The summer of 1926 saw Wayne working at Fox Film Corporation in Hollywood where he moved props, furniture, and decorations for $35 a week. Wayne lost his football scholarship due to an injury so he went back to Fox, helping on director John Ford’s movies. Wayne accidentally walking through a scene during shooting on the film Four Sons. He was charged to blow leaves onto a porch for a scene, then sweep them up for the next take. Wayne absentmindedly began sweeping before being given the signal to do so. Ford was both amused and annoyed.

John Wayne was born in Iowa but grew up in Southern California. Wayne was a tall high school kid eventually finding himself on the football team. In John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, he said, “When we moved to California, I discovered the ocean, and I loved it. My ambition was to become an officer in the United States Navy.” So Wayne went to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He didn’t get in. Wayne went back to football before eventually becoming an actor.

Director John Ford cast Wayne in the 1928 film Hangman’s House where Wayne was a spectator at a horse race. Then he played a naval shipman in 1929’s Salute. Wayne learned about the industry through Ford before other directors started hiring Wayne for some screen time. Ford’s 1939 film, Stagecoach, saw Wayne become a success. He played Ringo Kid, and soon, his career took off.

John Wayne received a 3-A deferment for military service in 1942. This was due to his family obligations. His acceptance was vastly different from other celebrities who had families but still chose to serve. This was after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. At the time, Wayne’s marriage to Josephine Alicia Saenz was already on the rocks.

John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich starred in several 1940s films like Seven Sinners (1940), The Spoilers (1942), and Pittsburgh (1942). It was on the set of Seven Sinners that the two began to have an affair. In Marc Eliot’s book, American Titan: Searching for John Wayne, Wayne didn’t want to lose Dietrich if he enlisted. They were madly in love with each other with Wayne receiving more intimacy from Marlene than his wife.

Ford served as a member of the United States Naval Reserve and he encouraged Wayne to serve. Wayne did want to join Ford’s Field Photographic Unit in 1942, with a letter that read:

“Have you any suggestions on how I should get in? Can you get me assigned to your outfit, and if you could, would you want me? How about the Marines? You have Army and Navy men under you. Have you any Marines or how about a Seabee or what would you suggest or would you? No, I’m not drunk. I just hate to ask for favors, but for Christ sake, you can suggest can’t you? No kidding, coach who’ll I see?”

Wayne never did join, always claiming that there was a movie to be made. Ford was disappointed but that did not ruin their friendship.

Around 2,700 actors, directors, and other film making professionals in Hollywood went to serve after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This meant that Wayne dominated the big screen as he could take on more roles. He may not have served but Wayne took the opportunity to portray tough characters on screen.

Wayne never received the paperwork as it was said to have been sent to his ex-wife, Josephine’s home. Scholars suspect that Josephine intentionally held on to the letter as John sent her financial support for their 4 kids. Not being able to serve worked out in Wayne’s favor as he got more roles.

Wayne filled out paperwork for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) where Ford and other Hollywood filmmakers worked in the Field Photographic Unit. The OSS, precursor to the CIA, wanted people with experience for the job but Wayne claimed he didn’t have the experience required.

The US government had Hollywood supporting the effort by making films that boosted morale. It was a propaganda campaign with non-serving actors taking part in heroic films. John Wayne’s films like Flying Tigers and The Fighting Seabees had audiences enthralled, while films like A Lady Takes a Chance and In Old Oklahoma had people enjoying romance and adventure the American way.

Wayne got a 3-A deferment in 1942 for simply being a family man. After the 3-A distinction was canceled, his deferment was reclassified to 2-A in December 1943. The 2-A deferment lasted six months, but even that got reclassified lots of times. Wayne was reclassified to 1-A in 1944, then transitioned again to 2-A in June of the same year. Wayne was 38 years old in 1945 and was deemed to old to serve so it was changed to 4-A. And yet Clark Gable was older than John in 1942.

Wayne was the tough guy face of America and was an active member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (MPAPAI). The MPAPAI’s “Statement of Principles,” are to “revolt against a rising tide of communism, fascism, and kindred beliefs, that seek by subversive means to undermine and change this way of life.” Wayne served as the president in 1948 with members tipping the House Un-American Activities Committee about communist sympathizers.

Wayne’s performance in 1949’s Sands of Iwo Jima earned him his nomination. He lost to Broderick Crawford but John Wayne eventually won an Oscar in 1970 for True Grit. Fast forward to 2021 and people are still watching Wayne’s films.

Ford would often berate Wayne “to get into it,” saying that he was growing rich while other Hollywood personalities were serving. In John’s head, serving for years may affect his future of getting the usual roles. He didn’t want to be some old guy playing action heroes. Wayne took full advantage and became a war hero on the big screen instead.

During his USO tours in 1942 and ’43, Wayne was booed in Australia and the Pacific Islands when he walked on their stages. It was an audience filled with combat veterans. John may have been haunted by his decision to not serve so he atoned for it by being a staunch patriot all his life. Still, he was labeled as a “draft dodger”.