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It's an understatement to say that John Wayne has a complicated legac, not only as an icon of American cinema but also as a figure who represents both the country's rugged idealism and its deeply ingrained ugliness. He worked alongside some of Hollywood's greatest performers, collaborated with the industry's most esteemed directors, and starred in some truly great films.

But Wayne had his fair share of misfires and duds, too — entries that help paint a more comprehensive picture of his cinematic footprint. Some were early B-grade genre pictures churned out at a rapid pace with meager resources. Others more directly reflect the problematic political beliefs and personal prejudices that, now more than ever, tarnish his reputation. Wayne is the sum of his widely varying, often contradictory parts, and that includes his more regrettable output.

Here are the 10 worst John Wayne movies,...

This early John Wayne oater displays the natural star quality and winning personality that sustained him through the 1930s -- it's a naïve, charming western that features some of The Duke's closest early associates. 'Neath Arizona Skies Blu-ray Olive Films 1934 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 52 min. / Street Date July 19, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 24.95 Starring John Wayne, Sheila Terry, Shirley Jane Rickert, Jack Rockwell, Yakima Canutt, Weston Edwards, Jay Wilsey, Earl Dwire, George 'Gabby' Hayes. Cinematography Archie Stout Film Editor Charles Hunt Original Music Billly Barber Written by Burl R. Tuttle from his story. Produced by Paul Malvern Directed by Harry L. Fraser

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Want to see where our western film heritage really came from? Big studios made giant wagon train movies, epics about the railroad and star-driven biographies of Billy the Kid, but the genre was sustained by a steady diet of six reel 'oaters,...

I am surely in a friend & food coma while you're reading this. Happily so! This Thanksgiving I'm grateful for all of you. You keep coming back daily to read the latest cinematic musings here at The Film Experience. Obsessing on the movies is really meant to be a team sport so I appreciate the fine company. They don't make movie theaters with one seat in them.

So thank you for being here daily from all over the world -- not just the States -- with an especially amorphous shout out to readers in Canada, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Spain, France, Mexico and The Philippines. You've always been supportive. And a big hug to my magical elves contributors who've really helped keep the blog going during a difficult year.

Normal programming resumes tomorrow but I must give thanks to the following sources of cinematic happiness at the moment: ambiguous endings,...

Former child star-turned burlesque dancer Shirley Jean Rickert has died after a long illness. She was 82.

The Seattle, Washington native moved to Hollywood when she was four, after winning a home state baby beauty contest, and became a member of movie mogul Hal Roach's Our Gang troupe.

She starred in five Our Gang comedies before joining Mickey Rooney in five Mickey McGuire movies, in which she played Tomboy Taylor, and also teamed up with John Wayne in 1934 western 'Neath the Arizona Skies.

But her onscreen success was limited to largely small roles, and she quit to become a burlesque dancer after a series of uncredited dancing parts in movie musicals like Singin’ in the Rain.

Her stage name became Gilda and Her Crowning Glory and she enjoyed cult status in clubs throughout the 1950s.

She quit showbusiness altogether in 1959, apart from a stint as a sales director for a regional theatre in Massachusetts, and became a successful travelling saleswoman.

Rickert died in a New York nursing home last Friday.