He was ugly, strong, and had dignity — Uncovering John Wayne’s hidden treasure

John Wayne, then a strikingly handsome 46-year-old star, is captured during the June 1953 filming of “Hondo” in Camargo, Mexico. The image accompanied a Look magazine article entitled “Big John,” and the 3-D movie, a first for Wayne, had began shooting on May 28, 1953. Photography by Maurice Terrell / Shorpy Historical Photo Archive

More than 40 years since John Wayne succumbed to stomach cancer at the UCLA Medical Center, entertainment journalist Michael Goldman revisits salient archival discoveries pertaining to the Duke. Ethan Wayne, the cowboy’s youngest son, granted Goldman access to a treasure trove of personal letters and rare documents, most of which had accumulated dust in…