John Wayne

[RickS]

Was John Wayne realy a crossdresser ?
Anyone know of articles on this?

[Davita]

I just googled and there is a mixed bag of assertions. Some rumor of ages ago based on the date of the postings.

[Martina]

John Wayne was christened "Marion" which probably means his mother wanted a girl. I would imagine he would have had an impossibly hard time getting feminine clothes to fit if he did crossdress because he was a very big man. He wouldn't have had access to cd friendly communities or shops in his time. It would be nice to think that during the scene in McLintlock where he chased Maureen O'Hara arount the town in her firlly undies to spank her that he was wishing that the roles were reversed. It must have been agony for him if he was a crossdresser to be on sets with all the beautiful gowns and petticoats and ultra feminine coustumes all over the place and not been able to show any interest in them, let alone try them on.

[Carolynn]

I was no admirer of his conservative politics, but I suspect claims he was a CDer is smoke and mirrors. It seems to be popular to claim that some actor or celebrity or other was a crossdresser (especially since J. Edgar Hoover), but usually only after the people are dead and there is no possiblity of resolution. It's easy to make claims against the dead, all sorts of things with some impunity, but if there is no smoke there is likely no fire. The only credible smoke on Wayne seems to have come from his several pack a day tobacco addiction that eventually killed him. Perhaps people should use him as an incentive for quitting smoking instead of making up unprovable claims about him. As far as Marion goes, the name can be masculine or feminine depending on the spelling. The name Marion derives as an Old French variation of Marie or Mary meaning “star of the sea.” Marion originated during the Middle Ages. However, the name later became a given name in its own right. Marion in Gaelic is Muireall meaning “sea bright.” The name has also been utilized as a pet version of Margaret. As a male name, Marion is a variation of Marian, which stems from the Latin Marianus.

As far as size goes, with his not inconsiderable wealth and power, he wouldn't have had to buy off the shelf, but could have had clothing made for him if he was a CDer. That would bring someone into the loop, and I doubt it would have been kept quiet after his death. People want to expose the rich and famous too much. He even had to have his everyday wardrobe made for him for a proper fit, and his vehicles either had to be large or the seats modified. For the movie "In Harms Way", he was on the ship that I spent 4 yrs on, though I came aboard a month after he was there. His only complaint was that the beds were too short for him to stretch out in, and he spent most nights with the matress on the deck of his quarters so he could stretch out. I'm 5'10", and even I could sympathize, as I had to sleep at an angle across the small, thin matress to stretch out without my feet hanging over the metal frame.

Anne-Margaret starred in a movie with him, and she said that in spite of his macho persona and reputation, he was most always a gentle giant in his dealings with others. That doesn't make him a CDer either. Just a fairly decent man.