While not exactly known for making sequels,John Wayneplayed the same character a whopping eight times in a classic 1930sWesternfranchise.John Wayne fronted around 80 Westernsin his career, and despite starting in every other kind of genre, he was forever (and happily) typecast as a cowboy; evenWayne’s final film,The Shootist,was a Western. Hollywood was very different when Wayne became a star, with sequels and franchises generally frowned upon. In fact,outside of reprising the role of Rooster Cooburn, Wayne himself tended to avoid sequels.
There was once talk of a follow-up to his hit war movieSands of Iwo JimacalledDevil Birds, though that film ultimately went unmade; how it would have explained the survival of Wayne’s very deceased Stryker is another question. Sequels to even major hits were fairly uncommon during Hollywood’s so-called “Golden Age,” so it’s not surprising Wayne went almost his entire career without reprising a role.
John Wayne Made A True Grit Sequel With One Of The Greatest Actresses Of All Time, And It Was Somehow A Major Western Misfire
John Wayne’s sequel to True Grit, Rooster Cogburn, seemed to have everything going for it — including an iconic co-star — but it was still a failure.
John Wayne’s Role In The Mesquiteers Franchise Explained
The Three Mesquiteers was a huge series back during the 1930s and 1940s
WhenWayne’sThe Big Trialflopped it set his career back a decade, with this 1930 Western epic having been intended to make the young actor a star. He then spent years fronting “Poverty Row” Westerns, cheapie B-movies that were churned out fast.One of Wayne’s most notable projects from this time wasThe Three Mesquiteers, a serial Western that ran for an incredible 51 moviesbetween 1936 and 1943. Of course, Wayne didn’t stick around for every entry in this Republic Pictures saga, though he did play the role of Stony Brooke eight times.
Wayne’s breakthrough role came in the form of 1939 classic Stagecoach, so he departed from The Three Mesquiteers following 1939’s aptly titledNew Frontier.
Not only is Stony the part Wayne played the most by a sizable margin but all eight of his installments were released between 1938 and 1939. The series itself revolved around the misadventures of the titular trio, consisting of Stony Brooke, Tucson Smith and Lullaby Joslin. These movies typically ran under an hour and were high-energy mixtures of traditional Westerns with more modern adventure films, with the series also featuring a revolving cast of actors.
Pals of the Saddle
1938
1939
New Frontier
Brooke was played by Bob Livington an eyewatering 29 times before Wayne replaced him, while Tom Tyler took over for the rest ofThe Three Mesquiteersfranchise. Ray Corrigan and Bob Steele played Tucson Smith, while Lullaby Joslin was played by four actors: Max Terhune, Jimmie Dodd, Rufe Davis and Syd Saylor. Wayne’s breakthrough role came in the form of 1939 classicStagecoach, so he departed fromThe Three Mesquiteersfollowing the aptly titledNew Frontier.
Which Other Roles Did John Wayne Play More Than Once?
The list of John Wayne franchises is REAL short
Following his stint onThe Three Mesquiteers, Wayne essentially avoided sequels for the next 40 years.Rooster Cogburnremains Wayne’s only true sequel, with this 1975 effort seeing him don the eyepatch again to reprise his Oscar-winning role as Rooster Cogburn. Secondly, Wayne’s penultimate film proved a pale shadow ofTrue Grit, despite pairing Wayne with another icon in Katharine Hepburn.
It could also be argued Wayne’sRio Bravotrilogy is his other big franchise,though the three movies aren’t direct sequelsto one another. Instead, Wayne and director Howard Hawks remixed the same basic plot, characters and themes fromRio BravointoEl DoradoandRio Lobo. In Wayne’s only horror movieHaunted Gold(though “horror” should be applied loosely), he played a character named John Mason. Curiously, three years later in 1935, he playedanotherJohn Mason inThe Dawn Rider. Despite the names, there’s nothing to suggest the two films are directly related.
Christian Slater later remadeThe Dawn Riderin 2012, co-starring Jill Hennessy and Donald Sutherland.
The Three Mesquiteers
Cast
The Three Mesquiteers, directed by Ray Taylor, follows a group of World War I veterans who head west to establish a farmstead but encounter unforeseen challenges. The film is part of a Western series, showcasing themes of friendship and perseverance against adversity.
