History Spotlight
Separated at Birth? Bruce, John and Anthony Wayne Written by Doug Humes
I
f you’ve grown up in our area, you have come across “Mad” Anthony Wayne. He was a General during the American Revolution. The town of Wayne is named for him. His house, Waynesborough, is near the golf club of the same name. A statue of him on horseback is at the top of Wayne’s Woods in Valley Forge, and he’s also the golden horseman at the Philadelphia Art Museum. His troops were the ones surprised by the British night attack that’s remembered as the Paoli Massacre. Wayne’s family worshipped at Old St. David’s Church, and the General, or at least part of him, is buried there as well. Wayne is a hometown hero whom we can proudly call one of our own. Anthony Wayne died in 1796, but his memory inspired several other American heroes. Marion Morrison was born in Iowa in 1907, and then moved to California. In high school, he played football on his school’s team, and was seen around town in the company of his dog, Duke, whose name Marion soon took as a nickname. In his 20s, he found work around the film studios, as a prop boy. A film director liked his rugged good looks and As an essential business, Martella Electric is OPEN & AVAILABLE!
General Anthony Wayne Photo from public domain (Wikipedia)
wanted to cast him in a lead role, but not with that feminine name. The director suggested a name change for him, to Anthony Wayne, after the General — the epitome of rugged masculinity. The studio chief said “No, too Italian.” And so, the director suggested a solid English first name: John. So Marion Morrison became John Wayne, and went on to star in 142 movies in the course of his acting career.
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