Why, do you think I would make something like that up about that draft-dodging, untalented hack commie? That description is from years ago, and I’ve actually befriended people who have said awful things about my idol but have long forgotten the remarks. Other people used to send me wonderful photos of the Duke. Free Republic has a lot of different opinions and some of them are quite bizarre. My hats off to Jim Robinson who allows so much nonsense (including my own!) to go on. Along with the Duke, he’s my hero.
miss marmelstein,
it’s hard to ever pass up a John Wayne movie no matter haw many times i’ve seen it.
Quiet Man is tops.
Miss Marmelstein,
I hope you will enjoy adding the following anecdotes to your appreciation of John Wayne. The great Duke and the gorgeous Maureen O’Hara made “Wings of Eagles” here in Pensacola. My Grandfather was a retired Navy officer and worked on board PNAS at the Naval Air Rework Facility (NARF) as did my dad.
On this day, John Ford’s cast and crew were filming behind the hangers at the seaplane/boat ramps. Grandma and Grandpa dressed for the occasion, grandpa in his soft fedora, suit and tie and grandma in a lovely assemble with a smart little hat and a corsage.
O’Hara and Ken Curtis, the guy who later played “Festus” on Gunsmoke, roared up in a jeep together and the Duke jumped from his sea biplane to meet them. The Duke must have noticed the genteel, elderly couple watching the filming from the sidelines, because after Ford spoke briefly with him, he made a direct beeline over to my grandparents.
He shook their hands, thanked them for coming, and spoke with them until called back by the director. The Duke gave generously of his time and left my grandparents with a wonderful memory to pass down to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
There was another time a family member met John Wayne and had the same positive, enriching experience. My uncle served in the Seabees and the “Fighting Seebees” was being filmed. Uncle subsequently worked as a craftsman briefly in films, so it could have been during or after his service years.
Anyway, he and a few dozen crew members were assembling tall fake palm trees and other vegetation and buildings for a scene. Every day, the Duke would choose 4-6 crew members (always different guys) to join him in his trailer for lunch.
One afternoon, the Duke walked up to my uncle and asked him if he would like to join him for lunch. The six men enjoyed a fried chicken dinner and cokes in the Duke’s trailer and laughed throughout the entire meal. The Duke was a marvelous storyteller and loved to make people laugh and entertain them. He didn’t “hold forth” during the entire meal, either. He drew-out the men and laughed at their jokes and stories, too.
It doesn’t surprise me that when the Duke actually needed to wear that eye mask in “True Grit” and he wasn’t too happy about it, on the first day of shooting, he arrived to find every member of his cast and crew wearing eye masks, even his horse! LOL!
Again, John Wayne shared his time with others and made wonderful memories for them. He knew the potential effect he had on people and chose kindness and generosity of spirit as he made his way through life. He is one of my heroes, for many different reasons, as I suspect he is for you.