The Duke may high-tail it to O.C.

He's saddled up with his feet in the stirrups and his hands on the reins.

After 24 years, is it time for John Wayne to ride out of Beverly Hills and into the sunset in Newport Beach?

That question was weighing heavily -- about 6 tons in all -- at Wilshire Boulevard and Hamilton Drive on Thursday as word came that a landmark statue of the Duke might be uprooted and moved to Orange County.

Leaders of the beach city are exploring the possibility of acquiring the 21-foot bronze sculpture as a way of honoring the famous actor, who was a longtime Newport Beach resident when he died in 1979.

Best known for his roles in westerns, Wayne was the long-running, cowboy hat-wearing spokesman for Great Western Savings and Loan. Officials of the bank commissioned the sculpture in 1984 for a plaza outside a branch office then located at 8484 Wilshire Blvd.

Great Western was later absorbed by Washington Mutual, which in 1994 sold the 10-story office building designed by William Pereira Associates to Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt. WaMu retained ownership of the statue.

These days, however, many younger people who pass by neither recognize nor remember John Wayne. And some older people feel the sculpture smacks more of commerce than of culture.

From his publishing headquarters above the statue, Flynt said he wouldn't miss the Duke and his horse if they headed south.

He said the entryway to the Flynt Building would be better served with something different, suggesting art more fitting for his adult entertainment empire: a 50-foot statue celebrating the male anatomy.

Beverly Hills officials could not be reached for comment on Flynt's idea, which would likely provoke considerable public debate.

If Wayne's statue were removed, no replacement artwork would be mandated, city officials said.

"The city's Fine Arts Commission was made aware" of Newport Beach's interest "and declined to make an offer for the statue," said Cheryl Friedling, deputy city manager.

When the John Wayne figure was being built, officials reined in both the art and the artist.

Wyoming-based sculptor Harry Jackson recalled being forced to disconnect a motor in the statue's base that was designed to rotate Wayne and the horse. City officials said a moving statue would distract motorists on busy Wilshire Boulevard.