John Wayne Was Here: The Film Locations and Favorite Places of an American Icon

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  • On my recent visit to Oregon, I seeked out several Rooster Cogburn locations that were never described in detail. Here's a screenshot of the title sequence, with beautiful Mount Bachelor providing the scenic background... and the photo I took 50 years later:

    It's Spark's Lake, seen from the shores at Ray Atkenson's Trailhead. rooster10.jpgIMG_3237.jpg

  • On my recent visit to the Bay Area, I finally managed to get to China Camp, the historic Chinese village which was the principal location of John Wayne's Blood Alley. I'm happy to report, the buildings and the wonderful pier are still standing, and if you take a hike up the hill in the back of the camp, where Batjac put up its "Chinese Wall", you'll still find the fortifications for this backdrop.


    IMG_3514.jpg7047656_orig.jpg


    I also found the place near San Rafael where they shot the "ship graveyard" scenes. Find out more on the California page of my location website, including directions:


    John Wayne's California Locations

  • On my last visit to Culver City, I paid a visit to the historic Colonnade Entrance to the original Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, on Washington Boulevard. Incredibly, it still looks like in the Golden Age of Hollywood, when John Wayne walked through this portal to make They Were Expandable and other MGM classics.


    I have put more pics on my location website, check out the Studio Backlot section: Duke Locations Studio Backlots