My Favorite Actor & His Rifle

[Wishfulthinker580]

As well he should -- after all, he shot John Wayne in the back! Come to think of it, Dern played a sort of weasel in just about every movie that I can recall. The only exception (that I remember) was when he portrayed an aircrewman in the TV series 12 O'Clock High. There his recurring character was played pretty straight. Although I do remember him having a guest appearance where he again played the shifty type. (This was years before The Cowboys was filmed).


Ben Johnson. Heck, everybody knows that. Don't they?

Dern played a judge in All The Pretty Horses. Not a weasely one IIRC. Great actor

 

[Cooposo]

Cooposo, Are you Roy Cooper ?

No, although I do have a cowboy hat with his signature

 

[Altitude sickness]

Ok, I thought you said you were one of C.O. Coopers relatives

 

[Cooposo]

Ok, I thought you said you were one of C.O. Coopers relatives

Nope. I’m from a rodeo family and coincidentally mine and my brother’s first names are remarkably similar to that of the team of Jake Barnes and Clay O Brian Cooper. My dad denies that was any influence on our naming, but he was a PRCA team roper in that era. I am of absolutely no consequence in the rodeo world, although it was fun to watch my cousin win the world in bareback riding…6 times…and I grew up on the family ranch where my dad and uncle were raised. That uncle won the all around as a rough stock cowboy three times and the bareback title twice. That should put you on the right track!

 

[jruby]

My dad's first name and middle name was John Wayne. We always gave my grandma grief about it, but of course the actor was an unknown back when dad was born.

One day dad was in a Sportsman's Warehouse. There was a big pile of John Wayne framed posters by the checkout stand. As dad was checking out, the manager was apparently running the register. He saw dad's credit card and asked, is your name actually John Wayne? Dad said yes. He says, "Do you have on of those?" pointing to the posters. Dad said "nope." "Well, you have one now. It's on the house."

That picture sat on the wall behind his desk for several years until he finally retired.

Served on the USS Seawolf with a John Wayne Thomas. Probably a different guy.

 

[bashaw]

Cooposo, Are you Roy Cooper ?

He's got us guessing

 

[Cooposo]

He's got us guessing

He's got us guessing

See #84 above. My dad was a PRCA team roper and was accused of naming my brother and I after Jake & Clay, but he denies that. I am of absolutely no consequence in the rodeo world.

 

[HankBuck]

As well he should -- after all, he shot John Wayne in the back! Come to think of it, Dern played a sort of weasel in just about every movie that I can recall. The only exception (that I remember) was when he portrayed an aircrewman in the TV series 12 O'Clock High. There his recurring character was played pretty straight. Although I do remember him having a guest appearance where he again played the shifty type. (This was years before The Cowboys was filmed).


Ben Johnson. Heck, everybody knows that. Don't they?

@Troubleshooter - ok ok, I guess I’m Not the only Movie buff on the AH forum…and I may have underestimated How OLD You are !! (Near my age?). Nobody born after 1960s gets that question right

 

[Jay Kelley]

I just founded this video the other day. Good stuff. Most of my students probably wouldn't recognize JW today, but I wish I had seen this when I took firearms safety at the ripe old age of 12.

 

[deewayne2003]

FIRST DRIVE IN MOVIE I WENT TO AS A KID WAS "TRUE GRIT" JOHN GALLOPING ACROSS THE FIELD WITH REINS BETWEEN TEETH AND GUNS BLAZING WAS FOREVER ETCHED IN MY MIND.

“Fill your hands you son of bitch!”…. One of the best movie lines ever

FYI in Hatari John Wayne and the rest of the cast actually did the live animal capture scenes.

They had to do the voice overs in editing because John kept cursing during the captures.

 

[Safari Dave]

I am a Weatherby fanboy!

I think Roy was very ahead of his time on cartridge development, and even, to this day, his grandson, Adam is still innovating.

Probably a good move in relocating from Californication to Wyoming.


In almost every caliber, Weatherby makes the most powerful cartridge.

The .460 Weatherby Magnum (with about 7,600 ft/lbs. of muzzle energy), if chambered in a crf bolt-action with open sights, would blow every other .45 caliber DG rifle out of the water, as a stopping rifle.

 

[Kharn]

My grand father idolized John Wayne he had countless Color VHS tapes and as a child at the time, Hatari was my favorite because of all the animals, it also gave me a health dose of Fear of Rhinos.

 

[Riflecrank]

John Wayne was carrying (and shooting) a Winchester Pre-64 Model 70 and specifically, the model called the African in .458 Win Mag. Knowing the movie was made in 1962 adds to the clues, but there are clear shots in a few scenes that leave no doubt as to what his rifle is. I have owned several and I knew this upon viewing; later I heard that John Wayne himself state that he fired a 458 Win Mag in the elephant scene and used the same gun in bagging one elephant. In 1962, there were only a few candidates for this cartridge, but again, the photography was clear enough to reveal my assertion.

I am quite sure that Hardy Krueger (Kurt) was carrying a Magnum Mauser. Unless edited, the sound of the action closing gave it away.
By way of the rapid fire scenes in their target practice, it was probably intended to be a .375 H&H Mag.

I could not detect what rifle Gerard Blain (Chip) was shooting, could have been any bolt action but appeared to be in the Mauser 98 genre outfitted in the preferred PH features (barrel mounted front swivel, forend tip, low comb stock with cheek piece, pistol grip, etc.)

At least that's my take on it.

RC Rule
Author of The Rifleman's Rifle
(Pre-64 Model 70s)

Above quoted from another web site where Roger C. Rule made one post about 13 years ago and never returned.

Googling what .458 WIN MAG was used by "Hatari" Duke in the 1962 film, took me here to revive that thread.
OP here said it was a Remington 725 Kodiak .458 WIN MAG made in 1961, pushfeed precursor of the M700.
Seems that Kodiak was made by Remington to look a lot like an M70 African,
funky imitation rear sight, etc.
TBC ...

 

[Riflecrank]

I think Roger Rule was correct, SURPRISE !!!
"Duke" John Wayne might have been misquoted about using a ".458 Remington"
in an article that might have been published posthumously in 1980,
after his death in 1979.
Supposedly he killed a bull elephant on camera and it was cut out of the film,
changed to just a warning shot to scare off troublesome elephant.
With all the cutesy baby elephant stuff, it did not fit into the Hollywood of it.

Images from this site:
One image I have found looks like a Model 70 African in Duke's hands.
Certainly more so than a Remington M725 Kodiak pushfeed.
Another image with him standing before oncoming elephant is little help in ID of rifle.

My Pop bought a John Wayne commemorative box of .32-40 WCF ammo, to store next to his old M94 .30-30 WCF, in case he ever got hold of the original John Wayne commemorative rifle. Sadly he never did.
Pop was a Veteran with a Bronze Star from Vietnam service.
I am a Veteran with no decorations.
Cheers to Duke John Wayne.

I have my Pop's heirlooms now, R.I.P., Pop.
I also grabbed the second edition John Wayne commemorative M92 .44-40 soon as it was available.
In memoriam of the Duke and my Pop.
Those two heroes blend together in my mind.

 

[Riflecrank]

Another member adds that this new re-mastering might allow us to see as clearly as Roger C. Rule:

Hatari! 4K Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

Hatari! 4K Blu-ray Release Date December 31, 2024. Blu-ray reviews, news, specs, ratings, screenshots. Cheap Blu-ray movies and deals.

www.blu-ray.com

 

[Jay Kelley]

As well he should -- after all, he shot John Wayne in the back! Come to think of it, Dern played a sort of weasel in just about every movie that I can recall. The only exception (that I remember) was when he portrayed an aircrewman in the TV series 12 O'Clock High. There his recurring character was played pretty straight. Although I do remember him having a guest appearance where he again played the shifty type. (This was years before The Cowboys was filmed).


Ben Johnson. Heck, everybody knows that. Don't they?

I think i heard somewhere that, in addition to his reply to Wayne before the scene that people would hate him, but he'd be a hero in Berkely, Dern also said the scene had turned out to make him a good living playing psychos and weasels. Not sure either is true, but they make a good story.

 

[Woodcarver]

@Altitude sickness - since your are a John Wayne fan, do you know which one of his frequent co stars was also a real Cowboy and Rodeo World Champion roper? (No google look up).

Being a huge Duke fan I new this one right away.Yakima Canuitt and Ben Johnson, Yakima was in a lot of Waynes B movies and Johnson who starred with Wayne in a lot of John Ford movies
Yakima was the head wrangler for Hollywood and choreographed the chariot scene in Ben Hurr, Wayne learned the rifle trick in Stagecoach from Yakima except they had to cut an inch off the barrel for Wayne to pull it off in Stagecoach, he was also a world class stuntman Johnson was a Champion Calf roper and also an Academy award winner

Another is Slim Pickens. He and one of my uncles rodeoed together in the late 40s, early 50s before Slim's movie career took off full time. Slim used to come out to Colorado to hunt with my uncle, an outfitter here for a few decades, so he could escape Hollywood and relax. He said the movies paid a lot better than rodeos ever did, lol.

 

[1dirthawker]

@Hunter-Habib,

great post and thread!

john way was my favorite actor in my youth. he was what a man was supposed to be.

a very close second was chuck conner, "the rifleman" the opening scene with him running his lever gun was epic and made a lasting impression on me.

pretty great and nostalgic subject.

 

[Muskox]

I am actually a big Weatherby fan. Fan of Roy, and a fan of what Weatherby has done since moving to Wyoming.

I received a copy of Gritts Gresham's book on Weatherby a few days ago and I have started to read it.

There was a pawn shop in Casper, Wyoming when I was a teen ager. The guy was a big fan of Weatherby rifles and he had tons of them there. He had a display case with several of the wood inlay and super engraving ones.

I have owned quite a few of them. German, South Gate, Japan and they are all great. Though the German ones do not normally shoot very well.

 

[grand veneur]

The deal of Roy Weatherby with Sauer probably was not the best, but whatever. I am also a Weatherby fan and John Wayne surely played a role in that. Despite my enthusiasm for a Mark V rifle caliber 300 Weatherby Magnum in the 1970s, I never bought one. I was more enthusiastic about the cartridges of Weatherby and that's why I still own a rifle caliber 340 Weatherby Magnum and another one caliber 460 Weatherby Magnum, but both rifles would not made by Weatherby.