Belly up to the bar, boys. It’s time to drink a toast to the Duke’s 100th birthday.
The man who would become arguably the most recognizable movie star in history was born in Winterset, Iowa, on May 26, 1907.
Christened Marion Morrison, he grew up to be known as John Wayne. Twenty-eight years after his death, Wayne’s popularity appears to be as strong as ever. In TiVo’s weekly list of the most-recorded movie stars, Wayne almost always appears in the top 10.
That is one of the reasons a number of studios, led by Paramount and Warner Bros., are releasing numerous DVD collector’s editions this month and beyond to commemorate the centennial of his birth.
Today, Paramount will issue “The John Wayne Century Collection” and other offerings and Warner will release “The John Wayne Film Collection,” which includes six new-to-DVD movies.
Working closely with both studios on this 100-year anniversary celebration has been Gretchen Wayne, who was married to the Duke’s oldest son, Michael, for 45 years before he died in 2003. One of Michael’s projects was overseeing the restoration of “The High and the Mighty,” a 1954 John Wayne movie that hadn’t been seen in years.
“Some of it had been damaged by water,” Gretchen Wayne said during a recent telephone interview. “It was a long, drawn-out process.”
She also set out to restore the little-seen Wayne 1953 effort “Island in the Sky.” The black-and-white film mostly needed cleaning and some scratches removed. “The High and the Mighty” was a different story. Not only had it suffered water damage, but three reels were missing.
Fortunately, Michael had made a copy of the film. Still, she said, without the advancements made in restoration and preservation, it would have been a tough task.
“There is technology that exists today that wasn’t around even when Michael was alive,” she said. “We were able to use the second-generation print to restore the missing footage.
Michael Wayne began working on his dad’s films as a member of the crew in the 1950s and eventually became the producer of many of them.
“They disagreed from time to time, as is always the case when you work closely with someone for so many years,” Gretchen said. “But there was great respect and great love between the two. His father depended on him in all of his business dealings.”
Gretchen Wayne also has been working on another restoration project – converting Wayne’s 1953 “Hondo” to digital 3D. “It is amazing to look at it now,” she said. “In one scene, you feel like you’re sitting right across the table from him (John Wayne).”
“Hondo” (minus the 3D), “The High and the Mighty” and “Island in the Sky” are part of “The John Wayne Century Collection.”
