Marion's story

Born in Winterset, Iowa Marion Robert (Michael) Morrison: – His dog was named Duke. A local fireman at the station on his route to school in Glendale, California started calling him "Little Duke" because he never went anywhere without his huge Airedale Terrier, ‘Duke’. He preferred "Duke" to "Marion", and the nickname stuck. Daily, he walked to the fire station when his family moved to Glendale in 1914, his dog was ever present with him. The firemen called the dog ‘little duke’ and Marion ‘big Duke’.

One of his favorite sayings was "Whoa, take 'er easy their Pilgrim." His first leading film role in The Big Trail (1930) Red River (1948). Wayne won his first Academy Award in 1969 for his role in True Grit.