[Faline]

More than three decades after his death, John Wayne's name still carries a lot of clout.
Wayne's family auctioned off 750 items that once belonged to the Hollywood legend and fans scooped up the whole kit and caboodle.
The auction held in Los Angeles on Thursday and Friday took in more than $5.3 million, according to officials involved with the sale.


Since the actor's death in 1979, most of the items from his estate had been sitting in a warehouse in California, gathering dust.
But his children decided to sell the treasure off, including the eye patch Wayne wore in the iconic western movie True Grit.
The sale, staged by Heritage Auctions, was held at the Hyatt Century Plaza and included bids that made online.

Wayne's Golden Globe for the 1969 film True Grit fetched $143,400:


The eye patch that Wayne wore in True Grit brought in nearly $47,000 and the star's Golden Globe Award for his role the 1969 film fetched $143,400:


A cowboy hat worn by Wayne in the westerns Big Jake and The Cowboys sold for $119,500.
'The beret that Wayne wore in The Green Berets shocked the room when it brought the astounding record price for a costume hat of more than $179,000,' said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions.
Wayne's son Ethan, 49, president of John Wayne Enterprises, explained in a press released why the family decided to auction off the items.

He said: 'My father's fans were very important to him. He was open and accessible to them, and making these items accessible to the public is something that feels right.
'Museums have large collections of my father's personal property, and our family has had a chance to select and keep items sentimental to us. There is no need to keep this memorabilia locked away when it can be enjoyed by his fans.'
Before the treasure trove of items went up for sale, they were shown off at travelling exhibitions in Dallas, New York and Los Angeles.
A portion of the auction proceeds will be used by the John Wayne Cancer Foundation to help fund treatment, research and education.
Wayne worked for five decades in the f

[smackem]

'There is no need to keep this memorabilia locked away when it can be enjoyed by his fans.' = Time to get that Yacht we always wanted.

[Steve]

I don't want to sound cynical or nasty but selling off items like awards and such is done for personal gain and not as a public service, there is also the little matter of John Wayne being a terrible actor, he was so wooden they should have made a table out of him when he died.

[Mr.Goodbar]

I want to see his corpse

[Sharon]

Originally Posted by Steve. ↗

there is also the little matter of John Wayne being a terrible actor, he was so wooden they should have made a table out of him when he died.

"Build a bridge out of him!" (Holy Grail)

[Sharon]

Good some is going to his cancer charity

[Viking64]

I would have bid on the eye patch so I could pretend I was the guy from Dead Or Alive. All I would need is a gallon of collagen!!!

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[raininhell]

Who would want that fat-assed no talent coward's shit. The punk hid out for WWII while his fellow actors went and fought. What a punk bitch. He was still given a medal of freedom by the government. The pig was a fat piece of shit who walked like he had a dildo up his fat ass. I am going to go piss on his grave.

[kellyhound]

When the United States enter into World War 2 there was an overwhelming support for the War effort from all sectors of society. This included Hollywood. Established stars rushed to sign up for military service. Stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Eddie Albert, Tyrone Powers, and James Stewart.

As the majority of the male leads left to serve overseas, Wayne saw his blossoming stardom at risk. He put off enlisting. However, Wayne was exempt from service due to his age, family status, and classified 3-A (Family deferment).

Wayne's secretary did make inquiries on Wayne's behalf with military officials on but Wayne never followed up on them. Wayne did repeatedly write to John Ford, asking to be placed in his unit but Wayne continually postponed joining until after the next film.

The correspondence between Wayne and Herbert J. Yates (the head of the Republic Studios) indicated Yates threatened Wayne. Yates said if he (Wayne) walked away, he would file a lawsuit for breach of contract. Whether Yates meant it or not was never revealed. Wayne never did test it.

In May, 1944, Wayne was reclassified as 1-A (age eligible). The studio intervened with a 2-A deferment (for support of national health, safety, or interest). Wayne stayed 2-A until the war ended. Wayne never did illegally dodge the draft but he never took affirmative action in enlisting.

In 1943-1944, Wayne toured the South Pacific theater of the war for three months. He toured U.S. bases and hospitals as will as done some intelligence work for OSS commander William J. Donovan. Donovan thought Wayne's celebrity status might be a good cover for assessing of the poor relation between General MacArthur and the OSS Pacific Network. Donovan gave Wayne a plague and commendation for his short service with the OSS but Wayne dismissed it as meaningless.

These facts influenced the direction Wayne's life later took. Wayne's failure to serve in the military during World War 2 was the most painful experience in his life. There were other stars, who for various reasons, didn't enlist. Wayne became the focus of particular scorn from both himself and portions of the public. Wile there are some people that hold Wayne in contempt for the paradox between his early actions and his later attitudes, Wayne's widow suggests his rampant patriotism didn't come from hypocrisy but guilt. Pilar Wayne wrote, "He would become a 'superpatriot' for the rest of his life to atone for staying home."

[scubahood]

I coulda sworn I saw John Wayne Gacy. I must learn to read every word.