Things are 'very preliminary,' but city officials are considering an application for bronze sculpture of famed actor and longtime resident.
By JEFF OVERLEY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
NEWPORT BEACH – City officials might soon try to acquire a well-known bronze statue of onetime resident and legendary actor John Wayne.
The plans, which could be acted on by the City Council later this month, were first hinted at earlier this year, when a film festival celebrated what would have been the late actor's 100th birthday. But officials don't want to raise hopes. "It is still very preliminary," City Manager Homer Bludau said.
The sculpture depicts Wayne, who once lived in the Bayshores neighborhood off West Coast Highway, mounted high on a horse that stands atop a base decorated with cattle drive scenes.
The artwork was commissioned by Great Western Savings and Loan, for which Wayne was a spokesman, after the actor's death in 1979, and was dedicated during the 1984 Summer Olympics, according to http://www.destinationhollywood.com.
Now owned by Washington Mutual, the statue is in a plaza outside a building the bank once occupied on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
The building now houses Larry Flynt Publications of Hustler magazine fame, but Ethan Wayne, son of the late actor, said the proximity to the notorious company has nothing to do with the possible move.
Larry Flynt, in an interview, said that when he bought the building in 1993, the deal called for the statue to be replaced if it was ever moved. "I don't mind them taking that, but they've got to replace it with something," he said.
City Council approval would be needed to apply for the statue, and other areas might compete with Newport, Bludau said.
Ethan Wayne said he would support the city's efforts. "I like the statue, and I hope that it comes to Newport, where John Wayne lived," he said.
"I doubt that any piece like that will ever get made again," he added, noting that the statue was crafted in Italy.
Officials at Washington Mutual did not return calls for comment.
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