Author Scott Allen Nollen is Guest Author on Feb. 8 & 9!

Past chats with our guests.
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moira finnie
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Author Scott Allen Nollen is Guest Author on Feb. 8 & 9!

Post by moira finnie »

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If you love American film, do you think you know John Ford, John Wayne and Ward Bond? This coming weekend at The Silver Screen Oasis we can all learn more about these men, asking our guest author to illuminate the long shadows cast by his three figures during a Q & A with registered members All are welcome to participate.

Scott Allen Nollen, the author of Three Bad Men: John Ford, John Wayne & Ward Bond (McFarland), will be the guest author on Sat., Feb. 8th & Sun., Feb. 9th. Nollen, a historian, archivist, author of many books, including one exploring the screen incarnations of Sherlock Holmes and another examining Laurel & Hardy, has distilled thirty years of fascination with John Ford films into this wide-ranging biographical take on the trio of flawed, "good bad men" whose careers intertwined with their mentor. The biographer brings his skills as an engaging raconteur to this chronicle of the adventures, glory and foibles of three of cinema's best remembered figures, revealing their complexity, contradictions and artistry in a way that has rarely been explored.

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Above: Ward Bond, (unidentified) John Ford, & John Wayne on a fishing trip (circa 1940)

The difficult, poetic and gifted Ford was the axis, father figure, bete noire, inspiration, and conscience of John Wayne and Ward Bond, the two actors who appeared in so many Ford classics as well as hundreds of other directors' films in the studio era. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Nollen's work is that we see how profoundly being under Ford's lifelong influence helped and hampered the growth of John Wayne and Ward Bond as men and as actors. The vulnerability and strength of each of the three friends is part of the narrative, but most intriguingly for classic film aficionados, the author's exploration of the sometimes troubled life and wonderful career of Ward Bond is documented in an unprecedented way for the first time.

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Above: Ward Bond as "John Dodge" & John Wayne as "'Spig' Wead" in The Wings of Eagles (1957)

The book includes dozens of rare stories and photos, a complete filmography for each individual as well as numerous letters, studio files, and personal reactions of the writer to his subjects' larger-than-life adventures, missteps and moments of grace. While Ford and Wayne have received considerable attention in print prior to Nollen's book, the book shifts a reader's perspective on them from the iconic to a much more human level, bringing them to life through the author's detailed account of their everyday lives and struggles.

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Above: A very young John Wayne & Ward Bond in Salute (1929) directed by an uncredited John Ford & David Butler.

Upcoming Films on TCM in February related to the careers of John Ford, John Wayne or Ward Bond:

Sat., Feb. 8th:
The Long Voyage Home (1940)
How The West Was Won (1962)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Mister Roberts (1955)

Wed., Feb. 19th:
The Hurricane (1937)

Tue., Feb. 25th:
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Please accept this invitation to be a part of the discussion on Sat., Feb. 8th and Sun., Feb. 9th.

For more information about Scott Allen Nollen, his book, and this weekend's planned event, please see the links below:

The Three Bad Men Facebook page

Scott Nollen at McFarland Books

The Silver Screen Oasis Guest Authors

Directed by John Ford:
A blog devoted to all things Ford-related by SSO member Miss Goddess

An Interview with Scott Nollen:
by Cliff Alperti@Immortal Ephemera

'Three Bad Men: John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond' is the Story of Hollywood:
by Carla Ives@The Examiner
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knitwit45
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Re: Author Scott Allen Nollen is Guest Author on Feb. 8 & 9!

Post by knitwit45 »

Moira, isn't that "unidentified" fellow Henry Fonda? Sure does look like him.
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Re: Author Scott Allen Nollen is Guest Author on Feb. 8 & 9!

Post by Rita Hayworth »

knitwit45 wrote:Moira, isn't that "unidentified" fellow Henry Fonda? Sure does look like him.

Knitty, this is the 2nd time I've seen that picture and when you said Henry Fonda - I'm certain that you are right on this!
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moira finnie
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Re: Author Scott Allen Nollen is Guest Author on Feb. 8 & 9!

Post by moira finnie »

Maybe it is Henry Fonda?! I just don't know, but I see the resemblance. Thanks for pointing this out, Nan & Erik. Hope you'll both ask Scott questions about this and other related topics. If anyone might know, it could be our upcoming guest.
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