Daddy's Duke Story. End of WWII Army Staff Sargent in the Phillipines. 1949? a guy who worked for him & knew he liked to fly (had a piper cub) suggested they join the Marine Corps Reserve & they could fly such & such a plane through the Naval Reserve Base. Korea, activated. El Toro, CA., Flight Crew Chief. John Wayne & co come to shoot scenes for Flying Leathernecks. "Filming" plane breaks down. Dad seeks & obtains permission to use a base plane for 3-4 filming runs (most flight scenes in the movie come from a film library). They remove a door & anchor down a tripod.
That evening the crew & a few others were invited to steaks & drinks with the Duke in a tent on site.
I was told he was the same in person as on screen, down to earth.
