10 Films That Were Blatant Propaganda

Cowboy actor/President Ronald Reagan's administration was the last time John Wayne was a relevant figure. He's a walking anachronism, now, and he was already seeing his waning days in 1968 when Westerns had moved past the silent strong man and into Peckinpah territory, where he'd never fit right.

He did, however, struggle desperately for relevancy, falling back on old tricks when he stumbled upon Robin Moore's novel The Green Berets. In Moore's novel, Wayne and co-director Ray Kellogg found a strong, anti-commie war film, perfect for showcasing The Duke's America. In The Duke's America, he punches Stalin harder than Captain America walloped the Furher, by gum. No commie was safe.

Wayne even secured funding and support from Lyndon Johnson and the Department of Defense.

It may not have helped matters that Warner Bros. demanded less talk, more action - something that for which The Alamo was criticized. That limited Wayne's desire to have more well-drawn characters. But none of those characters would have been members of the Viet Cong. They are portrayed as savages, having no frontline or strategy. It was the year of the Tet offensive, so Wayne wanted them as despicable as possible.

One journalist described coming home from covering Vietnam and seeing the film thusly: "I laughed out loud...and my companion...said, 'Let's get the hell out of here and run like hell'."