I'm doing a report on John Wayne for school and i've tried to look up what i need online but cannot seem to find the correct info on any site. If anyone can help answer the following questions please do so in a reply to this post.

What motivated John Wayne to become an actor?
How did society affect his individual mindset?
How or in what matter did he impate society?
What was life like around the time he lived?
What was life like as he was growing up?
What kind of life experiences did John Wayne encounter?
How was John Wayne's attitude fostered by the morals and the values of time?
What were key influences in his life?
Did society shape him or did he shape society? Could it be Both?

Devin,

First of all, welcome to this site. You will find more information about Duke, than any other site, with the converstaions that takes place here.

I could answer all your questions, but there is a book that has the best information about all your needs in this report. The Book, John Wayne: America, by Randy Roberts & James S. Olson is the best bio I know. You can find it at this web site; http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0029238374/qid=1050980808/sr=12-3/103-3635917-6604615?v=glance&s=books)

Hope this helps. I would love to give you the info, but these questions are very long to answer, and the book does a much better job.

Happy Hunting,
Hondo :)

Thanks you very much, i found info on most of the questions but the question about his motivation to become an actor is hard to determine, if anyone at all knows the answer or something to help me could they please post a reply to assist me.

John Wayne when starting out in the very early thirties wanted to play parts that were not cowboy related but was told that the public wanted him to do cowboy roles and to give the public what they wanted to see. Duke did this for the rest of his career motivated by his legion of fans who wanted to see him in tough guy roles he even turned down many other major films which he probably knew would be sucessful because the character he was offered to play was weak and he knew his fans would not like this. Duke never intended to become an actor it just happened by chance as Raoul Walsh saw him carrying heavy objects over his shoulders and felt his strength/good looks would make him an ideal person to play the lead in the big trail. Duke originally wanted to be a lawyer. Hope this is of use to you.

Devin,

During the fall of '25, Duke went to USC in Prelaw under a football scholarship. He had promise at the time, but he didn't have the money. This school was very expensive, and Duke had to work. He was a waiter for the Simga Chi Fraturnity which he pledge in his freshman year. He shot up the summer of '26 to 6'4" and gained 20 pounds. He wasn't eligible to play varisity because he was a freshman, and they had to start out in jr. varisity. Duke worked hard to achieve high academic grades, and socially grace. He was captain of the freshman debate team, pledged Sigma Chi, and played tackle for the first team junior varisity football team at USC.

The summer of '26 he worked at Fox studios as odd-jobber. John Ford took Duke in when he saw Duke show interest in the film buisness. Ford watched Duke watch everything about the set, and decided to test Duke by making him do different tasks. Duke would do what he was told, and continued to show interest.

When Duke was not working, he'd go to the beach. Duke loved the ocean, and wanted to be there as much as possible. Just one week before summer football workouts started, Duke was showing off for some college coeds on the beach, he caught a wave too late. He was thrown around uncontrollably in the breaking foam and went crashing to the bottom, breaking his collarbone, and separating his right shoulder. This was to destroy his football career. When he returned to practice, the coach thought that Duke was not trying and considered him yellow. He was put on the scrubs, which meant that he lost privileges on the team like eating meals, living in the athletic quarters, etc.

Duke had trouble with the money he had, but with things taken away, his financial situation became desprate, and he had to take on more jobs to pay his bills. At the end of the spring of '27, Duke made the realization of his academic career. Duke knew that even if he did well in school and try to sign on in the most prestigious Law firm in Los Angeles, he would never be a full partner or anything close to that. He knew that he was a poor scharship boy surrounded by money. He lacked contacts vital to a successful law career.

So, he decided to leave school and pay his bills and try to make a living. He left LA and tried different things, but return later in the summer of '27 and worked again in Fox studios. Ford worked with Duke again, and stared him in bit parts, and paid him little, but Duke kept on, until the end of the summer. He tried to go back to school under his father's wishes, and tried to go back to football. The coach wrote Duke off, and he decided to sit out a year until his shoulder fully mended. He would never return to USC again as a student. Between '27 and '29 he worked under Ford at Fox, and learned the industry form the bottom up. He dressed a set, doubled as stunt men, extras in crowd scenes, or assistant gaffers, juicers, and grips.

It was Ford who inspired Duke to begin to consider a life in the motion picture industry. In 1927, John Wayne's life changed as we would know him today.

Again, you will find this and many other things in the book, John Wayne: America. Taken from pages 51-74.

Hope this helps you out.


Hondo