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ON FATHER JOHN WAYNE

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JOHN WAYNE: SIMPLY “THE DUKE”

“I want to play a real man in all my films, and I define manhood simply: men should be tough, fair, and courageous, never petty, never looking for a fight, but never backing down from one either.”

– John Wayne

One doesn’t even have to know the famous marquee name. “The Duke” says it all. Still the biggest box office star of all time. Almost thirty years after his death, John Wayne remains one of the most recognizable and admired faces in the world. Millions continue to regard him as a national treasure, through movies that recognized old-fashioned values and simple yet true heroism – movies that are still popular both on television and DVD releases. Wayne was one of the first to admit that he was not a great actor, but he certainly possessed an abundance of what is known as “star quality” – that indefinable magic that graces only a unique few and transforms mere actors into larger than life personalities. And there is no question that John Wayne was larger than life. James Cagney once accurately summed up the Duke’s appeal: “A remarkable man. When one realizes he’s played virtually the same part over the years, wearing virtually the same clothing, and maintaining a very high status in the business, it’s clear that whatever John Wayne is, people love him, and that’s about the best recommendation I can think of.”

The screen’s quintessential Western hero entered the world on May 26, 1907 with the most unlikely name of Marion Morrison, the son of Iowa pharmacist Clyde Morrison and his wife Mary. Clyde’s health condition necessitated the family’s move to the warmer climate of California, where they eventually settled in Glendale. Young Marion was a bright student who excelled at sports, earning a football scholarship to USC. Marion’s plan was to study law, but when cowboy star Tom Mix got him a summer job as a prop boy at Fox studios, Marion soon met and became friendly with director John Ford, for whom he began doing bit parts in pictures. It was Ford who suggested his 23-year old protégé for the lead male role in Raoul Walsh’s upcoming screen spectacular “The Big Trail” (1930), a role that was planned for and rejected by Gary Cooper. Marion got the part, had his name changed to “John Wayne”, and then saw his promising career almost come to a halt when the picture flopped.

Wayne managed to keep working – though in undistinguished “oaters” at lower-echelon studios, until John Ford again came to the rescue and offered Wayne the plum part of The Ringo Kid in the classic “Stagecoach” (1939). The picture made John Wayne a star and, just as importantly, solidified a close friendship with director Ford, who would go on to star Wayne in some of his most famous and enduring films, such as the cavalry trilogy: “Fort Apache” (1948), “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949) and “Rio Grande” (1950), and the beautiful and lyrical “The Quiet Man” (1952). Wayne became an extremely popular hero in World War II films, earning a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Sergeant John Stryker in “Sands of Iwo Jima” (1949). However, many consider Wayne’s best performance to be the complex Tom Dunson in Howard Hawks’ “Red River” (1948). Wayne remained consistently in the list of top ten box office stars throughout the 1950s and into the mid-70s, though he often met with criticism due to his staunch conservative political stance. But his political leanings never affected his popularity with his movie fans – not even when his political stand was reflected onscreen, as in “The Alamo” (1960) and “The Green Berets” (1968).

John Wayne endured serious health crises later in life: the removal of a cancerous lung and heart valve replacement surgery, but he kept working hard at his beloved craft, finally winning a much-applauded Oscar for his role as one-eyed sheriff Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit (1969). His last role ironically featured Wayne as a former gunfighter dying of cancer in “The Shootist” (1976). A poignant yet perhaps fitting end to a glorious career.