To commemorate what would be his 100th birthday, Encore Westerns presents "100 Years of John Wayne," an original special which premieres as part of "100 Years/100 Hours: The John Wayne Centennial" a 100-hour movie marathon of Wayne's films including The Searchers, Chisum, The War Wagon, Angel and the Badman, Cahill, U.S. Marshal and others. The marathon begins at 12 a.m. (ET/PT) Saturday, May 26.


Often referred to as "the best film cowboy in the world," John Wayne is credited for starring in 172 films and holds the record for most leading roles. "100 Years of John Wayne" is an up close and personal look at Wayne's life, exploring his numerous film appearances, as well as his philanthropic contributions, through interviews with his family and close friends. This special presentation includes comments from actor Andrew Prine, song writer and actor Johnny Western, Dean Smith who worked in 11 Wayne films, Dr. Miles Cabot of the John Wayne Cancer Institute, Paramount Pictures producer A.C. Lyles, and memories from Wayne's children Ethan, Marisa and Patrick and from his widow Pilar.


"I have no complaints about my childhood," Ethan Wayne says in the special. "When you're a kid, he's just your dad -- he could be doing anything. We just seemed to get a lot more mail than any of my friends."