The Backstory - Aboard the Wild Goose

2014 EPISODE 1: Host Gary Sherwin takes us aboard the Wild Goose, John Wayne's old boat in Newport Beach, California and speaks with the previous captain of the Wild Goose.
About the Backstory:
A closer look into the fascinating locations and people that make up the community of Newport Beach. A virtual treasure hunt where Gary Sherwin shares with the audience his explorations of our surroundings. This could be private boats, architecture, events, collections, people and secret hideaways.

[@geraldreeves4915]

Fabulous interview. John Wayne will always be a hero

[@richardiredale3128]

I was in Year 1 of getting an MBA at USC in 1979, decided to sail over to Catalina from Marina del Rey for the Easter break. Tied up to a can in Avalon in the early evening, took my dinghy to the dock, walked up the nearly-deserted dock to town for a pizza dinner. Wayne was standing by himself on the dock. I'd never met him before, but it was instantly obvious who he was. I walked by, said "Hi, Mr. Wayne!" and he said Hi back. Tall and very thin. I read later that he wanted to take the Goose over to Catalina that weekend with his crew, but once he got to the dock he told the skipper he felt like crap and asked him to take him home. He went back to the mainland, checked into the hospital, and never came out again. So I guess I was lucky to be one of the last folks to see him out and about.

[@Lily-has-wings]

What an awesome story!

[@kevinplourde389]

That's a tall tale might as well say you saw popeye

[@discernment8963]

@@kevinplourde389 That might be the case, I've certainly got no way of knowing that. Do you know or are just talking out of your ass because you're just 1 of the sheople that do. If I'm wrong ,out of line & you can verify that, I sincerely apologize. If not you're the kind of weasel The Duke or myself wouldn't give the time of day to, & I mean every word of it.

[@kendallevans4079]

@@discernment8963 "The Duke or myself"? So you think you two on on the same level? You're a dreamer and delusional. Who would talk to you even for the time of day...jerk!

[@discernment8963]

@@kendallevans4079 Mr. Wayne was a man of character and integrity as both my parents were & raised us to be,as the majority of us were at least attempted by our parents to be raised as. Obviously nothing's fool proof, but in most cases we turned out to be decent people. However, it appears just the opposite with you though, hell maybe bringing you up decently wasn't even tried, I've no way of knowing. 1 of 2 things are obvious though, you enjoy being a jerkoff just for the sake of it insulting someone you don't know for no reason, or you're ridiculously stupid in taking my 1st statement out of context as far as you did. I'm curious, which is it?

[@TheMondayMan1]

In 1970 my dad and I worked on a John Wayne feature filming Mexico, titled “Rio Lobo” and at wrap, my Dad and a few others were flown out to have dinner on the h is boat. My dad started working with Wayne in the 1930’s at Republic Studio.

[@one4allall4one91]

I don't get why u presume he is a liar. All the facts check out. Its not unusual to find past acquaintances on youtube comments. Respect that.

[@terminalogicalinexactitude5622]

Way to go Mike

[@carlacrawford9349]

His type of acting was natural. What you see is what you get. A heck of a lot more entertaining than most of the so called actors we have today. RIP Sir. 5:41

[@williamyanosko4010]

My brother moved to California in1975 and after getting his scuba certification worked for the company that would clean the barnacles off of the hull while it was in the harbor..he saw the great man once while working on the boat and said hello....

[@douglashill9872]

Thank You, doesn't seem to cover my feelings. John wasn't just a good actor, he was a patriotic American, I never tire of hearing about him and his life. THANK YOU, Amen...

[@bobshaw4063]

Great story . Wild Goose beautiful old ship .

[@MJLeger-yj1ww]

I met John Wayne in the late '60s on the Wild Goose. Great, very big man, in all ways a giant, but a very humble, personable man.. "Wild Goose" "He climbs the wind above green clouds of pine, Honking to hail the gathering migration. And, arching towards the south, pulls to align His flight into the great spearhead formation. He’ll find a bayou land of hidden pools, And bask amid lush fern and water lily, Far from the frozen world of earth-bound fools Who, shivering, maintain that geese are silly." Written by Curtis Heath

[@bigrandyc9237]

John Wayne was,in my opinion, one of the top five men in the United States. He was a true American.

[@t.jonnson7306]

Not better than Donald Trump though....

[@skagit69er]

Reckoning Day ..tRump equals dog shit on John’s boots!!

[@bobjohnston2503]

He avoided going into the military because he was a conscious objector. However he did not mind making millions acting in war movies.

[@discernment8963]

BOB JOHNSTON ,That's absolutely incorrect, he was in his late 30s,had 4 children & also the same shoulder injury that cost him his Football scholarship at USC also disqualified him from military service. The truth on this really requires some digging because even the socalled straight news more than likely has a leftist twist, & great Americans like The Duke are Kryptonite to them.

[@t.jonnson7306]

This is FAKE NEWS.

[@DIANNEELEE]

I used to live in Garden Grove and on the way to the sea there was a fish store where from John Wayne's ship, fish and sea food was brought. The deal was they would smoke half the fish and keep the rest for payment. After the Duke passed away they went out of business. I bought Abalone once, but the price was very high at that time, early 60's, and $20 a pound, so I only bought it once. Broke my heart when John Wayne passed away and again when the Fish Store was gone too.

[@james5460]

This is great stuff. The skipper absolutely comes across exactly as I would expect him to. If he'd been like, "I always took care of John and we were great pals" I would have known straight off he was a phony. He was Mr. Wayne and that absolutely sounds like a ship's captain of that era.

[@randyjones3038]

My father was the Air Traffic Control Tower Chief@Santa Ana Airport in the late 50s thru '67. John would fly in where he got to know him. He took my parents to Catalina Island and my mother brought home a deck of cards John gave her, that he had made with larger print so he didn't need glasses. I always thought his skipper was also his pilot.

[@katherinehayes9110]

i would have loved to met Mr Wayne.when i was a senior in high school we had a movie producer from Orion pictures visit our drama class i had to go to the office and bring him to the classroom.he asked me if there wereany movie stars i was interested in.this was 1973 and the only movie star i could ask about was John Wayne-sorry Robert Redford,Dustin Hoffman.This producer told me he knew the Duke.My response was that i would love to meet him.i hope he told the Duke about this!!!!

[@tomcata1467]

Thanks for the great video. It's like being a guest of the John Wayne on his ship. And Burt, the skipper is also a colorful fellow.

[@jackjones3657]

People like John Wayne personify America's greatness. This is a country where you can be an average person without a wealthy upbringing and become world famous actor, entertainer, athlete etc.

[@anthonypropst1818]

Wow!. Billions of people, including me, will never have the opportunity to do what Bruce has done. He earned John Wayne's respect!

[@kevinplourde389]

I dont know how old he is but hes in better shape than me and I'm only 54

[@anthonypropst1818]

You must have wrote this from within CHOP.

[@anthonypropst1818]

:-) You are barking up the wrong tree. Not interest in your rhetorical nonsense.

[@ronaldcornelius7519]

Super fantastic! Thanks.❤

[@jerrysullivan8424]

What surprised me most in this interview was how early the Duke went to bed. He must have been an early riser. I met the Duke once in 1978 when I was a young Marine in his front yard, I forgot the small talk. I knew the kid that lived next door. Also, I,ve been to his boyhood home in Iowa. He came from common roots. He was an Ameican success story, He was not raised with a silver spoon. From a nobody to a somebody, this is why he related so well with common people. He was not my favorite actor, James Garner was the man. :)

[@pcdubya]

Great job on the interview, very interesting, and what a beautiful old boat.

[@mikekenney8362]

Great tour but some clarificatiom is in order. Capt Harold Jones, owner of the Black Ball Ferry Line in Seattle/Vancouver BC, acquired the surplus USN minesweeper In the early 1950’s. His daughter, was Beverly, hence the ship was re-christened La Beverie. In 1956, my dad’s friend and associate, Capt Jones invited our family to cruise the Inside Passage with him from Vancouver. So, at the age of 9, we spent a week on board. My sister and I even managed to somehow loose a fitting for the fuel bunker overboard in Vancouver Harbor. About 10 years later, while sailing with a college pal in Newport Bay, we came across a mega-yacht that seemed somewhat familiar. My friend chided that I couldn’t possibly know this vessel. A crew member on-board, (I think it might have been Capt Hinshall,sic) hailed us and asked if we were ok. I responded that his vessel reminded me of La Beverie, to which he laughed and said that it indeed was the “Bev”, but it was now the Wild Goose. We were allowed to board, but stayed topside, and the Captain confirmed that the fantail had been enclosed with wraparound glass, and the Ceilings raised for John Wayne, the owner. I was stunned by the coincidence. It was wonderful to see the interiors in your video, especially the quarters which we had not had access or see then. Phillipe Cousteau, a passing acquaintance, on hearing my tale, confirmed that his father’s research vessel, Calypso, was La Beverie’s sister ship. It too had been constructed at the Ballard Naval Shipyards during WWII. Small World

[@deibertmichael]

Met him at a Drug store in Newport! He was just cool!

[@bushwacker3292]

Have to say this best Video I seen here on KZbin 👍

[@captjim007]

America needs John Wayne now more than ever.

[@brianfitzgerald9281]

To do what exactly?

[@ElectedOfficial1]

I love this type of History.

[@EvanMcNeeley]

Real decent job on this! Go Burt!

[@turdferguson2839]

They don't make guys like this anymore, ship captain, carpenter this guy seems like he could do it all back in his prime.

[@dannmarceau]

I remember waving to him out on the Puget Sound. He was seen quite frequently around in summer, especially around Sequim, WA where the marina now bears his name.

[@IAm1InTheIAm]

In the early 1960's to '71, my Grandad lived on Lido Isle just down the way from where the Wild Goose was berthed. As a wee lad I used to walk by the ship on my way home, hoping to get a glimpse of The Duke. To my dismay, I never got to meet him.

[@martinstrong6260]

the Duke was and is the best there is

[@gregorybuell8637]

There will never be another actor that can compare to the Duke and he will always be missed but always be remembered

[@jerrysullivan8424]

@@gregorybuell8637 James Garner. :) or Rockfish. in my book. then the Duke.

[@rodgerhatfield3068]

Loved it

[@alainlusatti6670]

Beautiful

[@arthurarinbjarnarson6318]

Just great guys thanks.

[@lifesahobby]

Good stuff

[@cosmic4037]

Seen him on TV when I was a kid. Never struck me he enjoyed playing bridge and messing about on a bridge.

[@SSsmith24]

6/2020 The Duke had a beautiful Yacht 🚤

[@ralphholiman7401]

If I am ever in Newport News, first place I'm going is to go see that boat.

[@heru-deshet359]

The Duke had exquisite taste.

[@planesail1956]

my dad albert dundas ayers, was on the first btitish built minesweeper mms1 built at richards iron works lowestoft. i have a photo of the launching..

[@Kriken_]

I'm more of a Stingray but the Wild Goose is good too

[@pshattuck1]

My Uncle served aboard the HMS Wild Goose in the Middle East, as a member of the Royal Navy. Is it possible that this was the same ship, or was there a USS Wild Goose, as well?

[@jerrysullivan8424]

No, The ship had another name while in the Navy, I forgot what they said it was in the interview.

[@earthangel6480]

EARTH ANGEL😇. 👍 SUPER INTERVIEW!!!😍🤗👏🧜🏼‍♀️🛳⛴⚓️🚢. I JUST LOVED THIS CUTE SEA 👨‍✈️ CAPTAIN!!!⛴😍

[@RONALD511]

WWll MINESWEEPER TURNED INTO JOHN WAYN'ES PRIVATE YACHT 1963-79

[@jerrysullivan8424]

Semper Fi.

[@richardmckrell4899]

Started the beginning of 63', October, lol

[@geektoro]

Wow, this was great. I can almost smell the nicotine stained walls from here.

[@terminalogicalinexactitude5622]

It's a ship..no walls. Bulkheads.

[@gullywumper8025]

that looks like the room from north to Alaska

[@FiveLiver]

Bert Minshull sounds like a scouser - the woman was English too. [Just like to say the assassination of JFK was a major news event in the UK and he was mourned deeply.]

[@j.fhernandez3457]

Otto Preminger brought me here.

[@tropicalliaison]

How do you contact Bert?

[@sparefrank9593]

what a realy nice down to earth man you are burt , dirty boy lol,good on you i hope your still fit and well

[@dublinpipe4030]

Question...I see a pipe holder in his bedroom anyone know weather he smoked a pipe what type and tobacco.... thank you

[@edwardthomas2212]

Dublin Pipe WHETHER

[@tommcluckie6034]

shame they couldn't afford a second mic we wouldn't have missed half of what Bert said lol

[@hey_joe7069]

It's a shame that Wild Goose is sitting in enemy territory right now.

[@HOMETHEATERBOY]

You mean the communist state of California

[@SSsmith24]

John 3:16 It was the Dukes home even as a child

[@richardprovost8204]

Pretty slow work ????

[@brian.7966]

ditto.

[@mitchellsmith6772]

It’s just a damn shame it has to be in that god forsaken place. The duke would agree! But, where? Florida? The Bahamas?

[@brian.7966]

ditto

[@AS-zk6hz]

The wild goose was a United States Navy minesweeper from ww2. John Wayne had her converted to a yacht. This is a real ship. One goof referred to it as a house boat. That is inaccurate this is a converted navy ship the real deal like John wayne

[@thomasrusso4506]

AS1313 USS Alacrity MSO - 520 , my last duty station , would have my choice for a conversion but she was decommissioned and scraped.to bad

[@billycosta3962]

hard interview with the little cap,,he looks like hes leaning back,,plus he talks very low

[@davidtaylor6613]

Who knew that the liberal cancel culture would use that Walter interview to smear a great man in his last days. Shameful but Duke will persevere through time. The greatest movie star and a great American!

[@misterjag]

The boat nearly bankrupted Wayne.

[@joankersting2358]

B

[@tawolfproductions]

Google -John Wayne Todd Wolf- i done a voice over as John Wayne for thier family but permit didnt go throw. Tawolf is my stage name.

[@brian.7966]

you need to learn how to use that mic

[@kolsen6330]

You didnt show the insane california cancer warning notice under the ships name at the gangplank.. Only in cali would you have to have a sign like this on a classic ship.

[@SSsmith24]

Prop 95 cancer warning ⚠️

[@williamstanley3181]

7i

[@brian.7966]

you need to learn how to use the mic.

[@thameswater2561]

speak up please.

[@mikegendron3723]

Jesus, low budget or what, couldn't afford 2 mikes!

[@brentlittle8075]

If Wayns one of the top 5,Trump is one of the bottom 5.

[@faithfultotheend5202]

your last name says it all about you little mind

[@heru-deshet359]

The Duke had exquisite taste.