Sometimes I’m not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. I’ve seen Patrick Wayne here and there my entire life, mostly with small parts on shows such as “Fantasy Island” and “The Love Boat.” I remember him best for hosting the game show “Tic Tac Dough.” Yes, I am a child of the seventies.
My dad is a huge western fan and I’ve been watching some of his favorite films, trying to broaden my overall cinematic repertoire. I’ve recently seen “The Quiet Man,” “McClintock,” and “The Alamo,” and one night while popping a DVD out of the player, had the thought, “Isn’t it interesting how many John Wayne movies Patrick Wayne was also in?” Um . . . John Wayne. Patrick Wayne. Yes, it did take until that moment for me to figure it out. Patrick is John’s son. In fact, his full name is Patrick John Wayne.
Born in 1939, Patrick was the second son born to John and his wife Josephine. Of the forty films he made in his career, nine of them also starred his father. (I’m glad I didn’t have to see all nine of them to make the connection.) He also worked with Jimmy Stewart in the film “Shenandoah.” Westerns did seem to be his thing.
He was offered the leading role in the movie “Superman,” but John was battling his illness at that time, and Patrick decided to decline. It was the film that made Christopher Reeve a star, and I can’t help but wonder what would have happened to Patrick, had he taken the role, but you have to admire that kind of family devotion.
He continues to honor his father’s legacy by serving as the chairman of the John Wayne Cancer Institute, a facility dedicated to the research of cancer in the hopes of eliminating suffering worldwide.