Now, See Here, Pilgrim: The Six-Pack Is Mine

John Wayne, the late actor who’s already got an airport named after him, now has his own beer commercial.

Thanks to digitized computer technologies similar to those used by Hollywood during the filming of “Forrest Gump,” Wayne is now appearing on television screens to pitch Coors beer.

In the commercial, a drill sergeant badgers his troops to find out who left a six-pack of beer in the barracks. That’s when Wayne appears with word that it’s his beer. The sergeant scrambles to gain lost ground by ordering his platoon off to find Wayne’s missing pretzels.

The family agreed to let Wayne’s image be used if Coors would make a donation to the John Wayne Cancer Institute, as well as underwrite an advertising campaign for the institute. The Wayne family is “very excited” about the agreement, according to Michael Wayne, the actor’s son.

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Greg Johnson covers retail businesses and restaurants for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5950 and at greg.johnson@latimes.com