Over the past 30 years more than one million visitors have journeyed to historic Madison County to tour the modest four-room home where motion picture icon John Wayne was born on May 26, 1907. Guests have included President Ronald Reagan, movie legend Maureen O�Hara, Wayne�s widow and all of his children and fans from all 50 states and 40 foreign countries. And, as testament to the star�s enduring popularity, they keep on coming. To provide a more meaningful visitor experience, the Birthplace organization has announced the May 23 grand opening of the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, a brand-new 6,100 square-foot facility which will offer an astounding collection of memorabilia from the film legend�s life and motion picture career. The only museum in the world dedicated to John Wayne, it will feature the largest diversified exhibit of John Wayne artifacts in existence, including original movie posters, film wardrobe, scripts, letters, artwork and sculpture, one of his customized automobiles and, of course, a movie theater. Visit the John Wayne Birthplace website for more information about this event.
View the article The Duke meets Dirty Harry in adorable Winterset, Iowa. John Wayne and Clint Eastwood are 8th cousins, 1 time removed. Their common ancestor is Cornet Joseph Parsons who emigrated from England in 1635. Both stars are Western movie legends.
John Wayne Days will be on June 5 and 6 at Eagar, AZ. John Wayne and 2 partners once owned the 26 Bar Ranch and bred registered hereford cattle. this event will have rodeos and BBQ amount other events.
Marisa Wayne, the youngest daughter of John Wayne and Newport Beach resident and an owner of GRIT Cycle in Costa Mesa, is planning to kick off her boots and slip into cycling shoes to host a second annual charity ride, Gritty Up, to raise money for the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.
Not Thinkin� ... Just Rememberin�: The Making of John Wayne�s The Alamo" is a new book by John Farkis, a 65-year-old Michiganer, John Wayne/John Ford fan and certified Alamodian, tells the tale with a relish. View this review article of this book.. This tome is two inches thick, weighs a tad under three pounds and contains nearly 1,000 pages describing how a major Hollywood actor managed to make his dream film. The actor was John Wayne and the film was his 1960 epic about the fight for Texas independence. You can purchase this book here or at the John Wayne Store Book page.
Every January the Harris Poll of favorite movie stars is published. This year Denzel Washington is America's Favorite Movie Star. The Duke rides into the No. 2 spot while Brad Pitt comes in at No. 3. John Wayne is the only movie star to place in the top ten every year in this poll since it started in 1994. John Wayne is the only one of the top ten this year that is deceased, he died on June 11, 1979 almost 36 years ago.
Your comments or suggestions are always welcome and encouraged. I am always on othe look-out for John Wayne and/or classic film information to pass along in these little newsletters, if you come across any news on these subjects, please let me know.
Later Pilgrim,
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Paul Newton