Supposedly, Joseph Stalin wanted to kill The Duke- and actually gave it a whirl TWICE. Is it true? Judge for yourselves, I guess. But it's an intriguing tale, at any rate....
This part is a bit interesting:
http://www.neatorama.com/2011/05/09/joe-stalin-vs-john-wayne/
This part is a bit interesting:
"When the hit men entered, the FBI agents pounced, disarming and handcuffing the killers before they could harm Wayne.
Those G-men must have been big John Wayne fans, because they let him deal with the killers his own way: at Wayne’s direction, the FBI men loaded the KGB agents into cars and drove them to a secluded beach north of Los Angeles. At the beach the KGB men, still handcuffed, were marched down to the surf and were made to kneel in wet sand. Then as the FBI agents looked on approvingly, Wayne and Grant drew pistols and aimed them at the heads of the KGB men. “On the count of three,” Wayne told Grant. “One…two…THREE!”
Both Wayne and Grant fired their guns, but the KGB men didn’t die. It took a moment for them to realize they were still alive; when they opened their eyes, Wayne held up his gun and exclaimed, “Blanks!”
http://www.neatorama.com/2011/05/09/joe-stalin-vs-john-wayne/