In 1970 when John “Duke” Wayne won an Oscar for his starring role as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969), the industry was a shadow of its current self. Or perhaps it’s the other way around.
Veteran writer-producer, A.J. Fenady, who was close to “the Duke,” remembers the night well—and how different the industry was then.
Before his Oscar win, Fenady said, “Duke tipped his hand while they were having a drink together at the bar: I said, ‘Good luck tonight Duke,’ and he said, ‘Well, McFenady, we gave it our best shot.’ But, I could tell he was confident.”
And, sure enough, Fenady said smiling, “He let something slip on stage after he presented an award. Even though he was not scheduled to appear again unless he won for best actor, “Duke nodded to the audience and said, ‘I’ll see you later.’”
Over four decades later, Wayne still ranks among the top ten of “America’s favorite movie stars,” while holding steady at #1 among conservative and ‘mature’ Americans, according to the most recent Harris poll. He’s bigger than the very much alive, and liberal, Brad Pitt.
But, the industry was smaller when Duke was charming and inspiring audiences—“a small business,” A.J. says Duke called it.
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