Mompoint Marc - John Wayne: a photographic celebration

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Im the stuff men are made of. J OHN W AYNE Just call me Duke. J OHN W AYNE On May 26, 1907, Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa, to Clyde Morrison, a pharmacist of Scottish descent, and Mary Brown, a homemaker of Irish descent.

In honor of his grandfather, Marion Mitchell Morrison, Wayne was named Marion Robert Morrison. When his parents decided to call their next son Robert, they changed Waynes middle name to Michael, not Mitchell, as many film historians state. I didnt get famous doing drawing room comedies. J OHN W AYNE A mans character and personality is made up by the incidents in his life. Mine has been made up of one thing in reel life, and possibly every dramatic experience that a human being could have in real life. Somewhere in between lies John Wayne.

I seldom lie. J OHN W AYNE At seven years old, the Morrisons left Iowa to take over Clydes fathers estate in Antelope Valley, a drab region north of L.A. I hated living in Antelope Valley, Wayne recollected. There were so many rattlesnakes, I had nightmares about them. We were living in little more than a rambling shack with no electricity. I dont want to ever appear in a film that would embarrass a viewer.

A man can take his wife, mother, and daughter to one of my movies and never be ashamed or embarrassed for going. J OHN W AYNE The airport in Orange County, California, was renamed the John Wayne Airport shortly after his death. You cant whine and bellyache because somebody else got a good break and you didnt. J OHN W AYNE He portrays John Wayne, a rugged American guy. Hes not one of those method actors, like they send out here from drama schools in New York. Hes real, perfectly natural.

J OHN F ORD, DIRECTOR My build-up was done through constant exposure. By the time I went overseas to visit our boys during the Second World War, they had already seen my movies when they were back home. Now their kids are grown up and their kids are seeing my movies. Im part of the family. J OHN W AYNE After the move from Iowa to California, it became standard fare for young Marion Morrison to have to defend his Midwestern accent and curious name to bullying classmates. He would often return home coated in blood and dirt from the school days scuffle.

Ive always followed my fathers advice: he told me, first to always keep my word and, second, to never insult anybody unintentionally. If I insult you, you can be goddamn sure I intend to. And, third, he told me not to go around looking for trouble. J OHN W AYNE A mans got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter what J OHN W AYNE What the studio says goes. After casting him in The Big Trail (1930), they decided that Marion Morrison needed a new name, and quickly. John Wayne was bigger than life. John Wayne was bigger than life.

In an age of few heroes, he was the genuine article. But he was more than a hero. He was a symbol of so many of the qualities that made America great. The ruggedness, the tough independence, the sense of personal courageon and off screenreflected the best of our national character. P RESIDENT J IMMY C ARTER Wayne inherited The Duke nickname from his childhood dog.

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