stricken with a lung condition, the family moved from rural Iowa to
the warmer climate of California. There, the family, which by now
included younger brother Robert, tried their hand at ranching. When the
ranch failed, the family moved to Glendale, California where young
Marion worked delivering medicines for his father. He also acquired an
Airedale terrier whom he named “Duke”, a nickname that would stay
with Morrison himself throughout his life.
He was a star athlete in high school, and after narrowly missing
admission to Annapolis, went on to USC on a football scholarship.
During the summers, cowboy star Tom Mix got him a job as a prop man and
he quickly became friends with director John Ford, who eventually gave
him bit parts in a few movies. In 1930, he was cast in Fox’s “The
Big Trail” and the studio decided he needed a name which better fit
his image. They settled on John Wayne, and his career was underway.
Wayne quickly fell into a pattern, filming low-budget westerns and
routine adventures, until Ford cast him in 1939’s “Stagecoach”.
The film would officially put John Wayne on the map, setting off one of
the most epic careers in Hollywood history. He would go on to appear in
nearly 250 movies and set a record which still stands by having the lead
role in all but 11 of them. From early on there was just no taking a
back seat for John Wayne. During the 40’s, he branched out of
westerns to make several pro-war movies such as “Back to Bataan”
(1945) and “They Were Expendable” (1945). He also starred in the
radio series “The Three Sheets to the Wind”.
In 1944 he helped found the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation
of American Ideals and would later become its president. He became
known almost as much for his staunch political stances as his acting
career, taking a strong anti-Communist stance and in the 1950’s,
assisting the House Un-American Activities Committee in its efforts to
expose Communists in the film industry.
He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for “Sands of Iwo Jima”
(1949) and continued to make his by now trademark westerns, including
the brilliant John Ford cavalry trilogy – “Fort Apache” (1948),
“She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949) and “Rio Grande” (1950). In
1956, he worked with Ford again on the epic film “The Searchers”.
His role as Ethan Edwards, a veteran of the Indian wars who must fight
back his own prejudice to find his kidnapped niece, was his personal
favorite and has been numbered by several sources among the greatest
film performances of all time.
With the onset of the 60’s came new political issues, including the
unrest in Vietnam, and for Wayne the very popular 1968 Vietnam-set war
movie “The Green Berets”, which he co-directed as well as starred
in. The 60’s also brought the first of several severe health crises.
A five-pack-a-day smoking habit led to the eventual diagnosis of lung
cancer and in 1964 he had to have his cancerous left lung removed. The
health scare didn’t faze him, though. As only he could, he declared
from his hospital bed that he had “licked the Big C” and he was soon
back on his feet and working steadily.
He was finally rewarded with a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the
one-eyed tough guy Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit” (1969), but not
long after that his career began to decline. Westerns such as “Rio
Lobo” (1970) and “The Cowboys” (1972) fared poorly at the box
office, despite good reviews, and his foray into more modern roles such
as “McQ” (1974) and “Brannigan” (1975) did even worse. In 1975
he returned to a familiar role with “Rooster Cogburn”, the sequel to
True Grit, in which he starred opposite Katharine Hepburn. It was
critically panned, but became a minor hit nonetheless.
The changing times were finally catching up with the aging hero, and for
the first time John Wayne found himself seriously contemplating
retirement. He made one last film, 1976’s “The Shootist”, in
which he played a gunfighter dying of cancer. The performance would
eventually become a stark reality. His health battles continued in
March of 1978 when he underwent heart valve replacement and then, in
1979, when he entered the hospital for gall bladder surgery, it was
discovered that the cancer had returned. His stomach was removed but by
then it was too late, as doctor’s determined it had spread to his
intestines as well. He eventually lapsed into a coma and died on June
11, 1979.
At the behest of Senator Barry Goldwater and backed by many of his
Hollywood contemporaries, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor in 1979. Even after his death, his influence could not
be denied. The larger than life hero had carved a niche for himself
that took on epic proportions. His political views may have lagged
behind the times as far as the new generation was concerned, but his
staunch patriotism never really went out of style and his legacy
continues to stretch far beyond the bounds of Hollywood. America can
always use a hero, and there will never be another quite like the great
John Wayne.
#
Susan M. Kelly is a freelance writer who lives and works in Dunellen,
New Jersey.
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