Celebrity Stories- John Wayne Factoid

[misswired]

Met the real Indiana Jones in Aspen Colorado while visiting my Aunt. She was caretaker of the Jigsaw Ranch which was just down from Mr. Ed Smart's log home on the backside of the mountains main ski slope. Auntie and Indiana Ed was to become life long friends.

John Wayne at one time was an ambassador to Africa. He and his good friend Ed Smart were actually there raiding the tombs, villages and other archeological sites of the unexploited country for artifacts with the United States blessing and funding . Ultimately, they were hunting the three pools of gold( which were never found) but accumulating artifacts all along.

Years and years later, on the backside of the mountain in Aspen, friends would gather for a bonfire and to hear tales of Ed's travels and adventures in Africa with John Wayne. It was proven in court that Mr. Rob MacGregor(Author)had recorded and compiled these stories into the Original Indiana Jones book. After an expensive law suit the original book was judicially ordered to feature a 'thanks' to Ed Smart for his recollections of Chicago 1927' page inside the books acknowledgements.

Oh yeah; After spending many campfires with John Wayne, Mr. Smart said if you're watching a spaghetti western and Wayne is palming his coffee cup from underneath, guaranteed it's whiskey.... Wayne holding a coffee cup by the handle...guaranteed is coffee inside.
I myself have never observed Wayne in a movie palming' his coffee cup.

Waiting on a celebrity tale from Texas Star!

 

[misswired]

As a side note...... I prefer turkey bacon on stuffed peppers....

WTH.....Nobody can dispute the original story

 

[misswired]

Her response to a text sent moments ago regarding John Wayne..,;

 

[Texas Star]

Waiting on a celebrity tale from Texas Star![/QUOTE]


Is this Ed Smart related to Elizabeth Smart? I think I recall her dad being named Ed. Have to check.

But he'd be too young for a 1927 trip. Maybe a grandfather? But those Smarts are from Utah, not Colorado.

Elizabeth seems to have weathered her ordeal as well as could be expected and I believe does inspirational speaking about it now. ??

You asked me for a celeb story. Closest I can come lately is that a nurse I know on the Net is just back from London. She shopped at Fortnum & Mason, a store that makes Neiman-Marcus seem just middle class, and she bought a slice of cake in Harrod's and ate it while sitting in front of Kensington Palace. There's a good place to see celebs. Royal ones.

I do hope you weren't being facetious in asking me for a celeb story. It's not like I'm a gossip columnist. I've met a few famous people, but I haven't tried to seem like a braggart about it and don't really post a lot about it. Some here have met more celebs than I have, I'm sure. Why single me out for comment? Did I do something to put a burr under your saddle?

As for Indiana Jones, I've never heard of him other than in the movies with Harrison Ford. I read that the character was supposedly based on Dr. Roy Chapman Andrews, a famous explorer and former Director of the American Museum of Natural History. I read his books and admired him. He died in 1960, and I was too young to have corresponded with him. I never heard of this Ed Smart. Guess he'll bear looking into.

It might be useful to know more about John Wayne and where he was in "Africa", doing this presumed tomb robbing. Egypt? You say that Wayne was a US Ambassador? Doubtful. That's a serious post with the US State Dept. I think ambassadors need Presidential appointments, too.

Further south, looking for King Solomon's Mines? After Lobengula's missing gold hoard in what's now Zimbabwe?

All I really got from your post is that someone said that John Wayne held his cup from underneath if it held whiskey in lieu of coffee. But I guess that's an interesting bit of celeb trivia...and some here will no doubt enjoy knowing that. Actually, even I was interested. I'm just a little hurt and baffled as to why you brought me into the post. ??

 

[hoosierone]

I read a John Wayne biography and none of this is mentioned. We would not have one ambassador for the entire continent of Africa. I question the source of all this.

 

[chief38]

There are so many real life hero's, patriot's, men and women who died for America - - why we tend to idolize actors & movie stars is not only silly but counter productive for our children!

Real Hero's left Hollywood, Sports, Businesses, good jobs, College, etc. and fought.

 

[Gulfecho]

There are so many real life hero's, patriot's, men and women who died for America - - why we tend to idolize actors & movie stars is not only silly but counter productive for our children!

Real Hero's left Hollywood, Sports, Businesses, good jobs, College, etc. and fought.

I respectfully disagree. A hero is an individual that did not sign up for anything. Those kids and adults that battle debilitating, life threatening disease with grace and an inspirational mindset.

 

[misswired]

I thought @Texas Star would be a likely one to have a celeb story.
That's all, no hidden jabs or meanings.

I know very little about Mr. Smart, met him twice long enough shake hands and accept his signed gift. I do know he also had a log home in Utah. He may have been some kin to Elizabeth. I have met his daughter Mary, she was standing in the road at the end of the Jigsaw driveway waiting for a ride. Being a gentleman...I borrowed one of Mr. George Rosenthal's dirt bikes and took her on an exciting ride up the mountain.

Wayne's ambassador status was probably a political favor granted for He and Smart to legally pursue their African Adventures....plundering of artifacts.

As far as who is the basis for the book, it's probably who you stated. Mr. Smart received an early copy of the book from MacGregor long before the movie came to be. The resulting lawsuit was won by Smart who in return demanded acknowledgment inside the book credits for his contributions of adventurous tales.



I thought with the size and coverage of the forum, there would be some interesting celebrity stories.....Guess Not!

 

[misswired]

Auntie mentioned on her recent trip here that someone had found(YouTube maybe) an old episode of either To tell the truth or what's my line. Ed Smart was featured as a man that gave away mining claims to young people. At the end of the show Auntie was the one to walk out and touch Mr. Smart on the shoulders identifying him as ' the real Ed Smart'.

It's kinda fitting, Auntie and Uncle Donnie still own the John Wayne silver mine claim up castle creek, on the backside of the ski slope mountain in Aspen.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

This guy?
They forgot to mention anything about Africa.
My FIL was stationed in Africa. No gold. Only thing he shot were feral cows.
To eat.
It does say that Ed Smart served in WWII.

Dynamic Aspen character dies at 92 | AspenTimes.com

Notice that the JOHN Wayne tunnel complete with autographed photo went for $150.
About what the picture is worth.
You do know that most mining claims aren’t worth the paper they are written on?

Pieces of Aspen history sold in the Ed Smart land auction | AspenTimes.com

 

[misswired]

That's an excellent article..... and yes that's my Aunt Lana mentioned.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Back in my good old Vegas days, I used to deer hunt with some guys who camped on a Patented Mining Claim.
This location had one of the only springs for a long ways.
They tried pretty hard to locate the owners so they could make an offer to buy.
The title was so convulted they couldn’t determine who actually owned it.
They didn’t want to hire a local yokel legal beagle, my recommendation,
so we just keep camping on somebody else’s Tungsten mine.
Tungsten mine?
That’s what I said too!
But it was called Tungstenite!

 

[misswired]

Keeping with the mining theme, here's some Ironman trivia.

Robert Downey Jr. sleeps with rocks under his bed.....small pieces of quartz.

Being as the other trivia went over like a lead balloon, I'll skip the devils details. It is a fact, take it or leave it.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Ed Smart certainly seems to have been an interesting character.
Mining claim investor- speculator for sure.
Still need more info on Africa.
You do realize there is no Ambassador of Africa?
And he lived in Bluff, Utah.
Very interesting little town in S Utah.
Remote, isolated. Most folks in Utah haven’t been there.
But I have!

 

[paplinker]

I respectfully disagree. A hero is an individual that did not sign up for anything. Those kids and adults that battle debilitating, life threatening disease with grace and an inspirational mindset.

I personally feel a hero is someone that does something they don't have to.

Free willingly putting yourself in harms way for another would certainly be one instance, and could come up with other examples with some thought.

People that battle debilitating,life threatening disease with grace I think more the word courageous. Both words carry a lot of weight but are not the same to me.

Sorry about the thread drift OP

 

[misswired]

Ed Smart certainly seems to have been an interesting character.
Mining claim investor- speculator for sure.
Still need more info on Africa.
You do realize there is no Ambassador of Africa?
And he lived in Bluff, Utah.
Very interesting little town in S Utah.
Remote, isolated. Most folks in Utah haven’t been there.
But I have!

You may remember a huge log home in Bluff. That log home kit was bought and shipped to Aspen by Goldie Hawn. She never got around to building the home and was bought by Ed Smart. He had the home shipped to Bluff where it was assembled by Uncle Donnie's father and mother. It was said to have rotted down when Mr. Smart could no longer care for it.

Real mining stories and real miners was written by Uncle Donnies dad Harvey S. Bellm. It's a good read and has a picture/story about that log home in Bluff. The book is available on Amazon for 18$.... Mr. Bellm was a long time miner and tells some excellent stories.... I highly recommend it.

PS: I've also been through Bluff Utah.... a whole lot of nothing but beautiful landscapes.

 

[Bullet Bob]

I guess there are a lot of "real" Indiana Jones bandied about, but most of the ones I hear about have mostly self-reported stories.

In the 2005 Gun Digest, there's an article entitled "Guns of the Real Indiana Jones" on pages 28-33 regarding Roy Chapman Andrews, with a bibliography at the end to provide source information. That's a scholarly approach I appreciate.

I'm sure the movies took inspiration from several adventurers and their stories.

 

[Texas Star]

I guess there are a lot of "real" Indiana Jones bandied about, but most of the ones I hear about have mostly self-reported stories.

In the 2005 Gun Digest, there's an article entitled "Guns of the Real Indiana Jones" on pages 28-33 regarding Roy Chapman Andrews, with a bibliography at the end to provide source information. That's a scholarly approach I appreciate.

I'm sure the movies took inspiration from several adventurers and their stories.

Interesting that you mention the 2005, Gun Digest story. I was a gun writer then, too, and I had the idea first. Andrews was among my boyhood heroes and I enjoyed the mentions of guns in his books. He was a hunter as well as a scientist and needed guns to protect his expeditions from bandits in China and in Mongolia.

I intended sending my article to, Gun Digest, the most logical place for a sale. But the Am. Museum of Natural History wanted more money for reproduction rights to their photos than the publication would have paid for the article!

I scrapped the idea and a few years later, some other writer published his article there. I've wondered ever since how he got and used the photos and still made any money off the story! Maybe he wrote for a loss, just because he felt the story was good enough to get into print. His story is very good. I recommend finding that 2005 edition of the, Digest and reading his account.

 

[Abbynormal]

The BS factor in this post is so bad, the chopper sank into it, everybody slid into it, no body
escaped it and I think it's a crappy lie to belay inference too!

 

[misswired]

This guy?
They forgot to mention anything about Africa.
My FIL was stationed in Africa. No gold. Only thing he shot were feral cows.
To eat.
It does say that Ed Smart served in WWII.

Dynamic Aspen character dies at 92 | AspenTimes.com

Notice that the JOHN Wayne tunnel complete with autographed photo went for $150.
About what the picture is worth.
You do know that most mining claims aren’t worth the paper they are written on?

Pieces of Aspen history sold in the Ed Smart land auction | AspenTimes.com

Aunt Lana said they sold the John Wayne claim years ago.... they weren't the owners that sold it with the picture of Wayne. Said all she had left was a framed deed of Mr. Smarts gift. Sent her your linked articles, said she took that picture of Ed Smart in the blue shirt.

The allure of the mining claims were the legal ability to cross private property to reach the mining claim. This included cutting locks off gates and blatant trespassing.( I don't agree with this)
I think you had to do 100$ a year of recorded assessment work on each claim to keep it valid. I seriously doubt anyone could get a permit to actually mine the property, but, the old mining laws on the books were exploited for the above stated reasons.