John Wayne and the only woman who made him fall to his knees.
In the glitz of Hollywood, where legends are larger than life, few moments are as tender as the quiet bond between John Wayne and his mother, Mary “Molly” Morrison.
Long before he became The Duke, Marion Morrison was just a lanky boy in Glendale, California, raised by a strong, devout woman who never stopped believing in him—even when times were hard. Wayne would later say that his mother gave him the two things he needed most: discipline and dreams.
Years later, after becoming one of the most famous men in America, Wayne flew his mother out to the set of The Alamo (1960)—a project he was not only starring in, but directing and financing himself. Everyone on set noticed how Wayne, usually commanding and all business, softened when she arrived.
One morning, Molly watched from the sidelines as her son filmed a particularly grueling scene under the blistering Texas sun. After the director yelled “cut,” Wayne spotted her in the shade and walked over, sweat-soaked and dusty. She smiled and teased him, “That boy of mine is working himself to the bone.”
Wayne chuckled, knelt beside her folding chair, and said quietly, “You know, Ma, every time I do something hard… I hear your voice telling me I can.”
She reached out, brushed dust from his cheek, and replied, “And you always could.”
Later that evening, crew members saw Wayne carry a plate of food to his mother’s trailer and sit beside her as she ate. No cameras. No press. Just a son and his mother, sharing stories, laughter, and silence under the stars.
It was one of the rare times anyone saw John Wayne not as a hero of the West — but as a son, still proud to make his mother proud.
“You always could.”
And he did. Every step of the way.
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By award-winning Texas author Cynthia Leal Massey.
Clever Journeys 
John Wayne was born and raised in Winterset, Iowa. I think at the age of seven, his family moved to southern California. There is a John Wayne Museum in Winterset. I visited that museum back in the 1990s. Winterset is also known for several covered bridges in the area. One of John Wayne’s best films was THE SEARCHERS, directed by John Ford (1956).
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Beautiful report!
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So moving. When I read the title, I thought, “Oh, it’s Maureen O’ Hara,” because she knew him so well. Then, I saw the picture of his daughter grabbing his nose, and said, It’s her!” But of course, his mother had to be the one. Beautiful story. Actually, someone else, did bring John Wayne to his knees. When he was dying of cancer in the hospital, his daughter was there, and witnessed him crawl out of bed, kneel down, and surrender his life to Jesus, out loud.
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Oh Hallelujah!! I’d never heard this before ~ makes me happy to know we’ll see him again when we get to Heaven! 🎉🙌💕🎊
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BRAVO! (Not to be confused with ‘Rio Bravo’.) I loved this article! Although he certainly wasn’t the best actor, The Duke is my favorite. And, he’s a much better actor than most people have been led to believe. He saved his very best for last. Whenever people have told me John Wayne couldn’t act, I’ve answered, “Go study ‘The Shootist’ and then get back to me”. He gave a beautifully nuanced performance in that film! (Coincidentally, I live about an 8-minute drive from Lauren Bacall’s & Ron Howard’s ‘Shootist’ house.)
Below is one of my very favorite John Wayne stories. This comes from a newspaper clipping I’ve saved (Los Angeles Times, 1992… I think maybe).
ELSIE AND THE DUKE:
A colleague has scolded us for quoting from a guidebook that said that fun-loving actor John Wayne once “lived with — legend says — a cow on the balcony” at the St. James Club on Sunset Boulevard. We admit we were a bit skeptical ourselves.
Real Estate columnist Ruth (“Hot Property”) Ryon says her research shows that the correct legend is that the Duke merely “brought a cow up to his penthouse once so he and his cronies could have fresh cream for their Irish coffees.” Now, that makes more sense.
Any actor who is Archie Bunker’s favorite, is my favorite, too!
Great article! Keep ’em coming.
~ D-FensDogG
POSTSCRIPT: According to the Western Movie Guide I helped write in 1990, Wayne’s 1944 B-Western ‘Tall In The Saddle‘ is a movie “you’ll love if ya watch it first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee, while yer still in bed in yer ‘jamas”.
http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2025/07/battle-of-bands-2025-july-1-or-pat.html
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The John Wayne films that I liked the most were (as far as I can remember):
THE SEARCHERS (1956)
RED RIVER (1948)
ANGEL AND THE BADMAN (1947)
THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1961)
TRUE GRIT (1969)
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Good choices! I dig every one of those movies and own them all on DVDs. And, in fact, ‘TRUE GRIT’ is one of my all-time Top 25 favorite movies, regardless of genre. Funny how in ‘Angel And The Badman’ Harry Carey played a character named McClintock, which is only a “C” and an exclamation mark away from another fun John Wayne movie.
And speaking of fun, I’ve described ‘North To Alaska’ as “a loud, rambunctious, beer-soaked good time.”
~ D-FensDogG
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