Cowboy and Hero: John Wayne by Jim Gibbons

Friday, November 1^st at 1:00 p.m.

Born as Marion Mitchell Morrison in May 1907, he became an actor and filmmaker, under the stage name, John Wayne and nicknamed Duke. After losing his football scholarship to the University of Southern California in a bodysurfing accident, Wayne appeared in small acting gigs and several B rate movies that were mostly Westerns. When Wayne appeared in the movie Stagecoach in 1939, his fame skyrocketed into stardom. From there, Wayne went on to star in over 140 movies and took on a powerful screen presence.

Historian Jim Gibbons will discuss Wayne’s life, rise to fame, Western roles and devastating death. Gibbons will discuss how The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence and fought for a woman’s hand in marriage also became a one-eyed marshal in True Grit. He will discuss how Wayne acted alongside many other famous stars of the era, such as James Stewart, Dean Martin, Kirk Douglas, Lee Marvin, and many more.