There are basically two well-known statues of John Wayne in the L.A area. This was the first one, with the guy on horseback, and near the corner of Wilshire Blvd and La Cienaga Bl in Beverly Hills. It was done by the famous artist Harry Jackson in 1984 . There is a newer statue of John Wayne, without a horse, at John Wayne Airport.
The original work was very original. It was brightly painted, and had a motor at the base that allowed the statue to rotate. The City of Beverly Hills intervened, arguing that a moving statue distracted traffic. So Jackson switched off the motor....and complained until his death in 2011.
Many people find it funny that John Wayne, a symbol of conservative values, should be in front of the Flint Enterprises "Hustler" building. The story goes like this: John Wayne in his retirement did some famous advertisements for the Great Western Savings and Loan. In those days, this building was the the S&L's main branch, and commisioned the statue. Great Western became Wahington Mutual, and later on the publisher of Hustler Magazine bought the building. There has been some talk of having the statue moved, but......nothing has been done.
It is a very nice statue of John Wayne, but no big deal. Of more interest is the base. The two scenes are very original.....a cowboy trampled to death by a cattle stampede, and his solemn burial. Not the typical scenes of heroism one associates with statues.....and with John Wayne.
