John Wayne died on June 11, 1979, but the world was never able to let him go. John Wayne. An American Experience museum in the Fort Worth Stockyards, a 14,000-square-foot exhibition featuring costumes from his films, personal scripts, firearms collection, and his 1970 Academy Award for Best Actor, continues to attract visitors from around the country. Its director described it as a space where people can feel closer to the person who helped them make better decisions in life or guided them through difficult times, as reported by the Fort Worth Report. The 46th anniversary of his death has prompted new reflection on his extraordinary legacy. His seven children, most of whom followed him into the industry, keep his name and values very much alive today. And through it all, a line he delivered in 1973 as a Civil War veteran during ‘The Train Robbers’ continues to travel longer than almost anything else he’s said on screen.The quote of the day reads, “You’re going to spend the rest of your life getting up one more time than you fell, so you better start getting used to it.”
Meaning of John Wayne’s quote of the day
John Wayne delivered this line as Lane, a seasoned Civil War veteran, in ‘The Train Robbers,’ released in 1973. The moment came when a younger, less experienced fellow named Ben Young confessed his deepest fears. that when a real gunfight starts, he can turn and run. He didn’t ask for reassurance that he was brave. He admits, honestly and weakly, that he doesn’t know if he is. And Lane’s answer was not comfort in the usual sense. This is something more difficult and more useful.
Decades after his death, John Wayne remains a symbol of courage, strength and determination through his films and his words. Image credit (Instagram).
Early life of John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison was born on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa, where his father Clyde worked as a pharmacist. Due to his father’s health, the doctors told him that he should move west. The family eventually settled in California, trying to farm in the Mojave Desert before finally moving to Glendale, outside Los Angeles, where Clyde returned to work in a pharmacy. In his childhood, he got the nickname Duke from a beloved pet dog, an Airedale terrier named Little Duke. A football star at Glendale High School, he attended the University of Southern California on a scholarship but dropped out after two years after a bodysurfing accident cost him the scholarship. He found work at a film studio, where he caught the attention of director John Ford, and soon began playing small roles. His first starring role came in ‘The Big Trail’ in 1930, and the film’s director, Raoul Walsh, urged him to change his name from Marion Morrison to John Wayne. Since then, his career has never faltered; “Stagecoach” in 1939 made him a true star, according to the History Channel.
John Wayne. The Duke and his lasting legacy
What followed was one of the most sustained careers in American cinema history. His most famous films include ‘Red River,’ ‘The Searchers,’ ‘Rio Bravo,’ ‘The Alamo,’ and ‘True Grit,’ for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1970. From 1949 to 1974, Wayne was ranked as the number one American box office star or within the top ten no less than 265 times. He appeared in at least 154 films throughout his career, and in June 1999, the American Film Institute named him thirteenth among the Greatest Male Screen Legends of All Time.
From beating cancer to building one of Hollywood’s greatest careers, John Wayne embodied the perseverance behind his most memorable quote. Image credit (Instagram).
John Wayne’s cancer battle. Get up once more
In October 1964, Wayne went for a long check-up at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, where doctors took several sets of X-rays before telling him he had tested positive for cancer. He recalls the moment with typical candor. “When I left the clinic that day, I realized that I needed lung surgery as soon as possible.” When his colleagues encouraged him to keep the diagnosis private, worried about the impact on his career, Wayne refused, telling the press, “There’s a hell of a lot of good images of John Wayne beating cancer,” according to John Wayne Enterprises. He lost his entire left lung and two ribs in surgery, and yet continued to do physically demanding roles including ‘Hellfighters’ and ‘The Green Berets,’ both released in 1968. He became a passionate advocate for early cancer screening, making several public service announcements for the American Cancer Society. Five years after his diagnosis, he was declared cancer-free. Then in January 1979, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He regained enough strength to attend the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979, where he responded to a rousing standing ovation with, “That’s just the medicine a fellow needs,” according to Variety. He died on June 11, 1979, at the age of 72. His last film, ‘The Shootist,’ saw him play an aging gunfighter facing his own mortality, a fitting conclusion to a career built entirely on the philosophy he lived by. That getting up once more than you fall down is not a motto. It is a way of life. And John Wayne lived it until he couldn’t anymore.