John Wayne Grew Up in Glendale

We have had a lot of Hollywood stars associated with our area, due mainly to our proximity to Hollywood. But the biggest by far was screen actor John Wayne, who had an amazing decades-long career in film. Wayne was more that a movie star. He is an icon. And surprisingly he had humble beginnings in Glendale.

Marion Morrison (Wayne’s birth name) was born in Winterset, Iowa in 1907. His father was a pharmacist but wanted to reinvent himself as a cowboy. So in 1914 the family headed west, initially to Palmdale, to try their hand at cattle ranching. But it wasn’t profitable, and Mrs. Morrison didn’t adapt well. The family visited Glendale regularly while working the ranch and by 1916 the family decided to give up ranching and move to the fast-growing city. They were attracted in part because there were many people in Glendale from their home state of Iowa.

Mr. Morrison returned to a job as a pharmacist, and little Marion, just 9 years old, entered elementary school in Glendale. Mr. Morrison worked at Glendale Pharmacy but was not terribly successful. Money was tight. In the years 1916 to 1925, despite financial boom times in the city, the Morrisons moved 10 times, most of the time renting. They only owned one of the homes, and lost that when they couldn’t make the payments. For a time Mr. Morrison had his own pharmacy, Baird and Morrison, and Marion made deliveries for the business on his bike.

An oft-told story is that as a little boy Marion loved to visit the fire station and hang out with the firemen. That would have been Fire Station No. 1 in the 300 block of East Broadway where the main post office is today. His big pet dog Duke was his companion on these visits. Because the dog was almost bigger than Marion, the firemen took to calling the pair Big Duke (the dog) and Little Duke (Marion). The nickname “Duke” followed John Wayne through his entire life.

Despite the family’s money troubles and transience, Marion excelled in school, particularly during his time at Glendale High. His parents weren’t getting along and perhaps school was his escape. He wrote for the school newspaper, was on the debate team, president of the Latin Club, organized the senior dance and was student body president. He performed in several school plays, which cemented his passion for acting. On top of all that he was a star player on the school’s football team, and he received an athletic scholarship to USC. But an injury ended his USC football scholarship and he was forced to drop out. During his USC years he continued to live in Glendale with his now divorced and remarried mother.

Marion had a Hollywood connection via cowboy star Tom Mix. Mix got him hired as a prop boy and he began to pick up bit parts as well. It was via his association with Tom Mix and Mix’s good friend Wyatt Earp (who spent his last years in LA) that Marion adopted his signature western persona, his walk and talk. As Marion picked up more acting jobs, the studios changed his name to John Wayne, and the rest is history.

Despite John Wayne’s stardom, Glendale never cashed in on its association with Wayne. No plaques, no memorials, no streets bear his name. Wayne’s ultra-right politics made him controversial. In 2008, a huge bronze statue of Wayne was up for grabs, but Glendale was not interested. The statue instead went to Newport Beach where Wayne spent his later years. The nearby Orange County Airport was renamed John Wayne Airport, and Wayne’s yacht has been enshrined in Newport Harbor. In fact, all across the country memorials to Wayne exist but nothing in Glendale … until recently. In 2014, Glendale High’s auditorium was renamed the John Wayne Performing Arts Center and a bust of him was installed in the lobby. Fitting in that his acting career started there.

Although John Wayne is largely unrecognized in his hometown, he was indeed a local boy who became something larger than life.