Paul Harvey was a legendary American radio broadcaster for ‘ABC News Radio.’ His famous ‘The Rest of the Story’ segments were beloved by listeners, reaching over 24 million people per week.
Paul tells the tale of a skinny kid and a dog. Paul says, “All of the firemen at station number 1 on East Broadway knew ‘Skinny.’ He was 13. He was slender and shy.” ‘Skinny’ was followed daily by his dog, which would sleep at the firehouse waiting for his master to return from school.
The firemen liked ‘Skinny’ and his loving dog. However, ‘Skinny’ was often teased and bullied in school and the neighborhood. He didn’t fit in with the kids his age. They called him ‘Little Girl’ because his real name was Marion.
One day, a fireman noticed that Skinny’s lip was gashed and his eye was dark purple. Skinny was ashamed, but the fireman asked who did it to him. Skinny explained that one bully kept bothering him, and he couldn’t outrun him.
The fireman told Skinny that he used to be a professional boxer. He offered to give him some lessons on how to defend himself. The next time the bully chased him down, Skinny fought back, winning the respect of his schoolmates.
The scared little schoolboy was transformed into a confident man at this fire station by a caring fireman. Skinny’s dog was named ‘Lil’ Duke,’ so the fireman began calling Skinny ‘Big Duke.’
That nickname stuck for the rest of his life. As the ‘Big Duke’ went on to become the tough screen legend known as John Wayne. Paul Harvey closes with his catchphrase, “And now you know the rest of the story.”
If you liked this, share it with a friend.
