John Wayne Exhibit

There’s no better place for an exhibit dedicated to John Wayne, than in the downtown Stockyards of Forth Worth, Texas. And in my opinion, a welcome addition—the Stockyards are good for one visit, usually a must stop for out-of-towners but there’s not much to pull the locals in for repeat business. However, the area is undergoing some revitalization and welcoming new business. The John Wayne Experience is one of those additions. Well done!

I can’t fault the exhibit for not having enough information or imagery on this iconic cowboy (for a movie star, how could they possibly be deficient)—if anything, there’s almost TOO much to read.

Though he was a Republican, Duke “viewed himself first as an American, who was most interested in the coutry’s welfare. He balanced his vocal beliefs in traditional conservative values with an appreciation of spirited debate that kept him open to new ideas.” “John Wayne believed in America and the American people, even when some of those people disagreed with him."

Above: His business card. Not a terrible design.

John Wayne ordered a customized John Bianchi hoslter made to his specifications. Above is the accompanying letter of correspondence with a simple drawing and notation depicting how “the gun should ride just below the belt.” 

Guess who was so interested in the sketch that she forgot to get a photo of the ACTUAL BIANCHI HOLSTER on display?

Look at this young kid! I don’t recognize him as John Wayne, at ALL.

From what I gather, the Duke was kind, likeable, and had great determination in his work.

John Wayne’s original name was Marion Robert Morrison, but his preferred nickname was “Duke.”

A local fireman at the station along Marion’s bike route to school started calling him “Little Duke” because he was always with his huge Airedale Terrier, “Duke.” He preferred the name to “Marion,” and the name stuck. 

How did he become to be known as John Wayne then??? In 1930 (when he was 23), studio executives gave him a name that would be more sellable to audiences. Marion didn’t mind, saying it was “OK with him if the people paying his salary wanted to spruce up his name."

This is as close as I will ever get to an academy award, and it was awesome. (We decided to end our date by watching one of John Wayne’s 169 movies at home. We couldn’t make up our minds and eventually chose “The Quiet Man” which was good but why didn’t we watch “True Grit”???!!! Duh.)

Above: A crate filled with unopened fan mail John Wayne received while in the hospital in 1979. They were never opened because Duke passed away before he could return home.Throughout the course of the exhibition the letters will be opened and put on display.

(We were able to read a few letters he DID respond to, and he was very kind in his correspondence.) It was hard to resist the urge to reach into a bag and pull out a letter, sneak read it and then slip it back.

Here’s a link to the John Wayne Exibit: An American Experience.

And here’s a link to the biography they put together for him if you would like to read more.