chester7777
March 8th, 2010, 07:50 AM
A couple of months back, I sent an email to USC (University of Southern California, Duke's alma mater) asking if there was a possibility that they might have copies of some of Duke's older movies squirreled away in a vault somewhere. I also mentioned that I was involved in an international forum dedicated to the memory of John Wayne.
Apparently, my letter was published in some sort of USC alumni newsletter. One day, I got an email from someone associated with the newsletter, saying they had been contacted by a man who had been acquainted with John Wayne, who would like to share his story. He wasn't on the Internet, but they sent me his phone number.
I called him, introduced myself, and explained why I was calling him. He was VERY friendly, very sharp. Apparently, when he was a young boy, Duke had rented a room from his aunt and uncle. He then shared that he's had a rather varied and interesting life, and his kids had encouraged him to write down his stories so they "would have something to read after he died." He had done just that, and offered to make copies of the pages of his memoirs that related to John Wayne, and send them to me.
So . . . with no further ado . . . I share with you the memoirs of Bob Thompson (with his permission) -
After John Wayne left USC and was working at the studios, he boarded with my aunt and uncle-Hugh and Eula Norton. His name then was Marion Morrison, but everyone called him Duke. We lived not too far from their place on San Vicente Boulevard, just south of Wilshire. I was about nine or ten years old. He was always friendly, and I enjoyed visiting my aunt and uncle, especially if Duke was there. It was at this time when he was given a part in a movie, and he was to throw knives. None of the stuntmen could do this, so he practiced by the hour in the garage, and I would be there to pick up the knives and return them to him so he could throw again and again. He eventually became active in the movie industry and moved out, naturally, into much better facilities. We moved away also. I did not see him again until many years later-maybe in the '50s.
I was entertaining a couple of dentists and their wives at a restaurant in Newport Beach called Karam's. The dentists were new to Southern California, having just arrived from the midwest, and I was trying to obtain their referrals. One of the women remarked, rather excitedly, that John Wayne had just arrived in the room with his wife and another couple. People from the midwest were not used to seeing movie people. My wife mentioned that I knew him, and one of the dentists remarked that I did not. He did not believe it. If it were true, why didn't I go to greet him? I answered that I respected his privacy and let him enjoy his meal without people bothering him. Duke and his friends finished before we did and left. He had a home close by in Newport Beach. One of the dentists excused himself and followed Duke and his friends out to the parking lot and announced that a person at his table had mentioned that he knew John Wayne because John Wayne had lived with his aunt and uncle. John Wayne then said to the dentist, "You mean Bobbie Thompson is in there?" He excused himself from his friends and came to our table and sat and talked for about twenty minutes. I hadn't been called Bobbie for fifty years! He asked about my aunt and uncle, and I told him they were living in La Jolla. He asked if their name was in the phone book, as he went to La Jolla quite often and would like to see them. I believe this was the time when he went to Scripps Clinic in La Jolla for his lung problem. A week or two later my aunt answered the doorbell to see Duke standing on the porch. He spent the whole afternoon with them and, naturally, they were delighted. He was quite a guy.
John McKay was the esteemed football coach at USCand asked me to join the team and staff for the away games. We went to Austin to play the University of Texas. The first night there, who should appear but Duke, Lee Marvin and their makeup man. They were making a film in Mexico and thought it would be a great idea to see the game. We all would have liked to have had a drink or two-or three-before dinner, but Austin was a dry city, and we could not find any liquor. Duke paid the bellboys-how much I do not know-but we soon had some booze. I introduced Duke to John McKay, and the coach asked if he would speak to the team at breakfast. Duke was happy to do that, and he did.
He was a little late to the breakfast because during the night the makeup man suddenly died, and Duke had to handle the details of the circumstance. After breakfast, McKay asked Duke if he would like to sit on the bench during the game, and, naturally, he accepted this offer and appeared just before game time with a bucket of ice and a bottle of scotch and his big ten-gallon hat. The USCplayers got a big charge out of him with his whiskey and ice bucket on the bench, and McKay just looked, smiled and shook his head.
At the University of Texas, the visiting team's bench is directly in front of the Texas rooting section. I guess this is done to distract the visiting team. as the' noise is out of this world. They are known as the Longhorns in Texas, and their cheerleaders would face the Texas students and hold up their right hand with the forefinger and little finger extended to look like the horns of a bull. They would then yell, "hook 'em horns," while extending their hands to the crowd. The rooters then responded with a loud, "yeah!" Well, Duke was introduced to the whole stadium just before halftime, during a time out, by the public address announcer. He stood and waved his big ten-gallon hat to the crowd, and the stadium went nuts for this cowboy. He turned to the Texas rooting section and made his hook 'em horn hand sign, but instead of saying, "hook 'em horns," he said, "up your a**." The rooters thought for sure he was saying 'hook 'em horns' and responded with a loud, "hooray!" Each time he did it, the SC players could hear what he said, and they were laughing so much they were falling off the bench. John McKay just shook his head and walked toward the end zone with a big smile on his face. SC won the game, and in the dressing room after the game McKay thanked Duke for helping out and presented him with the game ball. Several years later that same ball was on his mantle at his Newport Beach home. A great Trojan!
Apparently, my letter was published in some sort of USC alumni newsletter. One day, I got an email from someone associated with the newsletter, saying they had been contacted by a man who had been acquainted with John Wayne, who would like to share his story. He wasn't on the Internet, but they sent me his phone number.
I called him, introduced myself, and explained why I was calling him. He was VERY friendly, very sharp. Apparently, when he was a young boy, Duke had rented a room from his aunt and uncle. He then shared that he's had a rather varied and interesting life, and his kids had encouraged him to write down his stories so they "would have something to read after he died." He had done just that, and offered to make copies of the pages of his memoirs that related to John Wayne, and send them to me.
So . . . with no further ado . . . I share with you the memoirs of Bob Thompson (with his permission) -
After John Wayne left USC and was working at the studios, he boarded with my aunt and uncle-Hugh and Eula Norton. His name then was Marion Morrison, but everyone called him Duke. We lived not too far from their place on San Vicente Boulevard, just south of Wilshire. I was about nine or ten years old. He was always friendly, and I enjoyed visiting my aunt and uncle, especially if Duke was there. It was at this time when he was given a part in a movie, and he was to throw knives. None of the stuntmen could do this, so he practiced by the hour in the garage, and I would be there to pick up the knives and return them to him so he could throw again and again. He eventually became active in the movie industry and moved out, naturally, into much better facilities. We moved away also. I did not see him again until many years later-maybe in the '50s.
I was entertaining a couple of dentists and their wives at a restaurant in Newport Beach called Karam's. The dentists were new to Southern California, having just arrived from the midwest, and I was trying to obtain their referrals. One of the women remarked, rather excitedly, that John Wayne had just arrived in the room with his wife and another couple. People from the midwest were not used to seeing movie people. My wife mentioned that I knew him, and one of the dentists remarked that I did not. He did not believe it. If it were true, why didn't I go to greet him? I answered that I respected his privacy and let him enjoy his meal without people bothering him. Duke and his friends finished before we did and left. He had a home close by in Newport Beach. One of the dentists excused himself and followed Duke and his friends out to the parking lot and announced that a person at his table had mentioned that he knew John Wayne because John Wayne had lived with his aunt and uncle. John Wayne then said to the dentist, "You mean Bobbie Thompson is in there?" He excused himself from his friends and came to our table and sat and talked for about twenty minutes. I hadn't been called Bobbie for fifty years! He asked about my aunt and uncle, and I told him they were living in La Jolla. He asked if their name was in the phone book, as he went to La Jolla quite often and would like to see them. I believe this was the time when he went to Scripps Clinic in La Jolla for his lung problem. A week or two later my aunt answered the doorbell to see Duke standing on the porch. He spent the whole afternoon with them and, naturally, they were delighted. He was quite a guy.
John McKay was the esteemed football coach at USCand asked me to join the team and staff for the away games. We went to Austin to play the University of Texas. The first night there, who should appear but Duke, Lee Marvin and their makeup man. They were making a film in Mexico and thought it would be a great idea to see the game. We all would have liked to have had a drink or two-or three-before dinner, but Austin was a dry city, and we could not find any liquor. Duke paid the bellboys-how much I do not know-but we soon had some booze. I introduced Duke to John McKay, and the coach asked if he would speak to the team at breakfast. Duke was happy to do that, and he did.
He was a little late to the breakfast because during the night the makeup man suddenly died, and Duke had to handle the details of the circumstance. After breakfast, McKay asked Duke if he would like to sit on the bench during the game, and, naturally, he accepted this offer and appeared just before game time with a bucket of ice and a bottle of scotch and his big ten-gallon hat. The USCplayers got a big charge out of him with his whiskey and ice bucket on the bench, and McKay just looked, smiled and shook his head.
At the University of Texas, the visiting team's bench is directly in front of the Texas rooting section. I guess this is done to distract the visiting team. as the' noise is out of this world. They are known as the Longhorns in Texas, and their cheerleaders would face the Texas students and hold up their right hand with the forefinger and little finger extended to look like the horns of a bull. They would then yell, "hook 'em horns," while extending their hands to the crowd. The rooters then responded with a loud, "yeah!" Well, Duke was introduced to the whole stadium just before halftime, during a time out, by the public address announcer. He stood and waved his big ten-gallon hat to the crowd, and the stadium went nuts for this cowboy. He turned to the Texas rooting section and made his hook 'em horn hand sign, but instead of saying, "hook 'em horns," he said, "up your a**." The rooters thought for sure he was saying 'hook 'em horns' and responded with a loud, "hooray!" Each time he did it, the SC players could hear what he said, and they were laughing so much they were falling off the bench. John McKay just shook his head and walked toward the end zone with a big smile on his face. SC won the game, and in the dressing room after the game McKay thanked Duke for helping out and presented him with the game ball. Several years later that same ball was on his mantle at his Newport Beach home. A great Trojan!