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|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Actor Information | ||||
| Birth Name: | Marion Michael Morrison | |||
| Also known as: | "The Duke" | |||
| Born: | May 26, 1907 | |||
| Birthplace: | Winterset, Iowa, U.S. | |||
| Died: | June 11, 1979 (aged 72) | |||
| Deathplace: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |||
| Vitals | ||||
| Gender: | Male | |||
| Height: | 6' 3¾" (1.93 m) | |||
| Occupation: | Actor, Director, Producer | |||
| Years active: | 1926–1977 | |||
| Website/URL: | johnwayne.com | |||
| Personal/Family Information | ||||
| Series Involvement | ||||
John Wayne (May 26, 1907 - June 11, 1979) was an American actor, director and producer. Commonly referred to as "The Duke", he was known for his acting roles, often playing the tough, no nonsense cowboy or brave war hero.
He is one of Al Bundy's great personal heroes, and a constant touchstone in his often disappointing life. To Al, "The Duke" epitomized the true American man, someone who was strong, brave, patriotic and refused to take guff from anyone.
The actor and some of his films are mentioned throughout various episodes of Married... with Children:
- One of John Wayne's films, Hondo becomes a major plot element, as Al desperately tries to watch the film in "All in the Family" and "Assault and Batteries".
- In "Born to Walk", after Al mocks Steve for having to go pick up petunias with Marcy at the nursery, Steve quips, " Well, it's not the John Wayne movie your life is, but then again, what is? ".
- In "Father Lode", after Steve tells Al that he will share the $50 he won at the race track with Marcy, Al mocks him by saying "Wow, Hondo, you are much man.", referring to Wayne's character from the film of the same name.
- In "Sue Casa, His Casa", Al references another John Wayne film, North to Alaska by singing its opening theme song as he decides to start a new life as a logger up north and takes Buck with him.
- In "Desperately Seeking Miss October", when Al talks to the spirit of dad, his dad tells him that every man in heaven is counting on him to get his Playboys back after Peggy sold them. But Al mopes and claim that he can't do it because of Peg. His dad then mentions that John Wayne believes that Al can, which causes Al to perk up, knowing "The Duke" believes in him and has a "five-spot" riding on him.
- Later in the episode, he begins to stand by the kitchen and act like John Wayne, by calling Peggy "Pilgrim" and demands that she gets his Playboys back. He then calls down and orders Bud and Kelly to clean his car and make his dinner while leaning near the kitchen counter. The term "Pilgrim" was famously used by Wayne in the 1962 film, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance.
- After Peggy leaves to get his Playboys back, he says "That felt good! I feel 'The Duke' in me!"
- In "God's Shoes", when Al talks to the kids about his new plan, "Shoehorn Of Plenty" one of the ideas would involve burgers being shaped like a shoehorn. He then points out that the credit should actually go to John Wayne.
- In "Death of a Shoe Salesman", Al tells the kids about how much he admires "The Duke" as they watch his fictitious film, I Shoot Them, Cause They're Injuns. Al also mentions that he copied "The Duke"'s way of walking to the bathroom. He then laments about how "The Duke" and other characters from the film are dead except for Fuzzy McGee, just before receiving even more bad news.
- In "Take My Wife, Please", as the Grim Reaper shows Al her photo album of those she has taken to the afterlife, she becomes excited as she points to a picture of her with John Wayne, before Al tries to get her to change the subject.
- In "Assault and Batteries" besides trying to get back home to watch Hondo, during a black and white sequence that takes place in the Wild West, Al is called "Bundo", where he is dressed similar to Wayne's character in the film and begins to talk and act like him. He also address Marcy, the Bank President as "Pilgrim".
- After the black and white sequence, Al walks around the store and says "We should do what John Wayne would have done!" before grabbing a register and throwing it into the store's window, screaming "For Hondo!".
- Unfortunately for Al, the register bounced against the window and knocked him out. This caused Al to miss Hondo except for the closing credits which included the announcement that the movie would not air again until 2011.
- After the black and white sequence, Al walks around the store and says "We should do what John Wayne would have done!" before grabbing a register and throwing it into the store's window, screaming "For Hondo!".
- In "Pump Fiction", after Marcy tried to stop Al's film, he tells her "If you want to see a movie of your life, I suggest you go rent 'Rooster Cogburn'.", a western film starring Wayne as the titular character and was the sequel to True Grit.
- In "Breaking Up Is Easy to Do (Part 1)", after Peggy explains that the board game they will be playing, "Passion", tests how much a person knows about someone they love, Al replys "Fair enough. I'll take 'John Wayne' for 20".
- In "How to Marry a Moron (Part 2)", as Al debates whether to tell Kelly about seeing her future husband Lonnie Tot at The Jiggly Room, Bud tries to change Al's attitude. He tells Al that the Tots gave the Bundys a 10 foot wide projector screen and Laserdisc player, with a movie starring John Wayne. Despite knowing its a movie with his hero, "The Duke", Al says that they should return it to the Tots and call the wedding off. But, seeing that Al doesn't have any other proof that Lonnie is a cheater, Bud says "Let's just ask 'The Duke'!". Al becomes memorized as the projector drops down, before noting "This is where 'The Duke' kills a whole bunch of Indians who were really asking for it!". When Kelly arrives, he tells her and the rest of the family to go to their respective rooms, so he can be alone with The Duke.