The Michigan Daily-Saturday, June 16, 1979-Page 11
Family follows Wayne's request for simple funeral
FromAP and UPI
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) -
John Wayne, who lost his battle with
cancer at the age of 72, was buried in an
unmarked grave on a hill overlooking
the Pacific Ocean at a sunrise
ceremony yesterday attended only by
members of his family, a family
spokesman said.
The simple funeral, kept secret until
after it was finished, was held at 6 a.m.
at Our Lady Queen of the Angels
Roman Catholic Church in the nearby
beach resort of Corona del Mar.
"And from there Mr. Wayne's body
was taken to Pacific View Mortuary for
interment," said Tom Kane, an
executive with Wayne's film company,
Batjac Productions. "Just the family
was in attendance."
MUSIC FROM many of Wayne's
movies was played on the organ
throughout the services, including the
theme from "The High and the
Mighty."
In a rare appearance, Wayne's
estranged wife, Pilar, attended the
funeral with all seven of Wayne's
children: sons movie producer Michael
Wayne, actor Patrick Wayne and 16-
year-old Ethan and daughters Toni,
Melinda, Aissa and Marissa and gran-
dchildren.
Father Marcos G. McGrath, the ar-
chbishop of Panama, who visited
Wayne about a month before the actor
died, conducted the service.
WAYNE CONVERTED to the Catho-
lic faith on Sunday, one day before he
lapsed into a coma and died of cancer at
the age of 72.
The gravesite was a simple plot
overlooking Newport Bay in Orange
County.about 40 miles southeast of Los
Angeles. The bronze casket was
covered with flowers.
The family asked that no marker be
placed on the grave so that sightseers
would not flock to the cemetery.
PLANS FOR the funeral, in accor-
dance with Wayne's wishes, were kept
simple and secret.
After the actor's death Monday,
family members considered several
suggestions including proposals that he
be buried on a ranch in Arizona or that
he be cremated and his ashes buried on
Catalina Island off the Southern
California coast.
Wayne's seven children apparently
made the final decision in a family
meeting Thursday, mindful of his
Catholic conversion, his love of the
Southern California coast and his desire
for a "low key and dignified" service.
"DAD HATED funerals and attended
only those of close friends," his son
Michael said.
"He delivered quite a few eulogies for
friends out of consideration for their
families, but he never liked to do it.
"He would rather have had a few
drinks with relatives and friends and
talk about the person and the good
times they enjoyed."
Cemetery officials refused to show a
reporter where the grave was, but it
was believed that the actor was buried
next to the 21-year-old son of one of
Wayne's friends. The young man also
died of cancer.
Wayne
Gov't offers relief
to striking truckers
Survey shows consumers
complain most about cars
From theAssociated Press
Working truckers were targets of
more arson and gunfire yesterday as
independent drivers continued a shut-
down while federal officials unveiled a
measure aimed at helping the owner-
operators pay rising fuel costs.
Tractor-trailer rigs were parked in
more than 30 states in a shutdown
protesting fuel costs, the 55 mph speed
limit and state weight limits on their
loads. Blockades thwarted food and fuel
deliveries and threatend to jack up con-
sumer prices.
There was no early indication of how
truckers would react to the Interstate
Commerce Commission's announ-
cement yesterday. that the nation's
100,000 owner-operators would be
allowed to collect a 5.6 per cent rate
surcharge to help defray fuel costs.
ICC CHAIRMAN Daniel O'Neal said
he felt the surcharge would send
drivers back to work, but the head of an
independent trucker group called the
plan "garbage."
Mike Parkhurst,., president of the
30,000-member Independent Truckers
Association, also termed the measure
"crumbs off the table." He said he
would urgeindependents to expand the
strike.
Later Friday, Parkhurst said in a
telephone poll of striking truckers
holding meeting in Massachusetts, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Iowa and
elsewhere found that "100 per cent"
said the new surcharge was not enough.
HOWEVER, ARNOLD WILDER,
president of an Alabama independent
trucker group, said in a prepared
statementgthat the ICC decision was
"the relief we've been seking." He
said he would ask truckers to end their
stoppage.
Protest leaders also met in Connec-
ticut and Colorado to discuss the ICC
announcement.
Meanwhile, aides to Sen. Edward
Kennedy (D-Mass.) said he and
President Carter agreed to propose a
trucking deregulation bill next week
that would ease entry of new truckers
into the business and encourage rate
competition.
SPORADIC ACTS of guerrilla violen-
ce continued to mar the work stoppage
yesterday. In Missouri, snipers fired on
two truckers and a truck was burned. In
Alabama, two trucks were hit with gun-
fire. No serious injuries were reported.
Strike-related violence was reported
yesterday in Tennessee, Kentucky,
Iowa, Montana and Utah.
Blockade and other actions were
reported in the New England states,
Oklahoma, Illinois, Alabama, Pen-
nsylvania, Indiana, Georgia, Arkansas,
South Dakota, Colorado, Tennessee,
Washington, and Florida.
The drivers' blockades of fuel depots,
truck stops, farmer co-ops and grain
terminals resulted in ft od and fuel
shortages in some parts of the nation.
The strike could mean price increases
for some consumer items, including
beef.
LANSING (UPI) - The Michigan
Consumers Council said yesterday
automobiles provoke the greatest
number of complaints it receives
over its telephone hotline.
New cars, the agency said, rank
No. 1 on its list of 10 top consumer
gripes.
The other top categories of com-
plaints about products or services,
in order, are car repairs, general
household merchandise, other motor
vehicles, landlord-tenant problems,
used cars, home repair and other
builder-contractor complaints, mail
order sales, retail sales and warran-
ties.
THOSE RESULTS were tabulated
after three months of operation of a
phone-in service the consumers
council operates to help consumers
solve problems with goods and ser-
vices they purchase.
Linda Joy, executive director of
the council which serves as an ad-
visory agency to the legislature, said
the results showed Michigan con-
sumers are very similar to those
across the U.S.
"Leading the list of consumer
complaints we've received are new
cars and car repairs," she said.
"National surveys of consumer
problems show this to be a common
problem all over the country."
CINEMA II
PRESENTS
HARD TIMES (Walter Hill, 1975)
No one directs and orchestr tes physical action like Walter (THE WARRIORS)
Hill. In New Orleans, during the depression, Charles Bronson is an anything-
goes street-fighter taking on opponents for money. These fight scenes are more
like an American ballet than a boxing match. HARD TIMES is by for the best of
Bronson's films, for in it he embodies the physical intensity and heroic code
that has merely been implied in his other roles. James Coburn plays his fast-
talkin a ent with style. Also starring Strother Martin. "Sheer delight"-Pauline
Kal. (120 min.). 7:30&9140
Aud A An eII Hall
Tomorrow: Jean Vigo Night,
L'ATALANTE & ZERO FOR CONDUCT
CINEMA 11II
presents
JEAN VIGO NIGHT
When Jean Viqo died at aae 29 of leukemia, he had finished only two feature
films, ZERO FOR CONDUCT and t'ATALANTE. In both films, he established himself
as one at the world-s most sensitive and poetic filmmakes. indeed, without
him, as Truffaut has said, neither the French New Wave nor French film in
general would have progressed and developed as manifested historically.
His politics and approach to film were of an anarchic and revolutionary
nature. Cinema It is pleased to present this double-feature.
LATALANTJE (ean Vtgo, 1934)
Ostensibly, LATALANTE appears to be a very conventional and realistic film
However, just beneath the surface, it is a dream-like film, highly roman-
ticized and absorbed in the beauty of love and nature. Physical love is exoressed
through the use of sensuous imagery aboard the barge L'Atalante. "Jean Vigo's
pictures never hurried and they never dragged. Theymanaged to convey the
same kind of excitement as a fine novel, a superb play, or a lovely poem."
-New York Herald Tribune. (89 min.) 7:30 ONLY
ZERO FOR CONDUCT (Jean Vigo, 1933)
ZERO DE CONDUITE tells the story of the oppressive life in a French boarding
school and of a revolt by the students. This film is a monumental piece of
art which created critical furor and physical altercations, as well as inspiring
such films as THE 400 BLOWS and IF . . . On the grounds that it was a vicious
attack on the French educational system. ZERO was banned in France until
1946. "For aurity of purpose, for unforaettable marks of humanity exalted by
children, ZERO FOR CONDUITE is virtually in a class by itself "-Parker Tyler.
(44 min.) 9:30 ONLY
Aud A, Angell Hall
single feature $1.50 double feature $2.50