61 Years of "Donovan's Reef"

Above, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen and John Wayne in Donovan's Reef.

Yesterday, the official John Wayne Facebook page posted the following:

Today marks the 61st Anniversary of the release of Donovan's Reef (1963).​​​​​​​​​

“Yeah, well, frangipani and flamethrowers donʼt seem to go together, but thatʼs the way it was.” —John Wayne Michael Patrick “Guns” Donovan in Donovan’s Reef

This is the final film in which John Wayne appeared under the direction of John Ford. Duke worked on 22 films with John Ford over the course of his career. Duke began in the props department herding geese on the set of John Ford's film Mother Machree (1927).

It is hard to believe that 61 years have passed since June 12, 1963. My parents took two friends and I to see King Kong vs. Godzilla at the Balboa Theater in the Vermont and Manchester area of Los Angeles. It was the co-feature with Donovan's Reef, which played first. 

Fortunately, we weren't bored with it and found it enjoyable. I think this may have been the first John Wayne movie I saw theatrically. I was nine years old at the time.