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John Wayne

John Wayne Stood Tall For American Values On And Off The Screen

John Wayne wanted to be an attorney, not an actor.
He had enjoyed the stage as a member of his high school drama club, but entered pre-law at the University of Southern California on a football scholarship.
Then he broke his collarbone bodysurfing and had to drop out. He had been working part time as a prop boy and extra at Fox Film Corp. (later called 20th Century Fox) and began appearing in movies in 1926.
Wayne would go on to star in dozens of classic motion pictures, especially Westerns, including “The Searchers,” “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” and “True Grit,” for which he won the Academy Award for best actor.
“My dad worked hard to improve his acting by constantly practicing,” his son, Ethan, president of John Wayne Enterprises in Newport Beach, Calif., told IBD. “He learned not only his lines, but the story backward and forward, knew the camera angles that would work best and was always prepared. He became a master craftsman of filmmaking.”
Iowa Rise
Wayne (1907-79) was born in Winterset, Iowa, and named Marion Morrison after his grandfather, a Civil War hero.
The family moved to the Los Angeles area, where the father tried ranching and failed, so took a job as a pharmacist in Glendale. Marion was teased about his “girl’s name,” so he was happy when firemen he visited with his dog Duke began calling him Big Duke.
Fascinated by films being made in nearby hills, he began acting in high school. He also wrote for the school paper, was on the debate team, memorized poems of John Milton, became fluent in Latin and was president of his senior class, graduating in 1925.
He started at USC in 1925, but the football scholarship covered only tuition and one meal a day, so his coach asked movie cowboy Tom Mix to get him a job at Fox. Mix and director John Ford were friends of Wyatt Earp and eventually introduced the youngster to the legendary lawman. Wayne began imitating his walk and talk.
Big Break
His first role as an uncredited extra was in 1926’s silent flick, “Brown of Harvard.” The next year, Wayne was in the accident that ended his college football career.
In early 1930, director Raoul Walsh saw him moving studio furniture and decided Wayne had the strength and charisma to star in “The Big Trail,” the first sound spectacle, budgeted at $2 million (equal to $28 million now). Walsh also gave him his screen name, but while the movie was a critical success, it failed because of the Depression.
Wayne started getting small roles in A pictures and the lead in Bs, mostly Westerns, in which he was mentored by master stuntman Yakima Canutt.
In 1933, Wayne married Josephine Saenz, the first of his three wives of Hispanic descent (he was fluent in Spanish). They had two sons and two daughters, but divorced in 1945. He wed Esperanza Baur the next year, but they divorced eight years later. He married Pilar Pallette in 1954 and they would have a son and two daughters.
In 1939 came his second break, when Ford cast him in “Stagecoach,” the first Western to have three-dimensional characters. It was nominated for an Oscar for best picture, but lost to “Gone With the Wind.”
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Wayne expected to be drafted.
War Years
“He was eager to join the service, but was old for a soldier at 34 and had four children, which earned a deferment that Republic Pictures’ boss Herbert Yates insisted he accept or be sued,” said Roger McGrath, author of “Gunfighters, Highwaymen and Vigilantes.” “But if he had taken a physical it would have revealed his broken collarbone, a chronically bad back from having done his own stunts and damage to his inner ear canal caused by staying underwater while filming ‘Reap the Wild Wind.’ With the help of Ford, however, he applied to the photographic unit of the Office of Strategic Services, but the acceptance letter wasn’t forwarded by his estranged wife, Josephine. However, director William Donovan did assign him to make observations of the men and officers during a USO tour of the southwest Pacific in 1943-44, for which he was given a certificate of temporary service for OSS.”
Wayne also made morale-building pictures like “Flying Tigers,” “Fighting Seabees” and “Back to Bataan.” He would hail the heroes in later films like “They Were Expendable” and “Sands of Iwo Jima.”
After the war ended in 1945, he went back to making Westerns, including classics like “Fort Apache,” “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “Red River,” “Rio Grande” and “Rio Bravo.” His most notable was “The Searchers,” directed by Ford and released in 1956, which is No. 12 on the American Film Institute’s list of “100 Greatest American Films of All Time” (just ahead of “Star Wars”).
“He personified for his fans the character he often played in Westerns, the great individualist working hard to survive and protect his family on the frontier,” said R.L. Wilson, author of “The Peacemakers: Arms and Adventure in the American West.” “I knew Katharine Hepburn, who expressed how much of a pleasure it was to be on sets with him.”
Wayne also did a favor for Ford, making a romance set in Ireland with Maureen O’Hara, 1952’s “The Quiet Man,” which won Ford an Oscar as best director.
Disaster At The Alamo
After 12 years of preparation, Wayne felt ready to produce, direct and play the part of Davy Crockett in “The Alamo” in 1959. He regarded it as the greatest of all stories of American heroism, but found little interest from the studios. He borrowed against everything he owned to raise the $12 million (equal to $97 million today).
But everything went wrong on location in Brackettville, Texas. He hired much of Ford’s crew, and Ford insisted on directing some scenes, almost none of which were used, at a cost of $250,000. A flood destroyed thousands of adobe huts that had been constructed. A fire burned up many of Wayne’s files. A cast member was murdered. It received mixed reviews when released in 1960, though the final attack by the Mexican army is stirring.
Then Wayne discovered that his accountant had lost most of his remaining money through bad investments. He quickly signed a nonexclusive contract with Paramount Studios for 10 movies at $600,000 each (worth $5 million now).
One of the first was “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” in 1962. The same year, he starred in “The Longest Day,” a D-Day classic; “Hatari,” about the rescue of African animals; and the wide-screen epic “How the West Was Won.”
“The Green Berets,” released in 1968, expressed Wayne’s view that the Vietnam War was necessary to stop communist expansion. It did well at the box office, if not with the critics.
He pleased both critics and fans with 1969’s “True Grit,” which earned him $1.5 million (worth $10 million now) and the best actor Oscar.
Wayne’s last movie was 1976’s “The Shootist,” in which he gave one of his best performances.
The 142 pictures in which he played the lead grossed $377 million worldwide (equivalent to $3 billion today). He appeared for 25 years, the most of any star, in the Top Ten Money Makers Poll — a measure of ticket sales — from 1949-74.
He died of stomach cancer at age 72.
“Whatever he played, the power of Wayne’s personality shone through — clarity triumphant,” wrote Scott Eyman in “John Wayne: The Life and Legend.” “He played the kind of man he needed to believe in, the kind of man the audience needed to believe in, his own genre. . . . At his best, he was an American amalgam of Shakespeare’s Prince Hal and Falstaff, for our time, for all time —  larger than life, transcending death.”
Wayne’s Keys
Superstar of motion pictures, especially Westerns and war movies.
Overcame: Box office flops.
Lesson: When you get knocked down, dust yourself off and move forward.
“All I do is sell sincerity, and I’ve been selling the hell out of that ever since I started.”

John Wayne

The Legend Lives On: John Wayne is Still Alive!

In a world where legends never fade, we can’t help but wonder: what if John Wayne, the iconic figure of American cinema, is still with us in spirit? The Duke, known for his larger-than-life roles and undeniable charisma, continues to inspire generations.

From his unforgettable performances in classics like “True Grit” and “The Searchers” to his indomitable spirit, Wayne’s essence is woven into the fabric of Hollywood and American culture. His rugged persona, moral fortitude, and unwavering courage resonate deeply, reminding us of the values he embodied.

While we may not see him on the silver screen today, Wayne’s legacy lives on through the countless actors he inspired and the stories he helped tell. His films are timeless, bringing joy and adventure to audiences around the world.

So, as we celebrate the enduring impact of John Wayne, let’s keep his spirit alive in our hearts. Whether you’re watching one of his classics or sharing a favorite quote, remember that the legend of John Wayne will never truly die. Here’s to the Duke—forever a part of our cinematic history!

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John Wayne

Why John Wayne Turned Down the Chance to Work With Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood and John Wayne are the two biggest legends in the history of Western movies, however, they never worked together. The duo did have the opportunity to work together once in the 1970s. Here’s why the film never came to fruition.

How John Wayne responded when Clint Eastwood tried to work with him

Firstly, a little background. According to the book John Wayne: The Life and Legend, it all starts with Larry Cohen. Though Cohen is not a widely known director like Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino, he’s a huge name to fans of B movies. He directed famous B movies like The Stuff, Q: The Winged Serpent, It’s Alive, and God Told Me To. He also wrote a script called The Hostiles shortly after Eastwood released his classic High Plains Drifter.

The Hostiles was about a gambler who wins half of an estate of an older man. The gambler and the older man have to work together despite the fact that they don’t like each other. Eastwood optioned the screenplay with the intent of playing the gambler alongside Wayne as the older man.

Eastwood sent a copy of the script of The Hostiles to Wayne. Although Eastwood felt the script was imperfect, he saw its potential. However, Wayne was not interested. Eastwood pitched the film to Wayne a second time and Wayne responded with a letter. Wayne’s letter complained about High Plains Drifter. Wayne was offended by the film and its portrayal of the Old West as a cruel, violent place.

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John Wayne

Ann-Margret Refused to Call John Wayne ‘Duke’ While Introducing 1 of His Movies

Ann-Margret once starred in one of John Wayne’s lesser-known movies. However, she refused to call him by his popular moniker Duke. Here’s a look at the film they made together — and why she declined to call him by a nickname.

The one time Ann-Margret and John Wayne made a movie together

Ann-Margret is probably most known for her work in musicals, specifically Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, and The Who’s Tommy. However, she also dabbled in the Western genre. She starred alongside Wayne in the mostly forgotten movie The Train Robbers.

Wayne was also known as The Duke or just Duke. According to USA Today, the nickname was derived from his childhood dog. It stuck with him for many years. It continues to be used today — even on the box covers of the DVDs for his movies.

John Wayne | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

During an interview with Interview Magazine, Ann-Margret explained why she didn’t refer to the Rio Bravo star by this famous name. “When I came to this country, first of all, mother and I didn’t know English,” she said. “I would curtsey, then say, ‘Thank you,’ and then when I was leaving, curtsey. For example, we went to Dallas to introduce a film I did with John Wayne. And I never called him Duke. I just couldn’t. That’s the way I was raised. When you meet someone, you say either Mr. or Mrs. or Miss. You stand up.”

Ann-Margret revealed she treated other famous people in much the same way. For example, she worked with director George Sidney on Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas. She always called him Mr. Sidney.

What Ann-Margret thought about John Wayne

Ann-Margret refused to use Wayne’s most famous moniker. However, she had a positive view of the actor. During an interview with Fox News, she was asked what she expected when she met Wayne. “Oh, I didn’t know what to expect,” she revealed. “But when he hugged me, it’s like the world was hugging me. He was so big and wide with that booming voice. 

“We were shooting in Durango, Mexico and my parents came down to visit me,” she added. “He was so great with my parents. So absolutely welcoming and gentle with them. And anybody who was great to my parents was on a throne in my eyes.”

How the world reacted to ‘The Train Robbers’

Wayne starred in many classic Westerns, including The Searchers, Stagecoach, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. However, The Train Robbers is mostly forgotten. It didn’t gain a cult following like Once Upon a Time in the West or Dead Man. It wasn’t a critical success either, garnering a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Ann-Margret had some fond memories of making the film — even if she refused to call Wayne by his famous nickname.

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