Offering a closer look at both True Grit films
Exhibition is a must-see for all John Wayne fans and admirers of the American West
 

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum offers visitors an insider’s look at both True Grit films in the new exhibition Two Grits - A Peek Behind the Eyepatch, November 15, 2019 – May 10, 2020.

Two Grits - A Peek Behind the Eyepatch will explore the similarities and the differences between the 1969 and 2009 version of True Grit. Specifically, visitors will see a comparison of character development, cinematography, screenplays, actors’ performances, costumes and much more. Film artifacts, costume components and props from both films, as well as photographs from both films, will help exhibition goers understand the two True Grit films and the novel by the same name. The exhibition also recognizes the 50th anniversary of the 1969 film and the 10th anniversary of the 2009 film.

Some exhibition highlights include Kim Darby’s and Hailee Steinfeld’s Mattie Ross costumes. Visitors will also be treated to seeing Jeff Bridges’s Rooster Cogburn hat and Matt Damon’s LaBoeuf costume. However, the piece de resistance is John Wayne’s actual True Grit costume – shirt, pants, jacket, neckerchief, belt, cowboy boots, hat and iconic eye patch. Other treasures include Wayne’s personal script he used during the production of the 1969 film and the Best Actor Academy Award he earned for True Grit.

“As the keepers of the John Wayne Collection coupled with the golden anniversary of the 1969 film True Grit, and the 10th anniversary of the 2010 re-make by the Coen Brothers, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum examines the Western legacy of one of the best-known of John Wayne’s films,” said Michael Grauer, Curator of Western Art and McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture. “The Museum will examine how popular-culture media, including fiction, can affect mythmaking about the American West.  The universal appeal of John Wayne makes this exhibition a must-see for all who love the American West.

About the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the Museum collects, preserves and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring dynamic educational programs to stimulate interest in the enduring legacy of the American West. For more information, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.