The Duke and I: My Family Ties to John Wayne

By Raymond C. Wilson

Marion Robert Morrison, professionally known as John Wayne and nicknamed 'The Duke', was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood's Golden Age. About one year ago, I discovered through research into my family's history that I am related to John Wayne through a common ancestor -- Robert Finley (who was John Wayne's 6th great grandfather and my 9th great grandfather). That makes John Wayne my 7th cousin, 3 times removed. The Duke's career flourished from the silent era of the 1920s through the American New Wave of the 1960s and 70s, as he appeared in a total of 179 film and television productions. He was among the top box-office draws for three decades, and appeared with many other important Hollywood stars of his era. In 1999, twenty years after his death, the American Film Institute selected John Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raymond C. Wilson
• Release date: Feb 6, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224439638

Raymond C. Wilson

Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College. While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.

Book preview

THE DUKE AND I

MY FAMILY TIES TO JOHN WAYNE

Written by

RAYMOND C. WILSON

Author of:

The King and I: My Family Ties to Elvis

THE DUKE AND I

MY FAMILY TIES TO JOHN WAYNE

Published by Raymond C. Wilson at Smashwords

Copyright 2024 Raymond C. Wilson

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Clan Finley

Chapter 2: Common Ancestors

Chapter 3: Morrison Branch of Finley Tree

Chapter 4: Wilson Branch of Finley Tree

Afterword

Appendix A: John Wayne Filmography

Appendix B: Box Office Popularity

Bibliography

About Raymond C. Wilson

Introduction

Marion Robert Morrison (aka John Wayne)

Marion Robert Morrison, professionally known as John Wayne and nicknamed ‘The Duke’, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood's Golden Age, especially through his starring roles in Western and war movies. John Wayne’s career flourished from the silent era of the 1920s through the American New Wave of the 1960s and 70s, as he appeared in a total of 179 film and television productions. He was among the top box-office draws for three decades, and appeared with many other important Hollywood stars of his era. In 1999, twenty years after his death, the American Film Institute selected John Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.

John Wayne in The Quiet Man (left), The Sands of Iwo Jima (center), and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (right)

Despite his popularity at the box office, John Wayne was often criticized for playing the same type of character during most of his career. In a 1969 interview with film critic Roger Ebert, Wayne remarked: "Of course, they give me that John Wayne stuff so much, claim I always play the same role. Seems like nobody remembers how different the fellows were in The Quiet Man or The Sands of Iwo Jima, or She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, where I was 35 playing a man of 65. To stay a star, you have to bring along some of your own personality. Thousands of good actors can carry a scene, but a star has to carry the scene and still, without intruding, allow some of his character into it."

John Wayne thought of himself as a reactor rather than an actor, and felt that the difference between good and bad acting was in acting and reacting. He explained this difference: In a bad picture, you see them acting all over the place. In a good picture, they react in a logical way to a situation they're in, so the audience can identify with the actors. When asked about his approach to acting,