If you decide to dress up like John Wayne for Halloween, there’s a chance you can get featured on the Instagram page for his estate.

The great John Wayne made appearances in many Western films during his time on top of Hollywood. As a matter of fact, Wayne is widely considered to be one of the most popular actors of all time. Often referred to as one of his many nicknames like “The Duke,” Wayne has played a role in more than 80 movies. However, is his best known for all of his Western and war movies.

It makes sense that people want to dress up like him for Halloween, right? It’s safe to say that hundreds of people every year get dressed up has The Duke before heading out for their Halloween festivities. That could be in the form of a kid trick-or-treating, or an adult at a Halloween party. But Wayne has fans both young and old, from every generation.

If there was ever a year to dress up like John Wayne it would be 2021. Not only can you enjoy the evening as a cowboy, but the experience could be all the more special if you get featured on the John Wayne Official Instagram page. Take a look at the post down below for instructions.

“If you’re dressing up as John Wayne this weekend, make sure to tag @johnwayneofficial and we’ll share your costume on our Stories!”

Some fans of John Wayne will no doubt dress up like him and send photos to the Instagram page. But not everyone will partake out of respect.

“I am not worthy. Nor are any others,” one fan said.

“I have too much respect,” another person commented.

It’s Easy to Put Together a John Wayne Halloween Costume

That’s right, folks — it’s probably easier than you may think to put together a rock-solid John Wayne costume for the holiday.

But what makes it able to be so easily put together? One of those reasons is the fact that he has played so many different characters throughout his illustrious career. That means that you probably even have some items available to use in your home right now.

You can come up with your own cowboy character with some of your very own clothes and props. Some of those may include things like chaps, hats, vests, cowboy boots, a duster, and a sheriff’s badge. And don’t forget to add a pair of spurs and a bandana to complete the look.

Step two? Swagger and drawl. You won’t be completely finished once you have the basics of your costume complete. After that is done, the way you make it come alive is with some of that trademark John Wayne swagger and drawl.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of John Wayne’s 1971 film Big Jake, the legendary actor’s estate is teasing an upcoming McCandles Family Reunion.

By 1971, The Duke had already starred in what seems like countless classic western films. In fact, he had already worked with director George Sherman on numerous western projects. But Big Jake would be Sherman’s last film of his long directing career. Although critics reviewed the movie with mixed results, it grossed $7.5 million in the US, which made it one of the most successful films of the year.

The McCandles family bands together to help return Big Jake’s grandson who was kidnapped for ransom. John Wayne’s lead role character is joined by his sons who set off to deliver the kidnapper’s ransom. But the McCandles clan has no intention of handing over the money without a fight.

Now that five decades have passed, John Wayne’s estate is bringing some of the cast back together again. The iconic actor’s sons Patrick Wayne (James MCCandles) and Ethan Wayne (Little Jake) both had starring roles in the 1971 film. Additionally, another Hollywood legend Robert Mitchum’s son, Christopher Mitchum, portrayed Michael McCandles.

All three men are making an appearance at the upcoming reunion. It takes place in Fort Worth, Texas on Nov. 3 with a pre-reception cocktail hour and a live panel interview with the actors. If interested, you can get more information and purchase tickets here.

“‘Not hardly.’ Never underestimate Jacob McCandles… or the whole McCandles family. Join us November 3rd for the McCandles Family Reunion! A live panel featuring Patrick Wayne, Ethan Wayne, and Chris Mitchum,” John Wayne’s official Instagram account wrote.

John Wayne’s Son Patrick Reveals How He Named His Son

Speaking of John Wayne’s son Patrick, he recently revealed in his new podcast that he used one of his dad’s unused nicknames to name his child. That’s right, The Duke’s grandson is named after his grandfather in a roundabout sort of way.

While Wayne’s children haven’t shared the spotlight in Hollywood anywhere close to their father, many of them have acted as well. Patrick Wayne has starred in more than 40 movies over the years, including sharing the screen with his famous dad in 11 films.

While his father’s fans may not know The Duke’s family well, they’re getting to know his children better these days. Wayne’s son Ethan has created The John Wayne Gritcast, a podcast that dives into all things John Wayne. During the debut episode, Ethan’s siblings Patrick and Marisa were special guests. While Wayne’s children spoke about their life with their Hollywood dad, Patrick shared the origin story of his son Anthony’s name.

“Raoul Walsh was going to name my dad, he was gonna name him Anthony Wayne,” Patrick explained. “But then, ya know, they called him ‘Mad Anthony Wayne’ after the general in the Revolutionary War. So they said, ‘Wayne, yeah, but we’ll call him John Wayne. So I named my son Anthony Wayne.”

“What John Wayne film do you think had the biggest impact on the cinema industry?” asks Marisa Wayne in the first episode of the John Wayne Gritcast. Ethan Wayne says 1930’s The Big Trail, as it was 23-year-old John Wayne’s first leading role.

Patrick Wayne disagrees, stating that The Big Trail was a failure. And it was; as one of the first films with sound to hit theaters, it also followed the Great Depression by a year. Shot in new widescreen format, most theaters refused to spend the money to upgrade their projection equipment in order to show the film, according to the Gilcrease Museum.

Patrick votes for The Searchers, a 1956 western epic directed by John Ford and also starring Natalie Wood and Jeffrey Hunter. The American Film Institute seems to agree with Patrick Wayne: in 2008 the organization named The Searchers the greatest American Western.

According to Patrick, The Searchers was not a critical or financial success. But, with the help of up-and-coming directors in film school who discovered the film, it became a cult classic. “I don’t know if it’s that it was a generation later, people look at it with a different eye,” said Patrick. “But it became impactful and it is today one of the 50 top westerns ever made.”

He goes on to tell the story of how The Searchers got made. Apparently, John Ford wanted to make The Quiet Man, and Warner Bros. weren’t sure about John Wayne in Ireland. So, they made a deal with Ford that if he made a western with John Wayne as well, they would let him make The Quiet Man.

“They made a two-picture deal,” says Patrick. “And that’s how those two films got made. Otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten made.”

John Wayne’s Most Impactful Films

Along with The Searchers, Patrick also spoke about 1949’s Sands of Iwo Jima. The film followed a squad of Marines through basic training all the way to the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. John Wayne played Sergeant John Stryker, who the men in his squad greatly disliked. He put them through rigorous training, which they eventually learned to appreciate as the battles escalated.

“The U.S. Marine Corps claims today that that film is the reason why the Marine Corps is still existent,” says Patrick. “They have a special place in their heart for John Wayne.”

According to Ethan Wayne, apparently John Wayne was the Armed Forces’ “greatest recruiting tool.” He says that it’s possible General Douglas MacArthur actually wrote to John Wayne to tell him “not to change a single thing he was doing.” John Wayne made most of his war films during the actual war, so it’s no wonder they were great for morale.

When speaking of why so many people come back to his father’s films, Ethan Wayne says, “He led us. He gave us an example to follow.” And ain’t that just the way, pilgrim.