A party for the Duke

Jennifer K Mahal

No one living in Newport Beach can escape the influence of its most

celebrated resident. After all, John Wayne Airport bears his name.

Wayne, born Marion Morrison, would have been 94 today. He died of

cancer in 1979 at age 72.

Duke’s Hollywood Cowboys, a group of Wayne look-alikes, will celebrate

the celluloid cowboy’s legacy on Sunday aboard his yacht, the Wild Goose,

with a celebrity dinner cruise around Newport Harbor.

Among those expected to attend are A.C. Lyles, who produced a number

of westerns for Paramount Studios, and Gregg Palmer, who shared the

screen with Wayne in such films as “The Shootist” and “Chisum.”

A number of participants will dress up in western regalia, complete

with gun belts, cowboy hats and corsets for the ladies.

Wayne starred in more than 150 movies, including “The Searchers,”

“True Grit,” “The Sands of Iwo Jima” and “The Alamo.”

Wayne look-alike Ermal Williamson said the Duke has lasted so long in

America’s consciousness because of his charismatic personality.

“He had a fantastic charisma, and he knew it,” said the actor, who

portrayed the Duke in a recent series of commercials for Coors Light

beer.

Williamson, who moved to Newport Beach about four months ago, never

met Wayne but said the star is omnipresent in the beach community.

From the wife of the person who helped him get his new house to

Williamson’s new next-door neighbor, he said everyone seems to have less

than six degrees of separation from the cowboy actor.

“I have gotten more information just by living down here,” he said.

Williamson, a member of Duke’s Hollywood Cowboys, said plans for

Sunday’s party include anchoring outside of John Wayne’s old house on

Bayshore Drive and raising a glass to the silver screen legend.

“When he said something, you could take it to the bank. He stood for

America, Mom’s apple pie . . . everything good and decent,” Williamson

said.

FYI

* What: A celebrity dinner cruise aboard the Wild Goose in honor of

John Wayne’s 94th birthday

* When: 5 p.m. Sunday

* Where: 2431 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach

* Cost: $150, including dinner

* Information: (949) 645-9477