John Wayne’s Final Public Appearance Is Nothing Short of Delightful

John Wayne was and is a quintessential American icon. He is one of Hollywood’s finest TV stars. In a career spanning fifty years, he was a top box office attraction in over 170 films, but he is best known for his western-themed productions and performances.


Wayne has one of the most successful and extended careers in cinema history. In 1939, he had his debut in director John Ford’s “Stagecoach.” Wayne worked for studios for over a decade in B movies, usually Westerns. Among his many characters was a singing cowboy called Sandy Saunders. During this period, Wayne started to build his man-of-action image, which would eventually inspire numerous famous characters.


Wayne’s acting career took off when he appeared in filmmaker Howard Hawks’ 1948 picture “Red River.” The forever cowboy was able to exhibit his abilities as an actor, not only as an action hero, in the picture. The Duke was never the same after that. Wayne earned his first Oscar for “True Grit” in 1969.

Wayne, popularly known as “The Duke,” died at the age of 71 after a long battle with stomach cancer, leaving numerous devastated fans behind. While many admirers remember him for his amazing movie performances, his final public appearance remains holy. Wayne was welcomed by talk show host Johnny Carson during the 1979 Academy Awards event at Music Center Pavilion.

Carson played footage of Bob Hope praising Wayne’s amazing brilliance and irreplaceability. As the footage ended, the host urged the crowd to greet Wayne warmly. And they did! Wayne was greeted with a standing ovation as he took the stage. To the crowd’s endless enthusiasm, Wayne graciously thanked them all. “Thank you, fellas. “That’s about all a man needs,” Wayne beams.


Wayne attended the Oscars to present the Best Picture Award to “The Deer Hunter.” Before announcing the prize, Wayne said that he and Oscar started together. “Oscar and I both debuted in 1828.” In response to his sickness, he said that he “plan[s] to live a lot longer.” Sadly, Wayne died just a few months later. He wanted his gravestone to say “Feo, Fuerte y Formal,” which Wayne translated as “ugly, powerful, and dignified.” For some reason, the gravestone ended up with a different quote: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”