Now I had already learned that a lot of actors just don't like police officers, so I already had me a little speech worked up, suitably short and sweet. "Mr. Wayne," I said, "I'm an officer, and I'll be staying pretty close to you this evening. I'll do my best to stay out of your way, but if there's anything you need, I wish you would let me know."

The big man stood there, hands on his hips, looking down at me while I made my little speech. When I was done, he nodded and said, "That's fine, son. What do you drink?"

I said, "Scotch usually, sir."

He nodded again, and smiled for the first time. "Good choice, son. Let's go." And with that we repaired to the bar. Well, like I told you, it was rough duty.

Based on that evening's contact with John Wayne, I can report to you that he was just the kind of guy most of us hoped he would have been. He was cordial and polite with everyone that came into contact with him. When asked how he could stand to be swarmed by so many people over the long evening, he simply said there wouldn't even be a John Wayne if it weren't for these folks. Today, when I hear someone use the term "a man's man," I immediately think of John Wayne.

And now, all these years later, we are celebrating the anniversary of the Duke's 100th birthday--May 26, 1907. Just about a week prior to the Duke's 100th birthday, I found myself in Prescott, Arizona, visiting with my friend Jim Lockwood. Jim operates Legends In Leather, an outfit that crafts duplicates of the gun rigs that were used in movie and TV westerns. On numerous occasions, Lockwood had mentioned that he would like to build one of his rigs for me. Now, I had thought about having him build a duplicate of the butt-forward double rig that Wild Bill Elliott wore, and I had also considered the fancy two-toned gun rig that the Durango Kid packed around. But last May, it quickly became apparent that the only proper gun rig would have to be the practical setup John Wayne wore for so long.

Duke first wore the outfit in Hondo (1953) and pretty well wore this rig in every one of his westerns until he made The Shootist in 1976. It's this rig and his old yellow-handled sixgun that are most closely associated with his career as a western-movie icon.

Lockwood told me that movie experts do not know who made the early versions of the outfit for John Wayne, but in 1969, California holstermaker Andy Anderson began making the rigs to Duke's special order.

So, thanks to Jim Lockwood, I now have a Hondo Rig for my ivory-handled .45 single action. As you would expect, it's really a quite practical outfit, just about perfect for packing a sixgun while on horseback. And wearing it may be as good a way as any to say thanks to the man who entertained us for so many years. For what it's worth, and not meaning to start any heated debates, my top five John Wayne westerns would be Hondo, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, True Grit, and The Shootist. And, if you wanted to throw in Red River, Fort Apache, or She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, I wouldn't argue too much.

Now, naturally, John Wayne's films were fiction. But he had a way of throwing realism into the mix that set him apart from many other movie stars. Just about everyone can quote the lines he gave just before he put the reins in his teeth and rode across that meadow at Lucky Ned Pepper. But I would call your attention to some lines from another of his films. "...I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."

Movie life or real life, those are pretty good words to live by. Happy birthday Duke, and thanks.