Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Four remarkable radio performances reveal the voice behind the American screen legend.
Tonight, The Common Room is on the road.
We're broadcasting from Brooklyn, Iowa — John Wayne's boyhood hometown, where a young Marion Morrison lived and attended first grade long before Hollywood knew his name.
So from Brooklyn tonight, we're asking a question:
What remains of John Wayne when you take away the horse, the hat, Monument Valley, John Ford's camera — and even that famous walk?
The answer may be in his voice.
Join us for a special edition of The Common Room as we listen closely to four remarkable old-time-radio performances:
STAGECOACH
RED RIVER
FORT APACHE
SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON
youtu.be/HAgUxczNp2Y
youtu.be/ZE_WSxWgMcE
youtu.be/9RkE_Llc13Y
youtu.be/x9okrhEP2TQ
These broadcasts capture Wayne during a fascinating period in his career. We hear him return to the role that helped make him a star, encounter the very different John Waynes created by directors John Ford and Howard Hawks, and listen to the surprisingly subtle radio actor behind one of the most recognizable screen personas in American history.
We'll also explore the golden age of Lux Radio Theatre and Screen Directors' Playhouse, when Hollywood's greatest actors stepped away from the cameras and recreated major motion pictures for millions of listeners gathered around their radios.
But throughout the program, we keep coming back to where we're broadcasting tonight:
Brooklyn, Iowa.
Before Hollywood.
Before Monument Valley.
Before the cavalry.
Before “The Duke.”
There was a boy here named Marion Morrison.
And listening to these old broadcasts nearly eighty years later, perhaps we can hear something extraordinary:
John Wayne becoming John Wayne.
---
SUPPORT THE LITTLE STATION
Chesterton Radio is an independent, listener-supported project devoted to great stories, classic radio, literature, faith, history, conversation and forgotten treasures worth hearing again.
If you enjoy The Common Room and the programs of Chesterton Radio, please consider helping us keep the Little Station broadcasting.
Patreon:
patreon.com/chestertonradio
Buy Me a Coffee:
buymeacoffee.com/chestertonradio
---
THE CHESTERTON RADIO WORLD
Chesterton Radio on YouTube
youtube.com/@ChestertonRadio
Chesterton Radio on Substack
chestertonradio.substack.com
The Open Door — Listen Live 24/7
live.chestertonradio.com
Support us on Patreon
patreon.com/chestertonradio
Buy Me a Coffee
buymeacoffee.com/chestertonradio
---
The Common Room
Stories worth rediscovering. Ideas worth talking about.
Stories • Ideas • Wonder
From The Little Station on Commercial Street —
broadcasting tonight from Brooklyn, Iowa.
Four remarkable radio performances reveal the voice behind the American screen legend.
Tonight, The Common Room is on the road.
We're broadcasting from Brooklyn, Iowa — John Wayne's boyhood hometown, where a young Marion Morrison lived and attended first grade long before Hollywood knew his name.
So from Brooklyn tonight, we're asking a question:
What remains of John Wayne when you take away the horse, the hat, Monument Valley, John Ford's camera — and even that famous walk?
The answer may be in his voice.
Join us for a special edition of The Common Room as we listen closely to four remarkable old-time-radio performances:
STAGECOACH
RED RIVER
FORT APACHE
SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON
youtu.be/HAgUxczNp2Y
youtu.be/ZE_WSxWgMcE
youtu.be/9RkE_Llc13Y
youtu.be/x9okrhEP2TQ
These broadcasts capture Wayne during a fascinating period in his career. We hear him return to the role that helped make him a star, encounter the very different John Waynes created by directors John Ford and Howard Hawks, and listen to the surprisingly subtle radio actor behind one of the most recognizable screen personas in American history.
We'll also explore the golden age of Lux Radio Theatre and Screen Directors' Playhouse, when Hollywood's greatest actors stepped away from the cameras and recreated major motion pictures for millions of listeners gathered around their radios.
But throughout the program, we keep coming back to where we're broadcasting tonight:
Brooklyn, Iowa.
Before Hollywood.
Before Monument Valley.
Before the cavalry.
Before “The Duke.”
There was a boy here named Marion Morrison.
And listening to these old broadcasts nearly eighty years later, perhaps we can hear something extraordinary:
John Wayne becoming John Wayne.
---
SUPPORT THE LITTLE STATION
Chesterton Radio is an independent, listener-supported project devoted to great stories, classic radio, literature, faith, history, conversation and forgotten treasures worth hearing again.
If you enjoy The Common Room and the programs of Chesterton Radio, please consider helping us keep the Little Station broadcasting.
Patreon:
patreon.com/chestertonradio
Buy Me a Coffee:
buymeacoffee.com/chestertonradio
---
THE CHESTERTON RADIO WORLD
Chesterton Radio on YouTube
youtube.com/@ChestertonRadio
Chesterton Radio on Substack
chestertonradio.substack.com
The Open Door — Listen Live 24/7
live.chestertonradio.com
Support us on Patreon
patreon.com/chestertonradio
Buy Me a Coffee
buymeacoffee.com/chestertonradio
---
The Common Room
Stories worth rediscovering. Ideas worth talking about.
Stories • Ideas • Wonder
From The Little Station on Commercial Street —
broadcasting tonight from Brooklyn, Iowa.
