Gott Segne John Wayne

Duke, We're Glad We Knew You presents an oral biography of John Wayne through the anecdotes and observations of those who knew and loved the star throughout his long career. The stories come from folks who worked, gambled, drank, and fought with him and who all miss him dearly. Drawing on hundreds of sources, both published and broadcast, Duke, We're Glad We Knew You presents in-depth interviews with these friends and confidants of John Wayne: Lee Aaker, John Agar, Peri Alcaide, Luster Bayless, Budd Boetticher, Harry Carey Jr., Tom Corrigan, Robert Donner, Edward Faulkner, Leo Gordon, Ben Johnson, Burt Kennedy, Jeanette Mazurki Lindner, Michelle Mazurki, Andrew McLaglen, Bill McKinney, Christopher Mitchum, John Mitchum, Nancy Morrison Marshall, Walter Reed, Dean Smith, Robert Totton, Ron Talsky, Marie Windsor, and Yvonne Wood.

A rare behind-the-scenes look at John Wayne: the legend, hero, and Hollywood icon of numerous epic Western films, including an Academy Award-winning performance in True Grit. No legend ever walked taller than “The Duke.” Now, author Michael Munn’s startling new biography of John Wayne sets the record straight on why Wayne didn’t serve in World War II, on director John Ford’s contribution to Wayne’s career, and the mega-star’s highs and lows: three failed marriages, and two desperate battles with cancer. Munn also discloses publicly, for the first time, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s plot to assassinate Wayne because of his outspoken, potentially influential anti-Communist views. Drawing on time spent with Wayne on the set of Brannigan—and almost 100 interviews with those who knew him—Munn’s rare, behind-the-scenes look proves this “absolute all-time movie star” was as much a hero in real life as he ever was on-screen.

"John Wayne remains a constant in American popular culture. Middle America grew up with him in the late 1920s and 1930s, went to war with him in the 1940s, matured with him in the 1950s, and kept the faith with him in the 1960s and 1970s. . . . In his person and in the persona he so carefully constructed, middle America saw itself, its past, and its future. John Wayne was his country’s alter ego." Thus begins John Wayne: American, a biography bursting with vitality and revealing the changing scene in Hollywood and America from the Great Depression through the Vietnam War. During a long movie career, John Wayne defined the role of the cowboy and soldier, the gruff man of decency, the hero who prevailed when the chips were down. But who was he, really? Here is the first substantive, serious view of a contradictory private and public figure.

This revelatory biography shows how both the facts and fictions about John Wayne illuminate his singular life.

There was much more to John Wayne than can be seen on the silver screen, and this biography, written by three personal friends of his, candidly reveals the real man behind the legend. 16-page photo insert.

Perhaps best known for his classic movie lines, such as "Fill your hands, you sons-of-bitches!" from True Grit, the late actor John Wayne often displayed a spontaneous and biting wit when away from the screen as well. When a reporter from the Harvard Crimson sarcastically asked Wayne if he looked at himself as an "American Legend," for example, the Duke replied: "Well, not being a Harvard man, I don't look at myself any more than necessary."