OT-Hollywierd Fact or fiction?

The original author forgot one: Richard Todd (The Dam Busters, The Longest Day).

We all remember the scenes in The Longest Day where Richard Todd portrayed British Glider Troop Major Howard with orders to "Hold until relieved" at the Orde River Bridge.

LT. Richard Todd was the Commando officer who actually relieved Maj. Howard (whom he portrayed in the film) on 6/6/44.

Naw, they were a bunch of Communists!!

Didn't you hear?

Look it all up d*****ad. Oh, sorry, I forgot that would require you to have a synapse of some kind.

You've been shot in the arm?

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 18:12:32 +0000 (UTC), the inscrutable snipped-for-privacy@spamblock.panix.com spake:

I'm surprised that the heroine, Jane Fonda, wasn't mentioned.

No, I didnt. According to the data..the ones mentioned were Republicans (not counting the Brits) However, it is well documented that there were many many actual active Communists in Hollywood. But I rather doubt any of them were landing on beaches etc. They tend to want to save their own skins......

Gunner

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosphy of sniveling brats." -- P.J. O'Rourke

You got one thing wrong. Doohan was a Canadian and served in the CANADIAN forces on D day. The Americans were NOT the only forces there at the time, despite what Hollywood would have you believe.

Tom

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 22:43:47 GMT, the inscrutable Gunner spake:

--snip--

Sure, why not? Wherever there's money to be spread around, there they are. Kinda like politicians on both sides of the aisle, wot?

Sure they'll be landing on beaches. In Santa Monica, Newport, and Laguna, and (most importantly) Malibu, right? ;)

To get it back to a metal content, I'm now licensed to pack it. Took the NRA course the 15th, got the paperwork, got it filled out and was printed on the 18th, and my license came in the mail today,

2 weeks earlier than promised. AFAIK, they didn't even check my references. That surprised me.

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In fact, the top four names on that list consists of three Brits and a Canadian.

Not to take anything away from the ones listed below, but what do those four have to do with American actors in Hollywood?

(Also, FWIW, Alec Guinness did NOT operate a British Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day, unless it was in Sicily. )

-- Ed Huntress

In OT-Hollywierd Fact or fiction? on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 09:22:48 GMT, by Gunner, we read:

Other Notables:

Jack Palance Robert Mitchum Roy Rogers Dean Martin

I find it fascinating to watch war films made after WWII featuring war veteran actors who actually experienced many of the scenarios depicted.

I decided to spot check the first three of these citation to see if they are on the up and up, and indeed they appear to be so: Comments and references are inserted below.

John

I found plenty of references to Guinness joining up with the Royal Navy in WWII, but couldn't find anything about his activities on D-day, which does not mean that the original post was wrong, but simply that I couldn't find more details in 10 minutes of googling.

See for example:

Almost right. Doohan was a Canadian and served in the Canadian military were he rose to the rank of Captain.

See:

Looks exactly correct, see:

So, to those who claim that the list is a bunch of lies .... I think not!

John

Hmmm, I just checked the first three references and they seem to be materially correct.

John

An excellent idea, especially given the transgressions of this source in the past. d8-)

He was not in Normandy on D-Day. His boat commands were in Sicily. He was also involved in supplying Yugoslav partisans. It's in his biography, through a paid service that I have access to through my work.

I must have missed the people claiming it was a bunch of lies. What it is, is a bunch of Brits and a Canadian represented as the old Hollywood, during WWII. At least regarding the first four, we can say that foreign actors were convinced that WWII was a war worth fighting. So was almost everyone else in the Allied countries.

The premise of the essay, if it's worthy of that name, is that today's Hollywood actors are somehow less principled. That may be, but WWII versus the wars of today is not much of a litmus test. When the US, the UK, and the Commonwealth countries were under attack, a large percentage of men in those countries enlisted and served, actors or not. When we're not under attack and we go to war anyway, it's a bit harder to meet recruitment quotas...actors or not.

-- Ed Huntress

Strabo,

You did get one right. Jack Palance was a bomber pilot in WWII and suffered burns in a crash that gave him his famous gaunt looks.

However:

Robert Mitchum was drafted in 1945 after spending most of the war acting movies and theater. He spent only 8 months in the military, mostly promoting a war movie he made.

Roy Rogers never served. He spent the war years making singing cowboy movies, filling a vacancy left by western actor Gene Autry who did join up.

Dean Martin was excused from serving due to a hernia.

Just the facts, man, just the facts.

Fred

Cliffy has never let facts stand in the way of his inflexible spoonfed opinion.

For an exhaustive review of the article, see:

I'd makeashorterlink of it but my clipboard isn't working. If the hand-typed link doesn't work, just Google Groups search alt.folklore.urban for a post that includes all the words: niven doohan guiness murphy

TK

Bravo!!!

Whatcha carrying?

Feel free to email, if it bothers you to post here.

Gunner, normally with an AMT .45 DAO somewhere about his person. Though there may be a custom Series 70 .45 tucked away, depending on location, season and risk factors. Or a 57 S&W, or....

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosphy of sniveling brats." -- P.J. O'Rourke

In Re: OT-Hollywierd Fact or fiction? on Sun, 01 May 2005

06:58:21 GMT, by ff, we read:

Then that's two. Service: U.S. Army (WWII, PFC, 1945 Apr-Oct)

I couldn't find anything on Google confirming Rogers or Martin though I read that they served.

To make up for my deficiency I found others (confirmed).

Gene Autry - Sgt. Autry was in the U.S. Army Air Force, flying supplies in the China-India-Burma theater of war, and served for

4+ years.

James Arness (Marshal Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke and brother of Peter Graves, the "Mission Impossible" guy) was involved in the landings at Anzio and was wounded there.

Richard Boone served as a tail gunner in Navy Torpedo planes and saw action during W.W.II.

Trevor Howard served in the British Airborne Division and saw action in W.W.II. He was medically discharged after he received the Military Cross for Valour in the field.

Mel Brooks (Yes, Mel Brooks) was in the Combat Engineers and saw action in the Ardennes in the "Battle of the Bulge" He deactivated mines and helped to clear mine fields. He used to answer German propaganda that was broadcast at regular intervals with a oudspeaker shouting "Toot Toot Tootsie goodbye!" I guess Mel Brooks was Mel Brooks even back then.

Neville Brand fought in the European theatre of operations in W.W.II from December 16th 1944 onwards, he fought in the Ardennes aka "The Battle Of the Bulge," also in the Rhineland and Central Europe. He received the Silver Star for Gallantry while in hospital for his actions in combat. Also he was awarded the Purple Heart, The Good Conduct Medal, the American defense Ribbon, the European/African/Middle Eastern Theatre Ribbon with three Battle Stars, one Overseas Service Bar, one Service Stripe, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.

Richard Attenborough served for 3 years in the RAF during W.W.II.

Gene Audrey was a pilot in the USAAF.

Pat Brady, Roy Rogers partner, was awarded 2 purple Hearts while in combat in France.

Raymond Burr served in the US navy.

Robery Clary who played ' Lebeau' in Hogan's Heroes spent 3 years in a concentration camp and still had the tattoo on his arm.

Jackie Coogan was a glider pilot and served in the Pacific.

Tony Curtis served in Submarines aboard the USS Dragonette.

George Kennedy served under General Patton.

Walter Mathau was a gunner and radio operator over the skies of Europe and he was awarded 6 battle stars.

Rod Steiger Joined the US Navy and fought in the Pacific Fleet in W.W.II. Information is a little sketchy about his exploits except to say that he was a torpedo operator and that he fought in the Battle of Midway.

He was also a survivor of the Bataan Death March.

(snip)