John Wayne Myth and Magic
LiveAuctionTalk.com
Photo courtesy of Brian Lebel.
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” John Wayne
Despite overwhelming odds in his films, cowboy actor John Wayne always showed up honestly on screen. He was the guy we wanted on our team, the guy who was ready to fight the bad guys when it was time.
He was unkillable.
Whether you agreed with his off-screen conservative politics or not, Wayne was the epitome of power, integrity, masculinity and Nationalism on screen. In truth, he was a complex, sensitive man.
Like his mentors, director John Ford and Howard Hawks Wayne saw filmmaking as a job and not an art form. No question he appreciated the money, fame and awards, but more important, he just liked working hard said eldest daughter Aissa in her biography “John Wayne My Father.”
Wayne was one of America’s top screen legends featured in more than 169 movies over five decades. His love of moviemaking came through on screen.
Born on May 26, 1907 and named Marion Michael Morrison, Wayne was touchy about his feminine name growing up. That may be why he was so macho on screen. In the 1930s film cowboys showed up looking clean and polished in their starched shirts and spotless Stetsons. Wayne gave the cowboy a more grizzled and “riding the range all day” persona.
“All I do is sell sincerity, and I’ve been selling the hell out of that since I started,” he said.
Wayne said if a movie scene is handled with simplicity and he didn’t mean simply -- it would be good and the public would know it. Katharine Hepburn said Wayne possessed an unself-consciousness on camera. A real natural.
“All I do is sell sincerity, and I’ve been selling the hell out of that since I started.”
And Wayne wasn’t just a cowboy movie star he loved art and his personal collection included everything from Renoir to Remington. He preferred chess to horses and read thousands of books.
Winston Churchill was the person he said he would most like to meet.
“He took a nearly beaten nation and kept their dignity for them,” Wayne said.
Fellow actors Wayne admired included Richard Burton, George C. Scott, Spencer Tracy and Gary Cooper. He also enjoyed Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason’s humor.
Nicknamed Duke, Wayne couldn’t sing or play cowboy songs on a guitar like other actors. A stand in was used but that didn’t stop him from becoming a box office draw.
“I like Duke Wayne a great deal, said producer Walter Mirisch. “A very decent, professional man, no nonsense. He came to work, he knew his lines. He was approachable, he didn’t throw his power or prominence around. And a tremendously underrated actor.”
Wayne loved the sea and lived in New Port Beach.
“Look at that changing scene out there,” he once said. It’s hard as hell to work because you start looking at this and pretty quick your mind just eases off into numbness.”
Wayne died of cancer on June 11, 1979.
On Jan. 23, 2021, Brian Lebel’s Old West Events featured a selection of John Wayne screen-worn shirts and a hat in its auction.
Here are some current values.
John Wayne
U.S. Cavalry Officer’s Tunic and pants; from Rio Lobo; Rio Lobo; includes original promotional photos; 1970; $10,030.
Bib Front Shirt; Red River; first important film collaboration between director, producer, screenwriter Howard hawks and Wayne; 1948; $21,240.
Bib Front Shirt; The Searchers; with original screen-worn neckerchief; 1956; $23,600.
Beaver Hat; Cahill U.S. Marshal; from the collection of Wayne’s personal costumer, Luster Bayless; 1973; $29,500.
