John Wayne [The Convert] (1907-1979)

McNamara's Blog ^ | Thursday, May 26, 2011 | Pat McNamara

[GonzoII]

John Wayne (1907-1979)

Today marks the 104th birthday of my favorite movie star (and Catholic convert), John Wayne (1907-1979). Born Marion Michael Morrison in Iowa, he grew up in California and attended the University of Southern California, where he played football. A surfing accident ended his football career and he got into the movie business as a prop boy. From there he found leading roles, mainly in B-Westerns, until his 1939 breakthrough role in Stagecoach. His work with director John Ford resulted in some of the greatest Westerns ever made: Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). He won an Oscar in 1969 for his role in True Grit. From 1949 to 1974, he was on the top ten box office list every year but one, a record still unequaled.

Wayne was raised a Presbyterian, but all three of his wives were Catholic, and all his children were raised Catholic, attending Catholic schools. Several attended what is now Loyola-Marymount University. The Wayne family numbered many priests, religious and bishops among their friends. Toward the very end of his life, John Wayne was received into the Roman Catholic Church. His funeral Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Manning of Los Angeles.

Happy Birthday, Duke!

Posted by Pat McNamara

[GonzoII]

"LOS ANGELES (AP) - John Wayne, known for his tough talking movie ways, rarely went to church. But 24 hours before he died "The Duke" became a Catholic and recieved the last rites, his family says.

...snip

"Father Robert Curtis, a Paulist priest and chaplain at UCLA Medical Center where Wayne died Monday at age 72 after a long bout with cancer, confirmed the actor's conversion to Catholicism.

"John Wayne was recieved into the Catholic Church the day before he died," Curtis said in a statement read by Margaret Morris, a spokeswoman for St. Paul the Apostle's Church in Los Andeles. [sic]

"Mr. Wayne was conscious at the time. We are not at liberty to speak about something that is a personal matter between a priest and a penitent."

Michael Wayne was quoted in the New York Daily News as saying that his father asked Curtis to convert him the day before he died."

"I wasn't in the room at the time," Michael said, "but Father Curtis gave Dad the last sacraments. It was either Saturday or Sunday. I don't know all the technicalities of the church or what constitutes conversion but Dad did die in the church."-- THE FREE LANCE-STAR, Fredricksburg, Virginia, Thursday, June 14, 1979

[GonzoII]

Ping.

[theDentist]

I saw "Big Jake" on TV the other night. I haven't seen that film in a long time.

"I thought you was dead."
"Not hardly."

Pure Duke

[TexasCajun]

Happy Birthday Pilgrim!

[GonzoII]

I've got quite a collection of DVDs with the Duke. The Cowboys and True Grit are probably my favorites.

[TexasCajun]

Big Jake:

“Now you listen up! If that boy gets hurt; your fault, my fault, no-body’s fault - I'm gonna blow your head off!”

[Tax-chick]

An iconic John Wayne performance. I liked when he picked up the boy’s shirt to let the dog smell it and said, “My grandson wears THIS?!?”

[Huskrrrr]

In Harms’ Way, True Grit, Stagecoach, The Quiet Man: too many great films by the Duke to list here. Even as a liberal I liked John Wayne and his love for this country.

[Hieronymus]

He has a grandson who is a priest.

http://articles.latimes.com/2002/feb/25/news/mela-priest25

[traderrob6]

Rio Bravo, El Dorado I never miss.

[GonzoII]

I didn’t know that..

[jobim]

Just this week introduced my 12 yr old daughter to the Duke in Sons of Katie Elder

[Hotlanta Mike]

In the 1920’s, when John Wayne was a lad named Marion Morrison, and played football for USC, he went bodysurfing one day near the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, and was injured. That accident turned out to be a lucky break, since the injury helped convince him to give up football and pursue an acting career. In 1928, cowboy star Tom Mix (a fan of Wayne’s football heroics) got him a $35-a-week job as a prop man at the Fox studios. Wayne was discovered by John Ford while loading furniture onto a truck on the Fox lot, and the rest is history.

Later in the Duke’s life, in 1966, when his health began to fail him, he moved from his Beverly Hills home (at 4750 Louise Avenue) back to the clean air of Newport Beach. John Wayne lived in a large waterfront home overlooking the beautiful Newport Bay, sailing his yacht “The Wild Goose”(a former minesweeper) until his death in 1979. (He was even buried in a Newport Beach cemetery just a few miles to the northeast.)

Alas, the Duke’s island home, a one-story, 10-room, 7-bath white ranch house with a pool, at the tip of Bayshore Drive, was recently torn down by the new owner. If you take a Newport harbor cruise, the guides will point out where waterside mansion used to be. Wayne’s widow continued to live there until very recently; the property is now owned by a couple who also own the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Their $6 million yacht, The P’zazz, is worth as much as the Wayne mansion.

http://www.seeing-stars.com/live/newportbeach.shtml

[Hotlanta Mike]

Judge Sends John Wayne Estate Battle To OC

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/10/18/judge-sends-john-wayne-estate-battle-to-oc/

[massgopguy]

Oh you had to say it. Now I have The Quiet Man music playing in my head. De de de de de de deedle eeddle.

[SumProVita]

Thanks for posting this. John Wayne was my all-time favorite actor. I remember hearing something about the fact that he entered the Church before he died and this confirms that. Awesome! My Dad (of 100% Irish heritage) also attended what is now Loyola-Marymount University. I wonder.....

;-)

I intend to pray for John Wayne’s grandson who is now a priest.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I’d vote for “the Searchers” as JW’s best film.

[vladimir998]

He is a priest. . . and he needs a haircut (again):

http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/surfing/index.ssf/2008/10/saintly_surfers_praise_divine.html

[stylin19a]

Listen up, Pilgrims

Every year since 1993, the Harris Poll has taken a nationwide survey asking Americans the question, "Who is your favorite movie star?" The results have varied each year, with the fluctuations of a fickle public's opinion washing stars like Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, and Harrison Ford on and off the list like tides on the shore.

But one thing on the list has remained constant - the man at the top. Every year but one the same actor was either first or second in popularity, which is curious considering he had to overcome one obstacle the other stars on the list have not.
He's dead......
In a way, it is actually less of a feat for Wayne to continue as number one for the twenty years from 1979 to 1999 considering America hasn't changed nearly as much as it did during Wayne's reign as king of the box office.

[Slicksadick]

I’m with you on “The Searchers” being the best. We’re not alone, Wayne stated it was his favorite roll as well. A detailed review here.
http://www.filmsite.org/sear.html