John Wayne was the archetypal screen cowboy, embodying the rough independence of the American west for generations of film fans. Now, newly discovered still photographs offer fresh insight into a western he made that was last seen more than three-quarters of a century ago.
Long-lost stills from The Oregon Trail show John Wayne, centre, at 28
Kent Sperring was raised in Ocala, Florida, in the 1940s by his mother, a widow who worked as a chemist’s clerk.
“Money was kind of scarce,” he said.
Luckily, he could see “a double-feature western for nine cents” at the Ritz theatre on Saturdays. The movies made an impression.
“You came away from the movie knowing that if you did something bad or wrong, you were going to get punished for it,” he said.
Wayne and other good cowboys wore white hats. The bad ones wore black hats.
“It was almost that clear-cut,” he said. “If you watched the films long enough, you’d see that those bad guys – they didn’t end up too well.”
Wayne plays a retired captain who seeks revenge for his father’s death
The films were wildly successful. Today, Wayne ranks as one of the most popular film stars of all time, admired by Sperring and countless others.
Yet despite Wayne’s iconic stature, one of his films is missing.
The Oregon Trail, released by Republic Pictures in 1936, was shown in theatres – then disappeared. There are no known remaining prints.
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