Hometown Celebrates Wayne’s 100^th Birthday

By Rich Drees

     May 23, 2007- John Wayne’s hometown of Winterset, Iowa will be celebrating the centennial of the Western actor’s birth this weekend with a parade, concert series, a wild west revue and numerous free screenings of the actor’s films.

     Many of the festivities, including a VIP fundraising dinner on Friday and a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, center around the town’s new John Wayne Birthplace Museum and Learning Center.

     Scheduled to appear during the weekend will be Dean Smith who co-starred with Wayne in numerous films including Rio Bravo (1959) and The Commancheros (1961), Gregg Palmer who appeared in six films with Wayne including The Shootist (1976) and Big Jake (1971) and Edward Faulkner who appeared in The Green Berets (1968), Hellfighters (1968) and four other films with Wayne. Also appearing will be former Paramount Pictures producer and long-time John Wayne friend A. C. Lyles and Wayne biographers Roger M. Crowley, Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss.

     Born on May 26, 2007, young Marion Robert Morrison spent many of his formative years in the small Iowa town 35 miles southwest of Des Moines before his family moved to California, where he eventually entered the movies with a new name- John Wayne. His career would span more than five decades and 175 films with his tough screen image becoming an iconic symbol for America. He would be nominated for an Academy Award three times, winning Oscar gold for his performance in 1969’s True Grit.

     You can find a complete list of scheduled activities here.