A lecture examining John Wayne as an international star and the global reach of Hollywood is scheduled for noon today in 330 Hendricks Hall.
“In the United States, we tend to see Wayne as a star who is distinctly American, but I want to explore Wayne’s global stardom in order to help people think more critically about the global impacts of Hollywood,” said graduate teaching fellow Russell William Meeuf.
The event is titled “John Wayne, Transnational Stardom, and Global Hollywood in the 1950s.” This lecture will cover how issues of masculinity transcend culture on a global scale, and includes an analysis of Wayne’s most popular films, “Red River,” “Rio Bravo” and “Hondo,” which became international blockbusters.
Meeuf chose to write his dissertation on John Wayne’s international stardom because he believes the topic is new, interesting and rarely published in books. Wayne is rarely used as an example of how modern capitalist masculinity has shifted the cultures of many other countries in research.
For his research, Meeuf visited the Margaret Herrick Library in Los Angeles, which houses the Motion Picture Academy and the University of Southern California’s Warner Bros. library.
Meeuf feels that University students can benefit from his lecture as a way to start thinking critically of Hollywood stardom and popular culture.
“I think my topic will offer a new perspective on John Wayne,” he said.
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