“..…what makes a man to roam? What makes a man leave bed and board and turn his back on home? Ride away…” John Wayne was in many ways like multifaceted character of The Searchers, Ethan Edwards, the ultimate drifter, forever looking for a home. Almost to his dying breath, the actor talked about making one more movie. Making movies to him meant traveling. Go places. “Ride away”, like in the Searcher's theme song. He loved being on location. They helped shape the outdoor men he played. He embraced the often harsh environment. After what was probably his toughest location, the Sahara desert, which almost killed Sophia Loren and had tested everybody’s endurance, he summed it up: “I would not have missed this location for anything.”
If you like this site, you'll like this brandnew book: the first comprehensive guide to the John Wayne Locations, with hundreds of then-and-now photos, unpublished behind-the-scenes-pictures and detailed tour descriptions
Find directions to locations and anecdotes from the set in this new publication from McFarland, available now at bookstores everywhere
All pictures posted on this website are from the collection of the author, unless otherwise noted