According
to one of the new cards in the excellent John Wayne set from Breygent Enterprises,
this is how John Wayne once responded when asked how he would like to be remembered
when he was gone. For the Duke, this is perfect. A man of courage, honor and conviction John Wayne had a career that spanned decades, and he is still one of the most popular characters in American culture and the world, his image popping up in different places, impersonator who use his voice, walk and mannerisms in their shows and even younger audience members recognize him which is sort of a shock to an age group that think George Clooney is a tough guy.
Still, the John Wayne set is long overdue. I have to admit I am stunned that no one has tried one before. On the other hand, I am pleased to say that the wait was worth it for this set.
Seventy-two glossy, high quality cards with reproductions of Wayne in various situations and a history of his life and work on the back. Beginning with his birth as Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa and highlighting different points in his life, this set is a wonderful addition to any Wayne collector, movie buff or just a fan like me.
The cards give a wonderful look at both the professional and the personal side of Wayne, with comments from friends, family and even quotes from John Wayne himself. Like the one on card two, "A Celebrated American". I won't use it here, but the segment is from his book, "America, Why I Love Her," written in 1977.
Wayne loved his nation, his family and his friends. He was loyal, dedicated and according to most who knew him one of the nicest guys in the world.
The image on card # 7 gives little credence to the image of Wayne the world would come to know and revere. Looking less like a young football player for U.S.C. and more like a matinee idol, John Wayne played tackle for the school on a football scholarship.
He wore Francis X. Bushman's (go look him up) jersey for ten dollars and tackled an opposing player to add a 'realistic look' to a movie being filmed on campus. For the rest of his life, Wayne remained a faithful follower of his school and their team, the Trojans.
His early career was spent doing a great deal of stunt work until he caught the attention of John Ford (WHAT!!! Jezzzus, what are they teaching in school? Ford was one of the greatest directors of all time. Go look him up.. Man.) who saw a lot of talent in the young man.
Ford watched Duke in a number of small, bit parts for a couple of years and finally used him in a starring role in the 1929 film, The Big Trail which can often be found on DVD. While the movie was not a hit (and frankly, it was not really one of Ford's better works) the director and the studio saw something with potential in the actor and that is how "John Wayne" came to be born.
Some of the cards are sentimental. Big deal, we need a little sentiment in the world today. John Wayne had a tendency to bring out the best and worst in people. In the 60's people thought he was a war-mongering demi-god who would lead America into deeper and deeper conflict with the North Vietnamese who we were at war with at the time. Yes, we were at war with someone beside Iraq.
On the other hand, there were people in the 60's who looked at Wayne as a true patriot, someone who loved his country and really believed in her and the dream all Americans shared. I was and still am one of them.
I often wonder how Wayne would have reacted to our current President and situation. Still, I digress. My favorite images in the set are cards # 7 and # 10. The youthful, boyish look of Wayne during his college days, next to one of him in a picture as a (what else) cowboy during a snowstorm, his robust smile and laughing eyes already evident, the same smile and eyes that a generation grew up with, trusting and believing in.
And that was the thing about Wayne. You might not like his politics, or his patriotism might offend you but you knew you could always depend on him to do the right thing, and to be there when you needed him.
As I have said, the card set is wonderful. Each picture is reproduced in clear, clean images, which was probably tough to do, seeing as how some of the pictures are close to 80 years old.
Now, some information about the set, boxes and chase set.