Director Raoul Walsh discovered the 23-year-old. Walsh decided the name MarionRobert Morrison seemed too sissified so John Wayne was born, named afterRevolutionary War general  Mad Anthony Wayne.
In his debut film  The Big Trail Wayne played a wagon train scout heading west fromMissouri to Oregon. At the start of the talkies, it was the first widescreenwestern epic.
WayneÂ's pay was raised to $75 a week for the film. The studioÂ's stuntmen coachedhim in horseback riding and the ways of a cowboy, WayneÂ's acting skills seemedinstinctive.
 He stepped down off his horse and gave me that lopsided grin which was to becomeone of his trademarks. How did I do, Mr. Walsh? He was confident in himself bythis time and looked as if he knew the answer, Walsh said.
Through more than 200 films over 50 years, Wayne rode the range into the hearts ofmillions. He was the ideal father figure. Moviegoers couldnÂ't get enough.
"When I started, I knew I was no actor and I went to work on this Wayne thing," hesaid. "It was as deliberate a projection as you'll ever see. I figured I needed agimmick, so I dreamed up the drawl, the squint and a way of moving meant to suggestthat I wasn't looking for trouble but would just as soon throw a bottle at your headas not. I practiced in front of a mirror."
Wayne won a best actor Oscar for the western, "True Grit," in 1969. In his final1976 film,  The Shootist Wayne played an aging gunslinger who, like himself, findshimself dying of cancer.
Everything that has to do with western stars is going to be collectible, especiallyJohn Wayne. There are people out there whoÂ'll buy just about anything related tohim.
The Remington New Army 1861 revolver Wayne used in his first starring role in  TheBig Trail went on the block on Jan. 20 at High Noon Western Americana auction heldin Phoenix, Ariz. It sold for $51,750.
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