Art Imitating Life and A Tribute to Wayne

Three years after this film John Wayne would die of stomach cancer, just as J. B. Books would have in this film had he not started that final gunfight. After his passing the John Wayne Cancer Institute was formed in Santa Monica with Wayne family funds.

Just a few days ago the renowned cancer doctor and researcher, Dr. Donald Morton, who treated John Wayne, and was for many years the director of that cancer treatment center, passed on.

In the obituary that followed Dr. Morton talked of having great admiration for the the courageous way Wayne dealt with the news of his mortality, and came to accept that nothing could be done to prevent his leaving of this life.

Though not a real Wayne fan I was very impressed both with this movie, and the words attributed to Dr. Morton.

An exact quote from the article is as follows.

"You can tell a lot about a person in how they respond to adversity and terminal illness," Dr. Morton said of Wayne, "and he was a true hero."