John Wayne’s stuff was sold. This past week most of the memorabilia from his life was sold at auction by his son. So, who cares? Well, you should. His life’s work should be kept in a museum. Why? Because although he was an actor in movies, on and off screen he represented the rugged strong American man who was tough but good and even romantic. He represented this countries strength whether he played a cowboy or a Vietnam soldier.

Rent the movies and share them with your children. They were all G rated but he drank, smoked and fought and took the girl upstairs on his shoulder and had his way with her. Those movies told a story, had a message and the best part was the kiss you waited to see throughout the movie that of coarse came at the very end. You felt good warm and proud after a 2 hour movie.

Today we have “The Hangover” I and II highly popular and successful but encourages lying to your love, getting so drunk you don’t remember anything that therefore justifies anything you can think of doing that is illegal or just plain bad. No wonder the kids now just as the song says, “Blame it on the Alcohol!” Call me old, but when I left a John Wayne movie I felt a whole lot better than the crap Hollywood is putting out lately.

On the big screen we knew him as the cowboy, the co-pilot, the colonel the irish boxer. In life he stood as tall as he was in the movies always the hero of sorts. His youngest son Ethan Wayne remembers living on the beach and is the family member releasing costumes and personal items of his father’s to be auctioned.

John Wayne was and still is one of this countries most popular actors 32 years after his death. In a pole just this year of America’s Favorite movie Stars, he ranked third after Johnny Depp and Denzel Washington. John Wayne was not only the most important film star of the twentieth century in America, he was also one of the most important Americans of the twentieth century because he was a role model for young people on and off screen.

Today, many men get paid millions from sports teems and from the movies but squander their money on bad behavior with drugs, gamboling, sexual partners and not a whole lot of having their fame help young kids look up to wanting to be like. John defined a sense of manhood, authority and a powerful control of self. He never got out of character like many of the new actors do. Like, Jim Carey who was a famous funny man but then played in some serious dramas. He lost fans. You knew what you were getting in a John Wayne movie.

Personal items his family has stored for decades are available to feel and touch at an auction. You can purchase his stuff in Los Angeles. There are letters from famous friends like George Burns and Jack Lemmon. They all called him Duke. Scripts and costumes are being auctioned as well. The eye patch from True Grit, the 1969 movie from which he won his Oscar,.

In the film “Big Jake,” he featured his young son with a part in the movie. He was born Marion Morrison and nicknamed Duke after his pet dog, John Wayne starred in nearly 200 movies. His distinctive style embodied the American hero. He never did accents or really got away from his swagger when he walked, he was great with a gun and an expert horseman. He would scoop the ladies effortlessly in his arms and always made them feel safe.

His characters were pretty much the same no matter what uniform he wore. Tough , take charge man of action and wholesome values and always getting the bad guy. Watch his movies again; you will probably want to be him or want to sleep with him. He died of cancer at age 72.