The Man With No Name versus The Duke
You all know that Clint Eastwood is one of my heroes; has been since I discovered - belatedly, I admit - the brilliance of “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” several years ago. And shortly after that, I finally saw “True Grit” and added John Wayne to my short list of icons. But to pit the two of them against each other in a fight? Ooh, that’s a tough one.
But it comes down to two things: first, no man with the name “Marion” is ever going to beat up a guy named “Clint.” Period. And I mean no disrespect at all to any guy named “Marion” who is reading this. It’s not your fault that your parents named you “Marion,” after all. Second, Clint has proven himself in virtually every genre: westerns, comedy, drama, cops, sports, country, chick flick, war; hell - even space! So if it came down to Clint Eastwood vs John Wayne, it would have to be Clint Eastwood that emerges victorious.
July 26th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
I’d place ten bucks on Clint, however, I think a man named Marion would certainly beat up a man named Clint. He’d have something to prove.
July 27th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Good point, Courtney - sorta like a boy named Sue!
July 28th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
As much as I like The Duke, I have to say that in a duel, I’d put my money on Clint. Hanged and left for dead, he’s like the energizer bunny… he just keeps on coming. Hmmm… pitting those two against each other would rather be like pitting you vs _______________.
July 29th, 2007 at 6:34 am
I will preface this by saying I do adore Clint Eastwood. Above and beyond his screen work, I have met him and spent time with him and he proved to be a deeply engaging, thoughtful, and otherwise entertaining person. That, and he gave me a suede jacket but I won’t let my opinion be biased by swag! *ahem* Anyway… Regardless, there is something iconic about John Wayne that transcends even Clint. Sit down one afternoon and watch “The Searchers,” then follow that up with “The Quiet Man.” Enought said. The Duke by a mile.
July 30th, 2007 at 4:33 am
Clint would have sure taught him a good lesson, a lesson he never would forget.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:02 am
Though Duke once called Clint “…my natural successor.”, a comparison of the two at say an equal age of maybe 35 or so, clearly favors the more powerful Duke. In the early 1960’s Clint participated (along with many other TV western stars of the time) in Hollywood “fast draw” and shooting competions; however, reportedly he wasn’t a real competitor and really only “appeared” as part of his series promotion as he wasn’t very fast or accurate. Duke on the other hand (according to countless well-researched books), was a dead shot with pistol and rifle, in addition to practicing his draw over many years with the cowboy/stuntmen of the 30’s and 40’s.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:49 am
First, I don’t know what their real names have to do with anything. Isn’t this a contest between the characters? Second, the Duke is an American legend. In fact, the Shootist’s “law” essentially symbolizes most Americans: “I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to ohter people and I expect the same from them.” Third, if you noticed that in any of the Duke’s Western’s, he is normally shot from behind and not in the front. Why? Next time you see a 6′4″, 200 lbs. man with a pistol, you tell me why.