The buckles were made of silver with a twisted silver wire rope border, the letter D and two wavy lines (the Dunson brand in the film) made of solid gold, the words Red River in gold wire. In one corner was the date 1946 (the year the film was made) made of gold and in the opposite corner, encircled with the silver wire rope, would be the initials of the person the buckle was intended for. As legend has it (and verified by Hawks son), John Wayne and Howard Hawks exchanged buckles with each other as a sign of the mutual respect they had for one another. From that point on, Hawks wore a Red River D buckle with the initials “JW” in the lower left corner, and Wayne wore a buckle with the initials “HWH.” It is from John Wayne’s Red River D belt buckle that all of the reproductions have been copied.
It was sometime after the disappearance of John Wayne’s buckle, that it was discovered that Howard Hawks buckle had vanished as well. According to Hawks’ daughter, Kitty, she hasn’t a clue what happened to her father’s buckle. Fast forward to 2011, when Mara Alexandru, the daughter of Norman Cook (who had been the production manager on Red River) decided to sell her father’s Red River D belt buckle in order to help her son enter college. She contacted Heritage Auctions, a prestigious auction form that handles many rare and valuable pieces of Hollywood memorabilia.
Ms. Alexandru handed her father’s buckle over to the Heritage representative, and before long the buckle went up for auction. Unfortunately, however, it had to be pulled from the auction during the bidding. Why? Well, wouldn’t you know it, the buckle had disappeared, and according to Heritage Auctions, no one has any idea where it went. Police reports have been filed on this disappearance as well. Not one of the buckles has been seen since.
Here is a link to a great website regarding the Red River D belt Buckle: http://www.redriverdbeltbuckle.com/
And here is a link to a news article regarding the mystery surrounding this famous buckle: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/movies/red-river-buckle-from-film-disappears-before-auction.html?_r=0
As you look through these various reproductions, you will notice that very few look the same, and even fewer look like the original buckles. In fact, there are even a few with the wrong date! You can click on any image to enlarge it.
Of course, the Red River D belt buckle isn’t the only John Wayne belt buckle available, there have been many others. Here are some photos of them.
(featuring a ceramic or plastic Norman Rockwell portrait of John Wayne)
These are cheaply made in Hong Kong and not very collectible
In addition, there is a “Tall in the Saddle” belt buckle available that is being presented as a John Wayne belt buckle. The thing is, though, it isn’t a John Wayne buckle at all. The scene on the buckle is not from a John Wayne film, and the rider appearing on the buckle is faceless and is not John Wayne.
Well, there you have it – the John Wayne Belt Buckles. Before we move on to the next section of John Wayne Collectibles, here are some of John Wayne’s personal belt buckles that sold in 2011 during the “Personal Property of John Wayne” auction held by Heritage Auctions.