Rewatched the wonderful 1939 John Ford movie, with John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell (who got an Oscar for playing a drunk-but-standup doctor), Andy Devine, John Carradine, et al. Struck by 3 things:
* John Wayne's character is Ringo, or the Ringo Kid. Ringo Starr was born in 1940. Did he get his nickname from the movie? I think the answer is no, it was from him wearing rings, but many or most people wear rings, often big ones, & don't get called Ringo.
* As he makes off with the bank's gold, the crook banker spouts off about how banks shouldn't be regulated, that the government should trust him to do his business & stay out of it. "Why, they're even talking now about having bank examiners. As if we bankers don't know how to run our own banks. Why Boone, I actually have a letter from a popinjay official saying they were going to inspect my books. I have a slogan that should be emblazoned on every newspaper in the country. 'America for Americans.' The government must not interfere with business! Reduce taxes! Our national debt is something shocking! Over one billion dollars a year! What this country needs is a businessman for President."
* Donald Meek who played a whiskey salesman is said to have gone bald due to yellow fever he got fighting in the Spanish-American war. Could that possibly be true?
* John Wayne's character is Ringo, or the Ringo Kid. Ringo Starr was born in 1940. Did he get his nickname from the movie? I think the answer is no, it was from him wearing rings, but many or most people wear rings, often big ones, & don't get called Ringo.
* As he makes off with the bank's gold, the crook banker spouts off about how banks shouldn't be regulated, that the government should trust him to do his business & stay out of it. "Why, they're even talking now about having bank examiners. As if we bankers don't know how to run our own banks. Why Boone, I actually have a letter from a popinjay official saying they were going to inspect my books. I have a slogan that should be emblazoned on every newspaper in the country. 'America for Americans.' The government must not interfere with business! Reduce taxes! Our national debt is something shocking! Over one billion dollars a year! What this country needs is a businessman for President."
* Donald Meek who played a whiskey salesman is said to have gone bald due to yellow fever he got fighting in the Spanish-American war. Could that possibly be true?