FREE ESSAY ON JOHN WAYNE: AN AMERICAN ICON

JOHN WAYNE: AN AMERICAN ICON

Marion Morrison, also known as John Wayne, is perhaps one of the most popular movie
personalities ever. He began as a mere stagehand, but by the end of his career he had
developed himself as a very successful actor, producer, and director. 
Marion Michael Morrison was born on May 26, 1907, in Winterest, Iowa. His father, Clyde,
worked as a pharmacist, and John Wayne thought of his father as the "kindest, most
patient man I ever knew." Later on in life, John Wayne's father developed a critical lung
disease. Wayne said that his mother, Mary was "a tiny, vivacious redheaded bundle of
energy." John Wayne was nicknamed "The Duke" after his pet as a child that was named
Airedale. Early in his life, John and his parents moved to California. After graduating
from high school and failing admission to Annapolis, John Wayne went to the University of
Southern California (USC) and played on a football scholarship from 1925-27.
During this time, Tom Mix, a friend of John's, got him a job as a prop man for a director
by the name of John Ford. Ford and Wayne became close friends and Ford used Wayne for
small parts in some of his movies. Then finally in 1930, Ford suggested to Raoul Walsh
that Wayne star in The Big Trail. The film bombed, but it was a start to Wayne's career
as an actor in leading roles. Wayne's first feature film was also in 1930. It was titled
Men Without Women. After more than seventy low-budget adventures, John Ford cast Wayne in
Stagecoach in 1939. This movie is where John Wayne emerged as a major star. From this
point on, there was no turning back for "The Duke." But in 1963, Wayne began to have
health problems. He had a cancerous lung removed during in 1963. Then in 1978, he had
open-heart surgery. He then had his stomach removed in 1979, just before dying from lung
and stomach cancer on June 11, 1979.
Throughout his career as an actor, John Wayne won a variety of different awards,
achievements and accomplishments. In 1950, at the Photoplay Awards, John Wayne won his
first award when he received the award for the Most Popular Male Star because of his work
in the 1949 film, Sands of Iwo Jima. Also in 1950, "The Duke" was nominated for Best
Actor at the Academy Awards for Sands of Iwo Jima. In 1953, Wayne was named the World
Film Favorite male actor at the Golden Globe Awards. Seven years later, John Wayne made a
film called The Alamo, and in 1961 this film was nominated for Best Picture at the
Academy Awards. Then in 1966, Wayne received the Cecil B. Demille Award at the Golden
Globe Awards. "The Duke" would go on to make one more appearance at the Golden Globes, as
well as he Academy Awards in 1970. In 1970, at the Golden Globes, John Wayne won Best
Motion Picture Actor in a drama for the movie True Grit. At the Academy Awards, he won
Best Actor, also for True Grits. Then in the 1970's Wayne managed to win the same award
at the People's Choice Awards for four consecutive years. Through the years of 1975-78,
he won the Favorite Motion Picture Actor award. This is a lot of accomplishments for one
actor. But Wayne was not just any actor though. When discussing his acting talents once,
Wayne stated, "I don't act, I react." Years after Wayne's death, he is still being
recognized. He was named number sixteen of the "Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" by
Empire Magazine in October of 1997. Wayne also helped found the Motion Picture Alliance
for the Preservation of American Ideals, and later became the president. Also, just one
month before Wayne died, President Jimmy Carter and Congress a special medal honoring
"The Duke."
Outside of acting, producing, and directing, John Wayne was an avid fisherman, explorer,
who truly enjoyed his trips to the Pacific Northwest and Southeastern Asia. Wayne loved
to play poker and liked to drink whiskey. Wayne was once quoted saying, "I never trust a
man that doesn't drink." Many people even saw John Wayne as quite the ladies man. "The
Duke" was married three different times in his life. His first marriage was to Josephine
Saenz. They were married from 1933-1945, before they were divorced. During that time,
though he had two sons: Michael Wayne I, who is now a producer, and Patrick Wayne, who is
an actor. They also had two daughters together: Toni Wayne and Melinda Wayne. His second
marriage was to Esperanza Bauer. They were married in 1946 and became divorced in 1954.
Then later on in 1954, Wayne married his third and final wife, Pilar Palette. They were
married up until John Wayne died on June 11th, in 1954. In their marriage, though, they
did have three children: Aissa, John Ethan, and Marisa Wayne. 
John Wayne, in his career, played in an astounding number of movies. He appeared in
nearly two hundred fifty movies. He played the leading role in one hundred forty-two.
Some of Wayne's most remembered films are: Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
(1949), and Rio Grande (1950). After Wayne filmed She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, his director,
John Ford, sent him a cake that stated "You're an actor now," said Wayne to a reporter
once. John Wayne wasn't just known as an actor though. He produced and directed some of
his finest films. He produced such films as: The Alamo (1960), The Fighting Kentuckian
(1949), and The High and the Mighty (1954). On his directing resume were such movies as:
The Green Berets (1968), The Alamo (1960), Blood Alley (1955), and The Comancheros
(1961). "The Duke's" last role was in 1976, where he played a dying gunslinger that was
just coming to terms with his legend. This movie was called The Shootist. Many people
felt that this was an appropriate type of film for Wayne to retire on. 
John Wayne's work did not solely consist of films though. In 1979, "The Duke" showed that
just because he typically did western and war movies, didn't mean he had no sense of
humor. Wayne appeared on the show "Laugh In" dressed in a pink fluffy bunny costume. He
also once released a solo music/spoken album in the late 1970's entitled "America, Why I
Love Her." He also has done a few television commercials. In 1966, Wayne did a commercial
for Ronald Reagan while he was running for the governor of California. Even today, you
can still see "The Duke" doing television commercials. Since 1999, he has appeared in a
number of Coors Beer commercials. Of course, this was done through the use of
computerized virtual images. But, it's still nice to see that he still has an influence
on us.
It is still very common to see "The Duke's" face lingering around on television. Perhaps,
he paved the way for such movie stars as Clint Eastwood, who also has made a name for
himself through western films. Without a doubt, there will never be anyone quite as
influential and all-American as "The Duke". Everyone respected John Wayne. You might even
say that some people were frightened by the rugged western and the war roles that he
played. When our country was off fighting World War II, John Wayne was unable to be in
the military because of an inner ear problem, but reports say that his movies about war
kept everyone's spirits up. He was a very patriotic man in real life, not only in film,
and in my opinion, he is definitely an American icon. 
Bibliography
Internet Movie Database. 11 Oct. 2000
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Wayne,+John
American Movie Classics. 10 Oct. 2000
http://www.amctv.com/behind/stars/wayne.html
"The Wages of Virtue." Time Magazine 3 Mar. 1952: 64-69
Freer, Ian and Hamilton, Jake. "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time." Empire
Magazine Oct. 1997: 190
Nardo, John. John Wayne. Chelsea House Publishers, 1995.