The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. First Time Watching reaction

[@kenr8151]

John Ford said the main character/star is the John Wayne character. He is the hero because the story is about the need to bring on the future, but Tom is the one that makes the tough choices, who has to make it happen, using the old ways but hiding it, and sacrificing his entire way of life and life with his girl knowingly, and doing it anyway, basically making his world extinct for the good of society. The Jimmy Stewart character actually has no sacrifice or choices, he enacts no change because he is without power, and therefore the hero and main character is Tom.

[@beatmet2355]

I’ve seen this many times, but it’s still moving to watch. You don’t need any more proof of its greatness than that. I especially love the colorful characters peppered throughout the film. The Shootist is another western with both Duke and Stewart. “Hallie” was in at least one other film with Duke, The Searchers. For my money, that was Duke’s best role. Oscar worthy. Check out Donovan’s Reef for a more lighthearted rivalry between Duke and Marvin.

[@areopagitican7403]

Speaking of High Noon at the end, John Wayne thought it was un-American because it made every single man in town out to be a coward. In his view, the responsible citizen had a duty to stand up against tyranny and injustice, and he felt movies should reinforce this idea. John Ford--although I don't know how he felt about High Noon--also believed cinema should be used to reinforce the right values. He says as much at the end of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. When asked if he agreed with the line, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." He said, 'yes,' because we need our myths. Also, Pompey was not a slave. The setting is westward expansion after the Civil War.

[@vincentsaia6545]

Lee Marvin started out as an actor on the New York stage when he was discovered by a Hollywood agent (he was about to audition for a stage production of KING LEAR when he went out to California) and proceeded to play villains many times in movies and TV before winning the Oscar for CAT BALLOU in 1965.

[@vincentsaia6545]

"Sheehan Littlefeather" - the woman who made the speech at the Oscar's on Brando's GODFATHER win - turned out to be a caucasian actress. Personally, I agree with Michael Caine who said if Brando felt so strongly about the treatment of Native Americans in movies he should have gone up there and taken the razberries himself.

[@jerryhayes9497]

The actress you didn't recognise (the one who couldn't read) is Vera Miles. She played the part of Janet Leigh's sister in Hitchcock's Psycho Edit: She was also down to play the lead role in Vertigo alongside Jimmy Stewart , but fell pregnant shortly before shooting and was replaced by Kim Novak

[@custardflan]

She also stars in The Searchers.

[@custardflan]

A dy Devine is the hapless sheriff and the GOAT Woody Strode is Pmpey.

[@custardflan]

The woman on the Stagecoach is Anna Lee, the British Bombshell, one of the John Ford stock company who played many memorable roles, including Sister Margaretta I Sound of Music and in Fords How Green Was My Valley.

[@custardflan]

This movie has a lot to say about journalism, which I appreciate, being an old newspaperman.

[@custardflan]

I saw this movie on my 7th birthday. We were going to play baseball, but it rained so my dad took us all to the movies.

[@vincentsaia6545]

John Ford was given a relatively small budget for this movie so he decided to approach it like a play with setting the action in a contained space and focusing on the characters' relationship with each other.

[@sammydavisvideovault8302]

John Ford has that may Oscars because he's good at his job. Check out John Ford's the Last Hurrah with Spencer Tracey sometime.

[@stevenspringer1599]

since you're not afraid of black and white check out John Huston's "The Asphalt Jungle" (1950) - a seriously excellent heist caper

[@conniegaylord5206]

Many stars in this movie. How many recognize Lee Van Cleef, Andy DeVine, and Grandma Walton? For laughs watch Harvey with Jimmy Stewart. ❤

[@fieryangel522]

Great reaction! I love this movie. If you want to watch really great John Wayne movies, I would highly recommend "The Shootest" 1976 or "The Cowboys" 1972.

[@shawnzzz]

Great reaction guys! This movie and John Wayne in The Cowboys, are my favorite westerns. If you have NOT seen The Cowboys yet, PLEASE react to that movie next. Thanks

[@RobynHoodeofSherwood]

I second this! Bruce Dern killed it in that movie. He has said he still gets hate mail for his role in that movie. One of my all time favorite Westerns. I'm glad some people are willing to react to these older films.

[@thefleasofathousandcamels6498]

Nice job with one of my favorite westerns

[@MagesLikeYouAndI]

My favorite John Wayne movies have to be True Grit and McClintock

[@Orange-Jumpsuit-Time]

Once Upon a Time In The West (1968) Iconic musical score, Iconic film.

[@randyhodges8782]

Best reaction to this ever! It was like seeing it for t first time again.👍

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mynameisjordanscott]

This movie is incredible and pairs nicely with another of my favorite movies all time. In a lot of ways the Dark Knight is a bit of a modern answer to this film. It honestly makes for a wonderful double feature.

[@vincentsaia6545]

EL DORADO is another classic.

[@vincentsaia6545]

Excellent analysis.

[@longago-igo]

I guess I missed the memo, Why are we supposed to hate on John Wayne? …and John Ford?

[@RoSaWa386-33]

This is a film that underscores the importance of a Really REALLY BAD villain... and his henchmen. Lee Marvin's almost at his very worse - except, y'know - he DOES back down when John Wayne steps in. But having Lee Van Cleef as a nearly-as-bad and Strother Martin was the weakling snively coward of the trio - what great casting and writing. And finally, having John Carradine as the late-comer addition to the Bad Guy ranks - ! Well done. This film is worth many rewatchings to see how the pieces all fit together. Vera Miles needed a few years after losing her showering sister but this is a great role - time-travel a little, but - really - matching Bad Guys between LIBERTY and PSYCHO makes me think she made a good choice of films!

[@raymeedc]

Jimmy Stewart wasn’t a Western star. Unlike Wayne, he had an extremely varied career, but at the time he was a very successful Western star, having just completed a half dozen widely lauded Westerns with Director Anthony Mann throughout the 50s 🤠

[@vincentsaia6545]

The actor playing the kid who had to go back to school was in his 50s at the time.

[@watchthiswithjoeandkevin6]

Yikes. Not a good casting choice for an unruly teenager.

[@angieday5183]

Ford was a New Deal liberal. Jimmy and John Wayne were very good friends.

[@RoSaWa386-33]

John Wayne was too old to be drafted but was widely criticized for not joining The Service during WWII. He claimed he was sole supporter for his wife and 4 kids (true). Then of course he ran off to Mexico, living with his mistress for several years.

[@marthaanderson2656]

the setting for the movie is the 1870s. The area is probably south Colorado to New Mexico based on the line about being the toughest man south of the Picketwire. The picketwire is the Purgatoire River in SE Colorado . there are some westerns that are so enjoyable to watch. The Magnificent Seven (1960) is a remake of Kurosawas "7 Samurai" Both versions of True Grit 1969 and 2010 ( Coen brothers) are also enjoyable

[@RoSaWa386-33]

Martha, where do you think The Big City is - Denver? I don't think a rail-line was running so frequently to anywhere in New Mexico at that time. And the funeral visit looks like this is a short excursion - or maybe just a couple of days? - because of the quotes alluding to a short trip and rarity to get an interview with This Senator (Stewart). The train is sparsely populated upon arrival so maybe this was a spur from Denver, therefore? Thanks for the note about "the picketwire and Purgatoire River".

[@meganlutz7150]

Excellent reaction ! Hope you guys watch more old classics ❤

[@brandonflorida1092]

Two years earlier, Vera Miles (Hallie) was Lila Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece "Psycho" You're very good at reacting to movies. Why don't you do that more? Really, do see "Rio Bravo." It's fabulous.

[@jokerz7936]

Robert Wuhl did a great lecture called Assume the Positions that he based off the line "When the Legend becomes Fact you print the Legend". In it he comedically examines American myths of our history and how they came to be. My favorite is Christopher Columbus proved the world was round a fact known since antiquity. So how did it come to be? Washington Irving wrote a biography on Christopher Columbus made the claim and history ran with it.

[@RoSaWa386-33]

Also thinking that most of the world didn't have consistent access to the Printed Word en masse until the latter 1600s (Guttenburg Bibles and those printing presses).

[@Sly_Budlong]

Tombstone has always been my favorite Western so I'll always say it's the best Western 😅

[@angieday5183]

Where did u get your info on the number of directors? I've watched thousands of old movies. There are many, many ive never even heard of listed at the end. Off the cuff, comment? Spielberg would tell you he was one of the best

[@angieday5183]

Jimmy actually made many good westerns, especially with director Anthony Mann. Winchester 73, Naked Spur are good ones. Made 2-3 with Ford.

[@RoSaWa386-33]

Stewart came out of being a bomber pilot over Europe and did not want to return to his clean-cut boy-next-door films. Westerns took off after WWII, and Stewart wanted to capitalize - not only take on "adult" roles but also in Good vs Evil films. LIBERTY is certainly one of those. But before that, the Studio System was collapsing and many stars were set free (or escaped, or tossed aside). Stewart saw Radio Series as a good option to keep him in the public Ear, and he signed up a few writers and sold this idea for his SIX SHOOTER series. This is available as 30-min episodes over on Archive ORG's Old Time Radio page.

[@svenusling]

I love the movie but I find it a bit unfair to pit one of the greatest actors of his generation against John Wayne. They are not on the same level. John Wayne had a lot of charisma and screen presence, and was a great moviestar, but he was not a great actor. Andy Devine plays the marshal (with his iconic voice) and Vera Miles, of Psycho fame plays the wife. Lee Marvin did a lot of villains early in his career which my favourite being in Seven Men from Now with Randolph Scott as the lead. During the 50s, James Stewart mainly did Westerns and this was basically the big clash of the Western heroes of the time.

[@vincentsaia6545]

Wayne and Stewart complemented each other and where good friends off screen.

[@vincentsaia6545]

I believe this was the final John Ford/John Wayne western but their final collaboration was the 1964 comedy DONOVAN'S REEF which also featured Lee Marvin.

[@vincentsaia6545]

I believe this was the final John Ford/John Wayne western but their final collaboration was the 1964 comedy DONOVAN'S REEF which also featured Lee Marvin.

[@vincentsaia6545]

I believe this was the final John Ford/John Wayne western but their final collaboration was the 1964 comedy DONOVAN'S REEF which also featured Lee Marvin.

[@cliffchristie5865]

Not as old as the older version of his character, but about 20 years too old for the younger version. Same for John Wayne. Still, they did the best they could to act their way around it.

[@cliffchristie5865]

Of course the title works either way. And, to be fair, "The Man Who Shot At Liberty Valance" isn't as catchy. Wayne was directed twice more by Ford. In "How The West Was Won", mostly, a western, and "Donovan's Reef", not a western.

[@TedLittle-yp7uj]

Thank you for an excellent reaction to a great movie. However, you do yourselves a disservice when you repeat rumours about John Wayne and others. According to the Wikipedia article on Sacheen Littlefeather (the woman who, claiming to be a native American, refused the Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando) though they acknowledge the accusation that Wayne had to be restrained, also pointed out both that it was disputed by people who were there and that fully half the audience were booing the blatantly political speech. Whatever Wayne's reaction, he was not alone. Brando was heavily criticized at the time for sending the woman to decline the award instead of having the courage to face the hostility himself. Context is also important. At the time of the ceremony, Indian activists had ceased the town of Wounded Knee.

[@PE4Doers]

You need to see John Wayne in the 'Undefeated'

[@PatrickHarris-hl2dr]

One of my favorite westerns, but still not the best. "Unforgiven" and "Lonesome Dove" are even better. Both will blow you away.

[@angieday5183]

Jimmy was a huge supporter of Ronald Reagan.