Website: John Wayne
Website: The Duke
I've only seen one John Wayne movie, "The Searchers", and I admit to not being a huge fan of his, but he's still an American icon and someone worth respecting and writing about. He is considered one of the greatest stars of Hollywood, and a symbol of patriotism and spirit.
He was born Marion Michael Morrison in Winterset, Iowa in May 1907. His father was a pharmacist who due health reasons moved his family to California when Marion was six years old. When a ranching venture failed, the Morrison's moved once more - to Glendale, when Marion worked for his father and acquired the nickname "Duke" - after his pet Airedale. As a teen, he rose before the sun at 4 a.m. and delivered newspapers, and then after school and football practice he continued working by making deliveries for local stores. He believed in responsibilities and took them seriously. Among other things, he was an A student, head of his senior class, and an all-state guard on a championship football team.
Duke's goal after high school was to attend the U.S. Naval Academy and was actually named as an alternate selection to Annapolis. However, the first selection accepted, and so Duke accepted the next best thing - a full scholarship to play football at the University of Southern California. One there, USC Coach Howard Jones helped Duke find work in 1926 during the summer at Fox. He did various behind-the-scenes jobs for director John Ford, including assistant prop man. From his job in props, Duke worked his way into roles on the screen - with the help of John Ford in 1930. The Duke's first break came when John Ford recommended him for the lead role in the movie western "The Big Trail", filmed by Raoul Walsh. Other sources say that the Duke's real break didn't come until 1939 when Ford convinced United Artists to give him the role of the Ringo Kind in "Stagecoach".
Either way, the role in "Stagecoach" put Wayne firmly into the top ranks of box-office stars. When America's involvement in World War II began, Duke tried to enlist but was rejected due to a combination of an old football injury, his age (he was 34), and his married, father of four status. Duke was so dejected he even flew to directly to Washington to ask to be allowed to join the Navy - but was turned down.
 |
