Now listen to ME, pilgrim.....
As the old saying goes... They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore.
This world is a sadder place without the Duke.
Now listen to ME, pilgrim.....
I have a lot of respect for John Wayne, even though he never served. Sure, he was an actor. But he stuck up for our troops in the worst of times in Vietnam, when none of those other people did.
I read a great anecdote about him once, I wish I could find it again. I think it took place in San Francisco at a VA hospital that he was visiting to spend some time with wounded soldiers.
When he walked out, there was a huge crowd of antiwar protesters, and they noisily accosted him as he exited.
He towered above them (He was a big guy) and spoke to them in measured tones, saying to them “Why are you folks doing this? These guys were just doing what their country asked them to do...you really should be ashamed of yourselves. These are your fellow Americans in there...”
The crowd was silent, and wordlessly dispersed.
I read a biography about him, and he was a great actor, not given credit for his talent. On any set he was on, he was the most dedicated and serious one there, and helped out other younger actors every chance he could.
He sounded like a good and decent man to me. He didn’t serve like Jimmy Stewart or Clark Gable, but he provided service to his country in his own way.