Burbank, Calif., February 24, 2014 — To commemorate one of America’s most iconic film heroes, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will introduce a comprehensive new DVD set — John Wayne: The Epic Collection — on May 20. The spring release, just in time for Father’s Day gift-giving ($149.98 SRP), will contain 38 discs with 40 Wayne films (full list below), including The Searchers, once called one of the most influential movies in American history[1] and the film for which Wayne won his Best Actor Academy Award®, True Grit (1969). The collection comes packaged in a handsome book with unique collectibles and hours of special features.
The coffee table book includes a chronological presentation of Wayne films, enhanced with wonderful photographs; the hours of special features include commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, vintage shorts and classic cartoons; and the special John Wayne collectibles include personal correspondence, script pages/covers, pages with Wayne’s notations and behind-the-scenes artifacts.
Wayne’s legacy will also be celebrated at the 4th annual John Wayne Film Festival in Dallas from April 24th through the 27th. The four-day festival will feature screenings of some of Wayne’s classic feature films, Q + A sessions with Wayne family members and co-stars, and parties celebrating the John Wayne heritage and legacy. All the proceeds from the festival will benefit the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.
In making the announcement of the new collection, Jeff Baker, WHV’s Executive VP and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog said, “Thanks to our recent strategic alliance with Paramount and their catalog titles, we’re delighted to be able to offer this number of titles representing such a broad range of Wayne’s work. Wayne was one of the most popular film stars ever. For more than a quarter century he was one of the tops at the worldwide box-office. This collection will certainly be a ‘must have’ for loyal John Wayne fans and, hopefully, will have an equal appeal to younger folks who want to learn more about him.”
Born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, John Wayne first worked in the film business as a laborer on the Fox lot during summer vacations from U.S.C., which he attended on a football scholarship. He met and was befriended by John Ford, a young director who was beginning to make a name for himself in action films, comedies and dramas. It was Ford who recommended Wayne for his first leading role.
For the next nine years, Wayne worked in a multitude of B-Westerns and serials in between bit parts in larger features. Wayne’s big break came in 1939, when Ford cast him as the Ringo Kid in the adventure Stagecoach. Wayne nearly stole the picture from his more seasoned co-stars, and his career as a box-office superstar began. During his 50 year film career, Wayne played the lead in more than 140 movies[2], an as yet unsurpassed record, and was nominated for three Academy Awards®[3], winning the Best Actor award for his performance in True Grit (1969).
Discs In John Wayne: The Epic Collection
Big Stampede/Ride Him Cowboy/Haunted Gold, 1932
Telegraph Trail/Somewhere in Sonora/Man from Monterey, 1933
Allegheny Uprising, 1939
Reunion In France, 1942
Tall in the Saddle,1944
Back to Bataan, 1945
They Were Expendable, 1945
Without Reservations, 1946
Tycoon, 1947
Fort Apache, 1948
The Three Godfathers, 1948
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, 1949
Flying Leathernecks, 1951
Operation Pacific, 1951
Big Jim McLain, 1952
Trouble Along the Way, 1953
Blood Alley, 1966
The Sea Chase, 1955
The Searchers, 1956
The Wings Of Eagles, 1957
Rio Bravo, 1959
Hatari, 1962
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962
How The West Was Won: Special Edition, 1962
Donovan’s Reef, 1963
In Harm’s Way, 1965
The Sons Of Katie Elder, 1965
El Dorado, 1966
The Green Berets, 1968
True Grit, 1969
Chisum, 1970
Cowboys, The: Deluxe Edition, 1972
Cahill: U.S. Marshall, 1973
The Train Robbers, 1973
McQ, 1974
The Shootist, 1976
John Wayne: The Epic Collection ridin’ home in May
