There is a new book about JW on the horizon, just got word and wanted to let you have the following info:
It's not out yet, written by Michael Munn (who's a busy bee in the field of unauthorized biografies).
Anyway, there is this episode he writes about which is probably pure Hollywood legend stuff - but too good not to be repeated here!
Munn claims to have found proof that Stalin gave orders to have JW killed because he was to active in anti-communist-institutions for the dictator's taste.
According to Munn, Russian spys sneaked into Warner Brothers but JW's bodyguards (bodyguards??? c'mon!) pulled the Duke out. Next scene: JW has kinda firing squad lined up at the beach - to let them Russkies know it's bad for their health to mess with the US - but they only shoot blanks.

And we thought his FILMS were exciting!

Hmmmm, that sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out at the library (Books like that I don't waste my money on). I always thought Kitty Kelly would write something like that on Wayne.

It could prove to be interesting reading, I'll keep my heads up on that one.

Brian
Tulalip Wa

I think that this story is actually true there is an awful lot of evidence to support it, I will post my findings as soon as I can.

Suffice to say Duke is a real life war hero

B)

I obviously talk about this message board to my co-workers A LOT, as the following message would indicate. I figured I could share it here, since it has a "Russian" connection.

:ph34r:

"Chester",
I just heard a story about John Wayne on TV. They said when Nikita Kruschev was in the US, one of the things he wanted to do was meet John Wayne. Apparently, that night, after their meeting, they met at the hotel bar and had a little friendly drinking competition, Wayne drinking Tequilla and Kruschev drinking Vodka. When they were done it was a tie, drink for drink. What happened, the Duke should have been able to drink that little red dumpling under the table. What have your chat group got to say about that ? Kurt

Yeah . . . shouldn't the Duke have been able to drink that little red dumpling under the table? What do we have to say about that?

Chester

I hadn't heard about the drinking contest. But I have read that Krushev requested to meet John Wayne and they discussed their prefference of drink. Every year after, Krushev sent Duke a case of Russian Vodka on Christmas and Duke would send him a case of Commemorativo Tequila (Duke's favorite). As for is there was a contest in drinking, Duke must have faked it as to not hurt poor Kruschev's feelings. hee hee :P ! dukefan1

Hello :rolleyes:

I had to go back eight pages to find this posting :(
When I logged onto aol this morning you will never guess what their top story of the day was :huh:
"Stalin tried to Kill the Duke!" :huh:
The artical is by Michael Munn and posted July 31st :)
States planned 3 attemps on the Duke :(
1st at Warner Brothers studio but it was uncovered :rolleyes:
2nd on the set of Hondo <_<
3rd a sniper in Vietnam <_<

Monique ;)

Sounds like an interesting read, Monique! If you read this today, can you cut and paste that article under the media thread on this board. I sure would like to read it. I don't have aol. Mighty grateful if you can. dukefan1

Hello :rolleyes:


LONDON (July 31) - Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was so outraged at the anti-communism of film star John Wayne that he plotted to have him murdered, according to a new biography of the American icon.

"John Wayne - The man behind the myth" by British writer and actor Michael Munn says there were several attempts in the late 1940s and early 1950s to kill the man known to audiences around the world as "Duke."

In the first attempt, two Russian assassins posing as FBI agents tried to kill Wayne in his office at Warner Brothers studios in Hollywood. But the plot was uncovered and the would-be killers captured, the book says, citing several sources including director Orson Welles.

The book says the Soviet plots were cancelled after Stalin's death in 1953, by his successor Nikita Krushchev, who was a fan of the larger-than-life star of more than 100 films.

"That was a decision of Stalin during his last five mad years. When Stalin died I rescinded that order," the book quotes Krushchev as telling Wayne during a private meeting in 1958.

But it says American communist groups took up the cudgels against Wayne who was a supporter of the anti-communist witch-hunt led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, citing an attempt in Mexico on the set of the film "Hondo."

Born Marion Morrison on May 26, 1907, Wayne survived these attempts and another by a sniper during a trip to visit American troops in Vietnam in 1966. He died of cancer in 1979.

07/31/03 06:00 ET

Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.


Monique ;)

Reuters has been under fire lately for making false reports, mainly about the war in Iraq. I know I have been using Reuters for the obit stories, like Bob Hope, Katherine Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and others, so I'd be careful using them as sources.

Are there any other stories from any other news source?

Cheers, Hondo B)

July 30, 2003

Hello :rolleyes:
Another one :huh:

Stalin vs. Wayne
I like John Wayne, in theory. In theory he's the ideal American gunslinger, he's a Man's man, no one can keep him down, and he'd kill ya for taking his drink. In practice, the closest I've come to seeing one of his films was the beer comercial a few years ago. However, that doesn't diminish the absolute beauty in the fact that there was a Soviet plot to kill him. No. I'm not kidding.

This is the story of John Wayne, Stalin, some Ukranians and the FBI. Kruschev fits in towards the end too. This just makes me laugh. A lot. Out loud. I'm sure my neighbors are getting worried. Ok. I just made that up, my neighbors aren't worried, or, at least... I'm not laughing anymore, so they have no reason to. Yes. I'm babbling. I'm going away now.

-Jon

Posted by jon jon at 03:42 PM

Monique ;)

Hello :rolleyes:
Here's the latest :huh:


August 1, 2003 / 12:22 PM ET

WHAT, NO ALIENS?

So just what is the source of this “Stalin tried to kill John Wayne” stuff? A story allegedly told to an author by Orson Welles, at a dinner party 20 years ago. That certainly justifies trumpeting it around the world, AOL. Seems to me that anybody who found a way to kill Trotsky shouldn’t have had too much trouble killing an actor, but even responding to the story is to give it more credence than it deserves. The Guardian, of all places, could show a little more circumspection.

And listen to this crap: “Wayne then relied upon a group of loyal stuntmen who infiltrated communist cells in America and learned of plots to kill him. ‘He then gathered all the stuntmen, went to the communist meetings, and had a huge fight,’ Mr Munn said. This was when Wayne believes Mr Canutt saved his life.” Oh, I believe that too, even though it sounds a lot like a “Batman” episode from when I was in kindergarten.

Oh wait, there’s more. “Wayne also told Mr Munn about an attempt to kill him by an enemy sniper while he was visiting the troops in Vietnam in 1966. ‘One of the snipers was captured,’ said Mr Munn, ‘and said there was a price on John’s head, put there by [China’s communist leader] Mao Tse Tung.’” And Jane Fonda, or at least that’s what Welles told me at a dinner party…


Monique ;)

Hello :rolleyes:
Still another


Book tells how John Wayne survived Soviet assassination

Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow
Friday August 1, 2003
The Guardian

Joseph Stalin ordered the KGB to assassinate John Wayne because he considered his anti-communist rhetoric a threat to the Soviet Union, according to a new biography of the film star based on interviews with Wayne's close associates and the movie legend Orson Welles.
Stalin apparently learned of Wayne's popularity from the Russian filmmaker Sergei Gerasimov, who attended a peace conference in New York in 1949. Michael Munn, a film historian and author of John Wayne - The Man Behind The Myth, said Gerasimov told Stalin of Wayne's fervent anti-communist beliefs.

"Stalin decided that he would have him killed," said Mr Munn, who says he was told of the plot by Orson Welles at a dinner in 1983. Welles had said that the KGB was given the task of assassinating Wayne.

"Mr Welles was a great storyteller," said Mr Munn, "but he had no particular admiration for John Wayne." He said that Welles had offered the story without prompting, and that his sources were excellent.

A prominent Russian filmmaker, Alexei Kapler (who was imprisoned for an affair with Stalin's 16-year-old daughter, Svetlana), had told another Russian filmmaker, Sergei Bondachuk, about the order. Bondachuk was sceptical at first, but after Gerasimov confirmed the story, Bondachuk told Welles.

Mr Munn said Wayne had also told him that his friend, the stuntman Yakima Canutt, had "saved his life once". Mr Munn later asked Mr Canutt what he had meant by this comment. The incident is thought to have taken place in the early 50s.

"Yakima told me that the FBI had discovered there were agents sent to Hollywood to kill John Wayne," said Mr Munn. "He said the FBI had come to tell John about the plot. John told the FBI to let the men show up and he would deal with them."

Wayne then apparently hatched a plot with his scriptwriter at the time, Jimmy Grant, to abduct the assassins, drive to a beach and stage a mock execution to frighten them. Mr Munn said he did not know what transpired, but heard the two men stayed in the US to work for the FBI.

"Afterwards though, John shunned FBI protection and did not want his family to know. He moved into a house with a big wall around it."

Wayne then relied upon a group of loyal stuntmen who infiltrated communist cells in America and learned of plots to kill him.

"He then gathered all the stuntmen, went to the communist meetings, and had a huge fight," Mr Munn said. This was when Wayne believes Mr Canutt saved his life.

A further attempt to kill Wayne was made in Mexico on the set of the film Hondo (which was released in 1953), led by a communist cell, according to Mr Munn.

The book claims that Stalin's order was cancelled by his successor Nikita Krushchev after the dictator's death in 1953. The book says Krushchev told Wayne in a private meeting in 1958: "That was a decision of Stalin during his last five mad years. When Stalin died, I rescinded that order."

Wayne also told Mr Munn about an attempt to kill him by an enemy sniper while he was visiting the troops in Vietnam in 1966. "One of the snipers was captured," said Mr Munn, "and said there was a price on John's head, put there by [China's communist leader] Mao Tse Tung."

Mr Munn said he had gathered the anecdotes over decades of work in the film industry. "I am quite convinced that it was not propagated by John or his inner circle," he added.

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Monique ;)

Hello :rolleyes:

I tend to think all this Stalin vs John Wayne is a bunch of bunk :blink:

I'll go along with the story "What no ALiens?" :rolleyes:

Monique ;)

Originally posted by itdo@Jul 3 2003, 06:02 AM
. . . written by Michael Munn (who's a busy bee in the field of unauthorized biografies).
I think the important thing to remember is the part itdo commented on . . . Michael Munn's work is unauthorized. <_<

Certainly, the story about Stalin's plot made the news. I even heard reference to it on Paul Harvey News (both the morning and noon editions) on Thursday, I think.

Chester

Monique,

I appreciate you posting these articles, although I tend to disagree with your assessment of it being "bunk". If you remember the movie Big Jim McLain, there was quite a subversive Communist group working in the Hawaiian islands. This was actually very true, as well as in most industrial areas of the United States. I have studied this phenomena for many years and have been amazed at some of the activities that happened in this country and others. FBI records are full of this type of information. The idea of the Communists wanting to assassinate one of their leading foes is not so far-fetched, and totally within the realm of possibility. Thank goodness there are not quite as many as there used to be. B)

Chester

Unauthorized being definitely the key word.

The "Daily Mail" a popular UK newspaper took over three pages lately reporting the Stalin, John Wayne saga. Michael Munn claims to have interviewed Duke about it in 1975. Heres what he writes


Duke "you cant let the communists do what they want, which is to rule the world, make no mistake, i know there are people who will tell you that the communists are no threat but believe me they are, I know.

Is that because they tried to kill you I asked.

For once Wayne was dumb-struck, he stared at me silently for what seemed like an eternity, finally he said "why do you say that"

I told him the Peter Cushings story

"Kid," he said, "people have criticised me for years becasue I have made my feelings known about communists but you know they couldn't lay a finger on me because I faced worse. I'll be straight with you because I like you and you already know more than anyone should. Mr Cushings is right the commies have been trying to kill me since 1949, I kept it to myself because I didn't want my family living in fear.

The interview goes on, if anyones interested I will post the rest of the interview here just let me know.

B)

Robbie,

I appreciate you posting that. Sure, if you're so inclined, share the rest of it, please.

I have a letter to the editor in a monthly magazine, regarding the Duke, along similar lines, which I will post soon.

Chester

Hello All
Hi Chester and Robbie is it possible to post that additional information?
murray

Originally posted by kilo 6@Apr 12 2006, 10:17 PM
Hello All
* * * * * Hi Chester* and Robbie is it possible to post that additional information?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * murray
30352


Nope I'm afraid not.

:agent:

I have the book. I don't know what to make of that story; on the other hand Munn is convincing and obviously a huge fan of Duke, and it is not at all hard to believe about Stalin (or Mao). Then again, to have a publisher for one more book on Duke, you need something extraordinary - and this is not the first time Munn reveals formerly unknown striking pieces of history of celebrities. The answer would be in the archives of CIA or FBI?

Here is a little story about Duke and Stalin and what many of us were told many years ago. :) This will be part of one of the storys in the book that is in the Mill. :D

DUKE AND STALIN (http://www.ranch26bar.com/STALIN1.html)

Chilibill :cowboy:

Hello All
Thanks for the info ChiliBill. murray

Originally posted by William T Brooks@Apr 14 2006, 01:08 AM
Here is a little story about Duke and Stalin and what many of us were told many years ago. :)* This will be part of one of the storys in the book that is in the Mill. :D

DUKE AND STALIN (http://www.ranch26bar.com/STALIN1.html)

Chilibill :cowboy:
30381


Hi Bill,
I still have some guesses about this story. Can't say that was unpossible and can't say that I belive it.
I have heard from publication here that Stalin was well aware of Duke and even like his movies (he had his private projectors room and new movies were brought to him) and of course he was mad I guess by Duke's anti-communist points. But that he had personally planned to kill him - in this I hardly belive.
For a pity I haven't read Munn's book - it interests me, I will try to get it.
Because this question connectes to me personally.
Regards,
Vera

Vera;

I am sorry if I upset you but this is something that is not new it has been going on for a long time and this was a different time and place in the Cold War. :angry:

During the hight of the Cold War in the 1940 though almost all the 1980s this was a common known thing with the Eastern Block Countrys and Western Block Countrys. When I was in the U.S. Air force in the 1950s this was a well known that not only the Soviet Union but almost all of the Western Countrys had Trained Assassins in their Governments that they used on the people that they thought were a threat to them. :dead:

At the first part of the Cold War in the 1940s and 1950s the U.S. was not very good at this type of thing because we were some what of a New Country of less than 200 years. But most of European Countrys had been Assassinating their Enemys for hundreds of years. :fear2:

As to Duke, He did attack Stalin and the Communist way of life every time He could in the late 1940s and early 1950s while Stalin was still alive. Even some of the Movie People in Hollywood that He worked with that were know Communist, said they wanted Him Dead. :dead: In those days Duke was thought of as a Threat to their form of Government that many of them wanted, because so many people liked what Duke said about the Communist way of life in the U.S.A. at that time in our History. :rolleyes:

Thank God we do not have that much of that type thing anymore, but I believe that it is still going on in a smaller way, but that is the World that we now live in !!! :fear:

Bill :cowboy:

Vera,

We've heard that people can now access and review some of the old KGB records for research purposes. Is that true? If so, you may be our very best source :rolleyes: .

I have studied this period in history and Chilibill's assessment is very accurate.

Murray, I'm not sure why I didn't ever post that information in this thread, but I did post a letter to the editor regarding Duke and Communism here (http://www.dukewayne.com/showthread.php?t=304&view=findpost&p=4283).

Chester :newyear:

Hi Chester and Bill,
Thank you for information, not all can I accept that easy.
Something is wrong. But I shall try to find if there any proff available.
But I can say one thing for sure the way Russians are shown in the movies of the cold war period are not accurate. There wasn't any communist fanatics here at 60-s or 70-s or 80-s. And it was great critics of the goverment only it was not descussed openly. And it was rather warm feeling about USA in this years and great interest I guess.
But because Duke's position I guess his movies wasn't shown in the theaters (I think only Stagecoach was released here), may be the reason was his political views, thats why I opened his movies to myself very late.
Regards,
Vera :(

Hi All

Interesting thread.

I have read the Michael Munn book and must admit it is an intersting read that explores areas that other authors have not looked at.

As for the assassination plot when I first read it my first reaction was "what planet is the author on" !!!

Parts of it seem credible enough and I think if Duke had made a move for political office like Reagan I think certain elements be they communists or whatever would have preferred him dead.

The plots seem to be mainly in the 1950s which was the era of Cold War Mc Carthy Hearings so it could be possible.

Also Duke's vocal support for Vietnam War would also have made him a target.

It would be interesting for this area to be investigated by other authors but a lot of what is being said is third hand information and cant be substantiated.



Mike