OFF THE SET, PLAYING THE HAND HE’S DEALT

Off camera, the Wild West invited plenty of card games. “They played a lot of cards,” says Ethan, calling his father “very social. He was always playing gin rummy or bridge or whatever the game of the day was. He’d be in a card game down the road or in the club, or they’d get the basement of a restaurant in town and they’d be there until 2 a.m.”

JOHN R. HAMILTON, JOHN WAYNE ENTERPRISES Wayne, his wife, Pilar, and Dean Martin play cards during The Sons of Katie Elder filming. Cards were a staple, his son says.