Book excerpt: Exploring the early westerns of John Wayne--from his first starring role in the The Big Trail (1930) to his breakthrough as the Ringo Kid in John Ford's Stagecoach (1939)--the authors trace his transformation from Marion Mitchell Morrison, movie studio prop man, into John Wayne, a carefully crafted film persona of his own invention that made him world famous. Wayne's years of training went well beyond honing his acting skill, as he developed the ability to do his own stunts, perfected his technique as a gun handler and became an expert horseman.