PDA

View Full Version : Movie Stars in WWII



GottaHavePride
4/2/2007, 09:32 PM
Ran across this on another forum. enjoy! Oh, and a big DANG! to Audie Murphy.


WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WW II MOVIE STARS

Hope you find this as informative as I did.

In contrast to the ideals, opinions and feelings of today's "Hollywonk" the real actors of yester-year loved the United States ..

They had both class and integrity.
With the advent of World War II many of our actors went to fight rather than stand and
rant against this country we all love.

They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men".

This page lists but a few, but from this group
of only 18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars,
Silver Stars, Distinguish Service Cross', Purple Hearts and one Congressional Medal of Honor.

So remember; while the "Entertainers of 2005" have been in all of the news media lately I would like to remind the people of what the entertainers of 1943 were doing, (61 years ago).

Most of these brave men have since passed on.

"Real Hollywood Heros"

Alec Guinness (Star Wars) operated
a British Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day.

James Doohan ("Scotty" on Star Trek)
landed in Normandy with the U. S. Army on D-Day.

Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really was an R. A. F. pilot who was shot down, held prisoner and tortured by the Germans.

David Niven was a Sandhurst graduate and
Lt. Colonel of the British Commandos in Normandy ..

James Stewart Entered the Army Air Force
as a private and worked his way to the rank of Colonel. During World War II, Stewart served as a bomber pilot, his service record crediting him with leading more than 20 missions over Germany , and taking part in hundreds of air strikes during his tour of duty.
Stewart earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, France's Croix de Guerre,and 7 Battle Stars during World War II. In peace time, Stewart continued to be an active member of the Air Force as a reservist, reaching the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950s.

Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out). Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered WW II, Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los Angeles.
He attended the Officers' CandidateSchool at
Miami Beach , Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942.
He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943 he was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook where flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s.
Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved from active duty as a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request, since he was over-age for combat.

Charlton Heston was an Army
Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.

Ernest Borgnine was a U. S.
Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.

Charles Durning was a U. S.
Army Ranger at Normandy earning a Silver Star and awarded the Purple Heart.

Charles Bronson was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps, more specifically on B-29's in the 20th Air Force out of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan

George C. Scott was a decorated U. S. Marine.

Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV) was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroic action as a U. S. Naval officer aiding Marines at the horrific battle on the island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov. 1943.

Brian Keith served as a U.S. Marine rear gunner in several actions against the
Japanese on Rabal in the Pacific.

Lee Marvin was a U.S. Marine on Saipan during the Marianas campaign when he was
wounded earning the Purple Heart.

John Russell: In 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he received a battlefield
commission and was wounded and
highly decorated for valor at Guadalcanal.

Robert Ryan was a U. S. Marine who served with the O. S. S. in Yugoslavia.

Tyrone Power (an established movie star when Pearl Harbor was bombed) joined the
U.S. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Audie Murphy, little 5'5" tall 110 pound
guy from Texas who played cowboy parts:
Most Decorated serviceman of WWII and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with "V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.

So how do you feel the real heroes of the silver screen acted when compared to the hollywonks today who spew out anti-American drivel as they bite the hand that feeds them?
Can you imagine these stars of yester-year saying they hate our flag, making anti-war speeches, marching in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president?
I thought not, . neither did I!

If you enjoyed this bit of history, please pass it on.

Oh, and I take no responsibility for the editorializing in the quoted post. ;)

AggieTool
4/2/2007, 09:35 PM
Don't forget Mr. Green Jeans!:O

OUDoc
4/3/2007, 07:51 AM
Tyrone Power (an established movie star when Pearl Harbor was bombed) joined the
U.S. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
My grandfather served with him in the Marines.

yermom
4/3/2007, 07:58 AM
i don't think it's fair to compare Iraq to WWII, it's closer to Vietnam IMO

and it seems most of those people were vets that became actors...

jk the sooner fan
4/3/2007, 07:59 AM
audie murphy was indeed a bad ***

LoyalFan
4/3/2007, 08:07 AM
Two more....

Dan Rowan, the one with the mustache on "Laugh In"...Naval aviator, WW2.

William Conrad AKA "Cannon", naval aviator (before he got so danged fat), WW2.

OhU1
4/3/2007, 08:24 AM
Ted Williams and Joe Dimaggio served in the prime years of their careers. Imagine Peyton Manning and LaDainian Tomlinson enlisting into a war for 3 years. No knock on those 2 guys but that may be a modern comparison as they are the prime players in football which is as big as baseball was in the 40's. WWII was a different kind of war in a different era. I'm doubtful we are up to the sacrifice the WWII generation made.

yermom
4/3/2007, 10:18 AM
again, i'd bet if there were a few facist dictators bent on taking over the world and basically the WHOLE WORLD was embroiled at war then there would be more Pat Tillmans out there, and less peaceniks

Flagstaffsooner
4/3/2007, 10:33 AM
Julia Child was an OSS operative.

LoyalFan
4/3/2007, 10:10 PM
In an earlier incarnation, so I'm told, PG was a sultry double agent spy hottie during the little known war pitting Monaco against Lichtenstein (1882).
My achievements are less noteworthy...I was a Teenage Werewolf with Tourette's for the FBI.
Melo, AKA "Meloshka", in an earlier life, (I've recently learned,) was offered a gig as a secret agent for the KGB but she told them she hates auditions. This may account for the brevity of said earlier life.

LF
Arrrroooooooooooo...dammit!.....ooooooo....chit!.. ..ooooo

soonerjoker
4/5/2007, 09:39 AM
ted williams also served in korea.

mr. rogers was a WWII hero.

warren spahn, who won more games than any other lefty, didn't win a game until he was 25, due to WWII.

TUSooner
4/5/2007, 10:12 AM
At least 1 error: James "Scotty" Doohan was a Canadian and landed on D-Day with them.

TUSooner
4/5/2007, 10:17 AM
ted williams also served in korea.

mr. rogers was a WWII hero.

warren spahn, who won more games than any other lefty, didn't win a game until he was 25, due to WWII.

Wasn't Bob Feller also a WWII vet? I recall him being a pretty cool guy.

soonerjoker
4/5/2007, 10:42 AM
Feller, yes, i think so. i know he started in majors, in the 30s @ when he was very young.

LoyalFan
4/6/2007, 12:12 AM
One more, different war.

Victor McLaglen, AKA Sgt. Quincannon in "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" and veteran of many other flicks, was an officer in the British Army's Irish Guards Regiment in World War One.

LF

12
4/6/2007, 06:56 AM
Actually, (http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp) Mr. Rogers didn't serve, but John Denver was a heckofa fighter.

soonerscuba
4/6/2007, 08:31 AM
Howard Zinn, historian and airman in WWII, wrote A People's History, one of the chiefs among America-haters.

soonerjoker
4/6/2007, 10:20 AM
whoops, my bad !!!!!

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!
4/6/2007, 10:50 AM
Since the enemy isn't a specific country(yet) as it was in WWI and II, and since the destruction by terrorists hasn't been on nearly as large a scale as it was prior to WWII, it's much harder to focus and motivate public support, both in the USA and abroad.

SoonerGirl06
4/6/2007, 07:01 PM
James Stewart Entered the Army Air Force
as a private and worked his way to the rank of Colonel. During World War II, Stewart served as a bomber pilot, his service record crediting him with leading more than 20 missions over Germany , and taking part in hundreds of air strikes during his tour of duty.
Stewart earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, France's Croix de Guerre,and 7 Battle Stars during World War II. In peace time, Stewart continued to be an active member of the Air Force as a reservist, reaching the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950s.

One on the many reasons why I simply adore James Stewart.