I have a friend who actually sends me interesting circulars.
Mostly I cringe at the mawkish rubbish all too often circulated
by perfectly nice people, who should know better. I mean isn‘t
it enough to receive one’s share of invitations to penis
enlargement, software, bum stocks and of course Mme. O’Dinga
O’Dinga’s harrowing tale of rape, death and corruption
with vast sums of money awaiting collection in the Central
Bank of Ripuoffaland.
The latest circular to catch my attention was entitled “What
happened to WW2 Movie Stars?” There followed a list
and photos of leading Hollywood actors who’d seen active
service. What struck me was the nasty mean-spirited tone of
the text accompanying the information, not I hasten to add
from my friend, who has impeccable liberal credentials. It
reads like this:
“Real Hollywood Heroes” - 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 lists but
a few. So remember; while the “Entertainers of 2005-2006”
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.
The list then cites with photos:
Alec Guinness: commanded an RN landing craft at D-Day.
James Doohan: (“Scotty”, Star Trek) wounded landing
with Canadians on D-Day.
Donald Pleasance: RAF pilot, shot down, held prisoner and
tortured by Germans.
David Niven: Lt. Colonel, British Commandos in Normandy.
James Stewart : USAAF Colonel with 20 bombing missions over
Germany.
Clark Gable: officer in USAAF, flew operational B-17 missions
over Germany.
Ernest Borgnine: US Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945, saw action
in the Pacific.
Charles Durning: US Army Ranger at Normandy, survivor of Malmedy
massacre
Charles Bronson: tail gunner in Army Air Corps with 20th Air
Force out of Marianas.
George C. Scott: decorated US Marine.
Eddie Albert: US Naval officer decorated for valour at Tarawa,1943.
Brian Keith: US. Marine rear gunner saw action Rabaul &
South Pacific.
Lee Marvin: US Marine, shot in the ass on Saipan & won
Purple Heart.
Robert Ryan: US Marine officer, served with OSS behind the
lines in Yugoslavia .
Tyrone Power : US Marine pilot, saw action Central Pacific.
Audie Murphy: most decorated US infantryman of WW2
Most of these brave men have since passed on.......
The compiler notes à propos of nothing in particular.
Not actually an uncommon occurrence for people over 86, which
is what anyone aged 18 in 1941 would be. The compiler then
goes on to ask:
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,Hiding behind a sick view of what’s right, and
always critical of our President? Being movie stars, does
not make them smarter than others, they bite the hand that
feeds them. They complain but do nothing to find a right way
to set things straight. Can you imagine these stars of yester-years
saying they hate our flag, making anti-war speeches, marching
in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president?
Substitute Fürhrer for President and you get an idea
where this kind of bilge is coming from. I’m not saying
this compiler is a Nazi, nor that patriotism is wrong. What
I am saying is that it is all too often the refuge of fools
and scoundrels. Patriotism does not mean the suspension of
common sense, or morality for that matter. Of the men listed
almost a third are not American any way, one was a homicidal
psychopath and the majority are on record as decent liberal-minded
Americans who would hate to be co-opted in this way.
This ridiculous person is not even saying “My Country,
Right or Wrong”, he or she is saying “My President,
Right or Wrong”. With folks like this a political majority
is it any wonder torture is now coming up for legalisation.....?
What, one may ask, of superpatriot John “Duke”
Wayne, an actor very much up this compiler’s alley?
Wayne was too old at 34, had flat fee and too many children
so could not go. Funny that, Henry Fonda 3 years older than
him went, so did Gable, quite a few of the people on this
list who were older.
That said I got to thinking about all the those actors who
served in action, or “did their bit” and started
looking into it. Very interesting it was too. I got to put
names to faces of a whole army of character actors. Without
in any way diminishing the major American contribution to
Allied victory in terms of men and materiel, the US was not
a “nation-in-arms” to the same extent that Russia
was, or Britain and the other Commonwealth nations, Australia,
Canada and New Zealand. In these countries in those days,
everybody was called up, no deferments. Actors same as anyone
else.
And while we’re about it let’s not forget Axis
actors. Here are just two to represent the many:
Hardy Kruger: Hitler Youth and Waffen SS Niebelungen Brigade.
Toshiro Mifune: of “Tora! Tora! Tora!” fame, Imperial
Japanese Air Force, what else....?
Age first, let’s kick of with Brit TV series “Dad’s
Army”. Clive Dunn (Cpl.Jones) fought in North Africa,
captured spending 4 years as POW. John Laurie (Sgt. Frazer)
fought in WW1, actually did serve in Home Guard in WW2, only
member of cast to do so. John le Mesurier (Sgt. Wilson) was
a Captain in Royal Armoured Corps. Arnold Ridley (Pte. Godfrey)
injured WW1 on the Somme, fought as Major with BEF in France
1940. Arthur Lowe (Capt. Mainwaring) served in Middle East
in Field Entertainment unit.
Now for the cloak & dagger boys, and women: We’ve
already seen Robert Ryan serving with the OSS behind the lines
in Yugoslavia, where he might easily have bumped into Major
Anthony Quayle of the SOE, in dress rehearsal for his role
in “Guns of Navarrone”, not to mention Sterling
Hayden, also an OSS officer in Yugoslavia and Greece. Laurence
Olivier not only served as an officer in Fleet Air Arm but,
with wife Vivien Leigh, was an active MI6 agent in the US.
Dirk Bogarde was an officer in Military Intelligence, took
part in the Normandy landings and the relief of Bergen-Belsen.
Audrey Hepburn as a young girl was a courier for the Dutch
resistance. Christopher Lee served with RAF intelligence and
SOE in Finland & Middle East. Celebrity cook Julia Child
served with the OSS in WW2 in Ceylon and China. Ferdy Mayne,
German Jewish actor was an MI5 double agent. Peter “Pierre”
Ortiz, mostly with maquis, was the most decorated man in OSS
They saw action: James Arness (Anzio), Mel Brooks (France),
Raymond Burr (USN, Okinawa), Art Carney (D-Day), Jackie Coogan
(Burma), Tony Curtis USN (Pacific), Henry Fonda (USN, Pacific),
Louis Hayward (USMC, Tarawa), Ed McMahon (Korea), Wayne Morris
(USAAF ace), Lee Powell (Tinian), Charles Schultz (Italy),
Rod Steiger (USN), Jack Warden (Paras), Michael Caine (Korea),
Ian Carmichael (Capt. MC), Kenneth Connor (Italy), Jimmy Edwards
(RAF), Peter Finch (N. Africa), Leo Genn (RA), Leslie Howard
(k.i.a. 1943), James Robertson Justice (Spain, Intl. Brigades
& RNVR), Charles Laughton (WW1), Raymond Massey (WW1 &
Russia), Spike Milligan (RA, N.Africa), Kenneth More (RNVR),
Jon Pertwee (RN), Basil Rathbone MC (WW1), Richard Todd (Paras,
D-Day).
They too served: Gene Autry, Martin Balsam, Humphrey Bogart,
Richard Boone, Jeff Chandler, Ossie Davis, Brian Dennehy,
Brad Dexter, Bradford Dillman, Kirk Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks,
Mike Farrell, Glen Ford, Scott Glen, Gene Hackman, Charlton
Heston, William Holden, Harvey Keitel, George Kennedy, Jack
Klugman, Burt Lancaster, Jack Lemon, Steve McQueen, Walter
Matthau, Burgess Meredith, Warren Oates, Carrol O’Connor,
Jack Palance, George Peppard, Don Rickles, Jason Robards,
Telly Savalas, Bo Svenson, Lee van Cleef, James Whitmore and
Burt Young.
Brits that “did their bit” & Commonwealth’ers:
Ronald Adam, Felix Aylmer, Richard Burton, Alan Bates, Peter
Butterworth, George Cole, Sean Connery, Noel Coward, Bernard
Cribbens, Allan Cuthbertson, Ronald Fraser, John Goffage,
Jack Hawkins, Leo McKern, Patrick McNee, Warren Mitchell,
Roger Moore, Laurence Naismith, Leslie Nielsen, Leslie Phillips,
Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers,
Eric Sykes, Charles Tingwell, Patrick Troughton, Kenneth Williams,
Norman Wisdom.
And last, but by no means least, let us not forget Peter Ustinov,
who served with great distinction as David Niven’s batman
and Sid James, who claimed all sorts of things but probably
cut men’s hair.
If you don’t recognise most of the names, you will recognise
the faces. It’s fun to google.
