The Jules Verne Festival is back again and this time they are honoring the legendary actor, director and producer, John Wayne. The festivities include a special screening of the Wayne film, True Grit, an award for Wayne that will be accepted by his sons Patrick and Ethan Wayne, an exclusive filmed interview with Glen Campbell that will be shown at the screening and special celebrity guests. Some of the guests in attendance will include actress and True Grit costar Kim Darby and harmonica player Tommy Morgan (Rio Bravo, The Cowboys, Dances with Wolves) and others yet to be announced.
Tickets can be purchased here and a limited number of ticket buyers will receive the John Wayne Screen Legends Collection DVD Box Set which includes the films, Wild Wind, Rooster Cogburn, Hellfighters, The War Wagon, and The Spoilers. The event takes place on November 10, 2011, at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. For more details visit the official Jules Verne Festival website.
I've gone to two Jules Verne events in the past, one honoring Tony Curtis (who was still alive and in attendance at the time) and another honoring Steve McQueen. The tribute to Curtis was a fun and entertaining time and it was wonderful being able to listen to Curtis share many stories about his classic Hollywood costars, such as Marilyn Monroe. The event honoring McQueen I felt was much less organized and started much later than scheduled. Nevertheless, it was interesting to listen to actor Robert Vaughn, who was in attendance at that event, to share some funny stories about McQueen. I'm sure there will be many great stories to be heard about John Wayne from his sons Patrick and Ethan, as well as his costar Kim Darby. Let's just hope that this event runs a little more on schedule than the McQueen event.