From the Sands of Newport

According to “John Wayne: On Board With the Duke,” if the actor hadn’t visited Balboa Island in 1926, he never would have been in the movies.

He was a 19-year-old USC freshman on a football scholarship. He came down to Balboa on spring break and tore the muscles in his shoulder while bodysurfing. Because of his injuries, he was dropped from the team, lost his scholarship and was forced to leave school.

He took a $35-a-week job in the prop department at Fox Studios, where he met director John Ford, who gave him his first roles, as an extra in several movies.