John Wayne’s estate share behind-the-scenes photo of Duke in his movie debut 97 years ago

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John Wayne made his movie debut, which you can watch here, almost 100 years ago.

John Wayne is a titan of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but everyone has to start somewhere.

Four years before getting his big break in 1930’s The Big Trail, Marion Morrison – who went by Duke Morrison at the time – made his acting debut in a silent movie called Brown of Harvard.

This week marks the 97th anniversary of the 1926 movie’s release, in which the future star had an uncredited role as a member of Yale’s American football team.

Wayne’s estate has shared a behind-the-scenes photo from the movie at MGM Studios in Culver City, California – the site that is now home to Sony Pictures.

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Brown of Harvard starred William Haines, Jack Pickford and Mary Brian and was based on the successful 1906 Broadway play of the same name.

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The film’s synopsis reads: “Tom Brown shows up at Harvard, confident and a bit arrogant. He becomes a rival of Bob McAndrew, not only in football and rowing crew, but also for the affections of Mary Abbott, a professor’s daughter.”

Since the film is almost 100 years old, it’s now in the public domain and can be watched on YouTube for free. Around 52:35 minutes in you can get a glimpse of a 19 year old Wayne as a football player.

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