187

John Wayne Screen Worn Green Berets Shirt, Signature and Framed Ensemble

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia / Movie - Memorabilia Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:14,800.00 - 15,200.00 USD
John Wayne Screen Worn Green Berets Shirt, Signature and Framed Ensemble
An astonishing find. The green combat shirt worn by one of Hollywood's greatest actors, John Wayne, when he portrayed Col. Mike Kirby in The Green Berets (1968). The Green Berets was Wayne's paean to the US Army Special Forces, the elite troops charged with undertaking highly sensitive rescue and relief operations, as well as being his impassioned plea to the American public to support the US war effort in Vietnam. Wayne enlisted and received the full support of the Pentagon for the film. It was released to much controversy among those opposed to the country's intervention in Southeast Asia. Wayne's shirt sports a Western Costume Company label on the inner collar with Wayne's name typewritten as "JOHN WAYNE 3" with a production number of 5448 3. Under this is stamped "Batjac", Wayne's production company. Shirt features "Kirby" and "US Army" chest patches and "Airborne" insignia on the shoulder. A colonel's rank tab is on the collar. This ensemble further includes a 45 rpm record of The Ballad of the Green Berets sung by SSG Barry Sadler, the film's signature song and a Number One hit in 1966, signed by SSG Sadler on the cover. A John Wayne signature from the 1930s is also featured in this framed collection, with Wayne signing in blue ink. Two photos of Wayne in uniform from the film and a mini-poster for The Green Berets are further included. The comprehensive collection is rounded out by a letter of provenance, declaring the shirt to have come from the collection of John Bear Hudkins, a veteran stuntman who, in addition to The Green Berets, worked on films as varied as She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949, with Wayne), Rio Grande (1950, again with Wayne), Dirty Harry (1971), The Island (1980) and Dick Tracy (1990). Subsequent to this the shirt was displayed in a VFW hall for many years. Each item within the framed display is matted in a piece of cloth taken from actual camo uniforms worn by US forces in the Vietnam War. A true treasure never to be encountered again. Oversized item. Additional postage required. (59x54x5)