European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 03, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Wayne a stature rides tall Over the Fieldy Vernon Scott up Hollywood reporter John Wayne a decade after his death continues to command respect and admiration of movie fans. Michael Wayne his eldest son is keeper of his fathers legend and manager of several Wayne enterprises. Michael is a Burly businessman film producer whose office handles hundreds of Telephone Calls and letters that arrive at Banjac Headquarters the production company established by his father. Most callers and writers want to know when one or another of Wayne s movies will be re run on to or sold on cassettes. Evidence of his continuing popularity was demonstrated in an extensive poll taken this fall by the Abc to show memories then and now. It asked americans to name their favorite leading Man of All time. No. 1 was John Wayne by a margin of 3-to-1. Runners up. In order were Clark Gable Kevin Costner. Cary Grant and Clint Eastwood. John Wayne still represents the Strong courageous father figure of american folklore respectful of women a Man of action. But the screen image of swaggering hero in 152 movies was misleading says son Michael who Speaks fondly of his fathers intellectual pursuits his Superb Oriental and Western Art collections his love of poetry1. Quot my father did t eat Beans Over a campfire Quot Michael said grinning a which is the image some people have. He enjoyed playing Bridge and chess but he loved to be in action All the time too. A the used to say a Good things go together a and applied that philosophy to decorating his Home and his Choice of John a Duke Quot Wayne came a Long Way from Winter set Iowa where he was born Marion Morrison to win the Academy award for Best actor in True grit in 1969. His greatest legacy is the John Wayne cancer Institute recently moved from the Urcla medical Center where he died of lung cancer in 1979, to St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica Calif. Quot its mind boggling How popular my father is Quot Michael said. A the . Mint made a special congressional Gold medal in his Honor in 1980, almost a year after he died. Until that time the Best Selling congressional medal was Franklin d. Roosevelt a. The mint sold 19,000 of them. John f. Kennedy a sold 17,000. In the first two years my fathers medal sold 75.0 h a a altogether some 20 Wayne collectibles have been marketed since his death most of them big ticket items such As Bronze sculptures of the actor in character for the shoot is his last movie. Quot Many of the collectibles Are artistic Quot Michael said. A those bronzes an edition of 35, were introduced at the Dallas Art expo Selling for $9,500. Within a year the last ones were going for $35,000 apiece. A we come out with limited edition re product % b. Tons of paintings of my fatherland they go aside from merchandising. A Avn enterprises is involved with John Wayne movies. A we arc constantly involved with to re runs and the cassette Market. A Michael said. A we like to make it special event of each picture we control. Last june we organized an and hoc to network for Hondo in 3-d. We raised Mote than $4 million for the leukaemia society of America by Selling 3-d glasses to watch the Wayne s posthumous popularity was reflected in the ratings. Among single broadcasts. Hondo was the highest rated and hoc film of the year seen in More than 9.8 million . Households with an estimated 17 million viewers. Of Wayne a extensive work Only a dozen of his films were for Banjac of which Michael owns Lour outright Hondo the High and the mighty me Clintock and Island in the sky. A i m Happy my father continues to have such Impact on americans after so Many years Quot Michael said Quot but in a proudest of the cancer Institute which is something he was determined that we John Wayne in his Oscar winning True grit performance of 1969 and in the Sands of iwo Jima in 1949. Lie died of lung cancer in 1979 at age 72.november 3 1991 sunday a
