John Wayne was an American actor whose distinctive drawl and tilting ball of the toes walk were immediately recognisable, and who came, more than any other actor to represent the old American West and Frontier Spirit on screen. His iconic status made him the focus for constant referencing in relation to macho / all action and western themes, as well as mimickry, something Mork and others turned to several times.
About John Wayne[]
Born Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), in Winterset, Iowa, but grew up in Southern California. He lost a football scholarship to the University of Southern California as a result of a bodysurfing accident, and began working for the Fox Film Corporation. where he became known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed Duke.[1]
He appeared mostly in small parts through the silent era, with his first leading role coming in Raoul Walsh's Western The Big Trail (1930), an early widescreen film epic which was a box-office failure. He played leading roles in numerous B movies during the 1930s, most of them also Westerns, without becoming a major name. It was John Ford's Stagecoach (1939), the first of a number of collaborations between the two, that made Wayne a mainstream star, and he starred in 142 motion pictures altogether. According to one biographer, "John Wayne personified for millions the nation's frontier heritage."[1]
Wayne's other notable roles include Red River (1948), The Quiet Man (1952) one of many movies opposite Maureen O'Hara with whom he formed a memorable screen team, Rio Bravo (1959), The Searchers (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and The Longest Day (1962). In 1969, he took on the role of Rooster Cogburn the cantankerous one-eyed marshal in the film of the book True Grit (1969), for which he received the Academy Award for Best Actor, following up it up opposite Katherine Hepburn in the sequel Rooster Cogburn (1972). In his final screen performance, he starred as an aging gunfighter battling cancer in The Shootist (1976). He made his last public appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979 before succumbing to stomach cancer two months later. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor of the United States.[1]
In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.
Morks Multiple References[]
- Dueling Skates - Mork does a John Wayne voice for his Genghis Khan impersonation referring to Wayne's infamous casting as the Mongol in 1956's The Conqueror.
- Gunfight at the Mork-Kay Corral - In the old saloon of the Ghost Town Windy Gulch, Mork runs through a gamut of lines and characters in the recreation of the card game, including John Wayne.
- My Dad Can't Beat Up Anybody - Mearth comes down doing an impersonation of John Wayne from the movie he's been watching.
Animated Show[]
- The Greatest Shmo on Earth - When Doing is captured, Mork calls on Superman as one of the people to turn to to help.
- To Ork or Not to Ork - In trying to woo Mindy away from Hamilton, John Wayne is one of the macho persona's Mork adopts.
- Ride 'em Morkboy - Mork both walks like and imitates Wayne when he calls out the Rodeo Owner for being chicken.
- Extra-Terrestrial Toddler - Mork mimics John Wayne in his initial duel with the Orkan Scientist.