Once Again, Up He pops........

So you want to discuss silent drama, science fiction, horror, noir, mystery and other NON-COMEDY films? Look no further, this is the place.
Richard M Roberts
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Once Again, Up He pops........

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon May 16, 2016 1:16 pm

Image

This is a behind the scenes still from WHAT PRICE GLORY(1926) featuring Dolores Del Rio sitting among various extras playing soldiers in the film.

Look at the fellow upper right standing, leaning against the water pump. Look familiar?

Appears to me to be John Wayne, or Duke Morrison as he was known then.

The time frame works, WHAT PRICE GLORY shot in late 1926 when Duke was working as a prop man and extra at Fox, and John Ford second-unit directed the battle scenes.

Comments?


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Richard M Roberts
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Re: Once Again, Up He pops........

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon May 16, 2016 4:12 pm

So someone says Gebert over at Nitratevile is saying nay:


http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22291


well, we'll hold out for actual expert opinions, but he obviously lacks skill at spotting facial features and checking scale, that's one tall and lanky fellow, just comparing his height as he leans against the pump (and he's not standing on the pump platform) to the height of the pump to begin with. No way that guy's 40, there's a line across his nose which may be makeup, photo distortion or hat shadow, but body, neck, and arms say way younger.

And that stance is regular Wayne, the hand on the hip thing became a standard mannerism.

Too many real experts have already weighed in (John McElwee just agreed to me on the phone that it's Wayne) in agreement without any hinting as to who it is, I'm more convinced by the moment for any N'vile ninnies to make a difference.


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Louie Despres
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Re: Once Again, Up He pops........

Postby Louie Despres » Mon May 16, 2016 10:23 pm

Can't see much detail in the blowup but the "Wayne" guy appears to have a wedding ring on. Was Wayne married at this time?

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Once Again, Up He pops........

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon May 16, 2016 11:20 pm

Louie Despres wrote:Can't see much detail in the blowup but the "Wayne" guy appears to have a wedding ring on. Was Wayne married at this time?


An interesting question, but it is hard to tell when you blow it up, looking close, it's too wide for a wedding band, and I'm actually not sure it isn't just part of his finger joint (look at the guy sitting to the left, his finger joints look equally pronounced, as do the Wayne guy's other fingers).

Wayne did not marry until 1933.


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Gary Johnson
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Re: Once Again, Up He pops........

Postby Gary Johnson » Tue May 17, 2016 3:09 am

That certainly is a familiar looking stance.

Whenever Wayne reminisced about his beginnings in the movie industry, he was always rather fuzzy about actual titles he worked on. But Wayne was first and foremost a movie buff. You would think he would had remembered being an extra on WHAT PRICE GLORY and mentioned it at least once -- like to Walsh himself on the set of DARK COMMAND (40).

Jim Roots
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Re: Once Again, Up He pops........

Postby Jim Roots » Fri May 20, 2016 3:06 pm

Looks like Wayne to me, too. But I'm with Gary (who's always lonesome on this site, it seems) in wondering why Wayne, with his obsession with war both in movies and in real life, wouldn't have ever been specific about starring in one of the two or three most famous war movies of the silent era. Even if he played nothing more than a grunt in the distance in one short scene, he would have made hay out of it in talking about his early career.

And if that's not a wedding ring, what else would he be wearing on that finger on his left hand? It's not too big -- about the same size as mine, which is no monster. It's definitely not a swatch of light -- that would have to be some hell of a spotlight to put a thin bright band on nothing but a single finger, not even a slight spillover onto his other fingers, and no shadow on the knuckle.

Jim
When you're surrounded by vultures, playing dead is not a good strategy.

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Once Again, Up He pops........

Postby Richard M Roberts » Fri May 20, 2016 3:36 pm

Jim Roots wrote:Looks like Wayne to me, too. But I'm with Gary (who's always lonesome on this site, it seems) in wondering why Wayne, with his obsession with war both in movies and in real life, wouldn't have ever been specific about starring in one of the two or three most famous war movies of the silent era. Even if he played nothing more than a grunt in the distance in one short scene, he would have made hay out of it in talking about his early career.

And if that's not a wedding ring, what else would he be wearing on that finger on his left hand? It's not too big -- about the same size as mine, which is no monster. It's definitely not a swatch of light -- that would have to be some hell of a spotlight to put a thin bright band on nothing but a single finger, not even a slight spillover onto his other fingers, and no shadow on the knuckle.

Jim


It's actually more shaped like a school ring, if it is actually a ring.

And actually, Wayne did not get that many opportunities to discuss his early film career in full-length interviews to begin with, he really did not like to discuss his 30's career, which he usually dismissed as slavery in cheap B westerns, he'd talk about people he met in those years like Yakima Canutt and Paul Fix, but very little specifics about the films themselves. Ditto with his early career in the 20's, except to talk about John Ford, he only mentioned working in the Educational Comedies in one interview.


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