Compare and Contrast

One of those favorite movie moments is when Jimmy Stewart punches John Wayne in the 1962 western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. John Wayne played the straight shooting, larger than life, all-American hero as Jimmy Stewart played an inept easterner looking to tame the west with justice under the law.

These two characters in the movie are opposites of each other but they both play the hero. Each represents a different kind of heroism. Once I sat in on a lecture on how they represent the liberal / conservative divide in American politics and by the end of the lecture it didn't sound like too much of a stretch.  The real moral of the movie is at the end when a newspaper reporter decides not to print the true story of who shot the outlaw Liberty Valance. On one level is the cynical view point of when the true isn't as cool as the legend,  keep the legend alive and ignore the truth. The other less sardonic understanding is people like a simple story  but behind every legend is a more complex story filled with contradicting facts .

The movie careers of Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne had a similar compare and contrast quality. I saw The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance after the 1968 release of The Green Berets. This might have been John Wayne's most ill advised script choice since playing Ganges Khan in The Conqueror. You would think no one would be a better choice than John Wayne to play a Green Beret Colonel. It was the times that was against the Legend of the Duke.

In 1968 the public opinion had turned against the war in Vietnam. The Green Beret movie was in many was an old fashioned propaganda film that came off as heavy handed and misguided. The ending seem to symbolize the lack of understanding by having John Wayne along the beach into the sunset -despite the fact the coast of Vietnam is on the east.  To compound John Wayne's image problems, he voiced his opinion about a growing number of young people resisting the draft.  John Wayne was staunch anti-communist and social conservative  but he might have also been a draft dodger during World War 2.  It sounded like the worse kind of hypocrisy at a time when the emotions were running high.

In all fairness John Wayne was 34 when Pearl Harbor was attacked.  His first hit movie Stagecoach was released in 1939, which made him a bankable actor but he was far from being rich and famous. His marriage was tanking and he had young kids to support.

During the war John Wayne made 13 feature films to help support the war effort. He became rich and famous from the image he created. He had told friends he planned to enlist after he made another film or two. Near the end of the war he did make an attempt to join a Naval intelligence unit set up by his friend and director John Ford. The paperwork was never followed up by Wayne .

On the surface being a Hollywood hero has to be more appealing that actually fighting in a brutal war.  Though not even nominally participating had to look weak and selfish, it probably weighed heavy on his conscious.  And maybe he was over compensating  with his overt patriotism later on in life.  I've seen that with many guys who had dodged the draft during Vietnam or came to age during peace time.  They are super patriotic at public events commemorating combat veterans and troops overseas  -but oddly don't know any veterans personally or are too busy to volunteer time.

Many Hollywood actors did enlist during World War 2. Most notably was Henry Fonda, Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart.  Jimmy Steward was an established actor and probably already a millionaire in 1941, a time when that much money had ten to twenty times the value it has today. Jimmy Steward had everything to live for but he came from the philosophy that " to those much is given, much is expected".  An idea that's seen as much too liberal in the shadow of the Ayn Rand neo-conservatism, where the mindset is "you earned, it's yours".

Jimmy Stewart is rarely if ever remembered for his political viewpoints. A lifelong Republican he was an active member and supporter of the party.  He was also a live and let live person, who stood by his principals and  respected others for theirs.   

 

As note worth mentioning James Stewart served four years in the Army Air Corps. Part of that time he was a bomber pilot over Nazi Germany and flew 20 combat missions.

Another similar pairing in that time period was Senator George McGovern and incumbent President Nixon in the 1972 presidential election.

Nixon had set himself up as  the conservative, hawkish, law and order, and must stay the course in Vietnam candidate.  George McGovern was portrayed as all the opposite of what Nixon was. Both men served in World War 2.

Nixon was in a Navy and coordinated flights of transport planes on the west coast of the United States. Important work but far from combat. George McGovern was bomber pilot in Europe. From airbases in Italy he flew 35 combat missions . One of which his plane was struck hundreds of times with flak and bullets and he had to make an emergency landing on a short and unfamiliar airfield. His coolness under fire earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross.

 

No one ever recalls that McGovern was the decorated war veteran.  Up until when the Watergate Scandal broke most people thought it was Nixon who was the true blue all American.  McGovern was reluctant to talk about his military service because he understood first hand that war was ugly and brutal. Nixon was only too happy to mention his service to his country.

This kind of pattern continues on, such as the 2002 Senatorial election between Max Cleland and Saxby Chambliss.  Max Cleland was a decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam War, he also lost the lower halves of both legs and part of one arm in battle. As the incumbent Cleland served as a very middle of the road moderate.

The Chambliss campaign ran a series successful last minute smear ads that portrayed Cleland as weak on military defense and seriously questioned his patriotism.  As though three lost limbs wasn't enough sacrifice.

Election champions are  not for the thin skinned and have always been known for being ruthlessly nasty -but many political scientist note that campaign was a particularly low  moment in American history.  Just in case you were interested Chambliss did not serve in Vietnam, he was exempt from the draft because a football knee injury.  

But like in the end of the Who Shot Liberty Valance the real story is a bit more complex.