John Wayne
Marion ‘Duke’ Morrison’s USC football career was cut short by a surfing injury. USC football fan, Tom Mix persuaded Director John Ford to hire him at Fox Films. Talk about landing on your feet. While working as an extra at Fox, Director Raul Walsh discovered Morrison and cast him in the lead for The Big Trail in 1930. Walsh changed Morrison’s name to John Wayne. The film was a box office bust; but it gave Wayne screen credit to launch his ‘B’ Western career.
Over the next nine years, Wayne appeared in some eighty oaters split between features for Monogram Pictures and serials for Mascot Pictures. His Monogram credits included several of the popular Three Mesquiteers films. Wayne too lays claim to being ‘one of the first’ singing cowboys, though according to multiple sources he owed it to dubbing. With so many box office billings by 1939 Wayne was ready to hit it big when his old friend John Ford called.
For twenty years Wayne and Ford made western feature magic starting with Stagecoach. The repertoire included She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and the Searchers. Wayne’s career would branch out with films inspired by WW II, but he would stay true to his western roots with films like Red River, Rio Bravo, The Alamo and his Oscar winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. Wayne’s last film in 1976, The Shootist, depicted an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. Three years later cancer would claim The Duke.
John Wayne liked a good bourbon. He got into distilling his own small batch brew. Following his death, his son Ethan, found the kegs and opened a small batch distillery. The bourbon he calls The Duke features Wayne on the label. It is a favorite. I bought a bottle at a Western Writers of America Homestead Auction a few years ago. Fortunately you can find it online for a fraction of the cost of that bottle. Each smooth sip comes flavored with a touch of nostalgia.
We haven’t got time or space to devote to John Wayne’s awards and legacy. His epitaph reads: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in Life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we learned something from yesterday.”
Next Week: In Their Own Words
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Ride easy,
Paul
Over the next nine years, Wayne appeared in some eighty oaters split between features for Monogram Pictures and serials for Mascot Pictures. His Monogram credits included several of the popular Three Mesquiteers films. Wayne too lays claim to being ‘one of the first’ singing cowboys, though according to multiple sources he owed it to dubbing. With so many box office billings by 1939 Wayne was ready to hit it big when his old friend John Ford called.
For twenty years Wayne and Ford made western feature magic starting with Stagecoach. The repertoire included She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and the Searchers. Wayne’s career would branch out with films inspired by WW II, but he would stay true to his western roots with films like Red River, Rio Bravo, The Alamo and his Oscar winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. Wayne’s last film in 1976, The Shootist, depicted an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. Three years later cancer would claim The Duke.
John Wayne liked a good bourbon. He got into distilling his own small batch brew. Following his death, his son Ethan, found the kegs and opened a small batch distillery. The bourbon he calls The Duke features Wayne on the label. It is a favorite. I bought a bottle at a Western Writers of America Homestead Auction a few years ago. Fortunately you can find it online for a fraction of the cost of that bottle. Each smooth sip comes flavored with a touch of nostalgia.
We haven’t got time or space to devote to John Wayne’s awards and legacy. His epitaph reads: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in Life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we learned something from yesterday.”
Next Week: In Their Own Words
Return to Facebook to comment.
Ride easy,
Paul
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Sounds like Jim and I should fly to Milwaukee to get over to The Short Branch to savor a nip of The Duke. So light the fire so we an put our feet up.
Peg wrote: "Sounds like Jim and I should fly to Milwaukee to get over to The Short Branch to savor a nip of The Duke. So light the fire so we an put our feet up."Let us know when you coming. You're always welcome!
Ride easy,
Paul