Hollywood actors and WW2 (1 Viewer)

[TomB]

We know James Stewart flew B17's over Germany...17 missions ?....Clark Gable was a B17 air gunner 3 Missions ?,,,,Eddie Albert a USN Beach Landing Officer on D Day...Bob Hope and and many other actors toured with the USO in the combat area's..many..many more actors served in WW2 but I have no knowledge of their service.....I know the much maligned Errol Flynn tried very hard to enlist but was knocked back on medical grounds ...John Wayne......did he enlist ..or try to enlist during the war...or.....was he,,,no fault of his own... deemed by the higher Archie to be a Kola Bear ......not to be shoot at or exported.....or had gangplank fever.....I presume it was thought he would serve better making propaganda films..... can .any Duke fan shed the light on this......TomB

 

[marco55]

We know James Stewart flew B17's over Germany...17 missions ?....Clark Gable was a B17 air gunner 3 Missions ?,,,,Eddie Albert a USN Beach Landing Officer on D Day...Bob Hope and and many other actors toured with the USO in the combat area's..many..many more actors served in WW2 but I have no knowledge of their service.....I know the much maligned Errol Flynn tried very hard to enlist but was knocked back on medical grounds ...John Wayne......did he enlist ..or try to enlist during the war...or.....was he,,,no fault of his own... deemed by the higher Archie to be a Kola Bear ......not to be shoot at or exported.....or had gangplank fever.....I presume it was thought he would serve better making propaganda films..... can .any Duke fan shed the light on this......TomB

I think Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson served.I know Ernie Borgnine served.
Mark

 

[fierytheangelsfell]

http://www.listal.com/list/war-heroes-big-screen-war

Gene Autry - The singing Cowboy. Flew the Hump as a C46 pilot. Also flew C47's in N. Africa.

Tyrone Power. USMC flew R5D and PB4Y's with VMR 352 in the Pacific. As he was felt to be too old for combat.

Gene Roddenberry (Of Star Trek Fame) USAAF WW2, flew B-17, C-46, C-47 in 394th BS, 5th BG, 13th AF, Pacific theater; awarded DFC and Air Medal. 89 Missions.

Charles Bronson USAAF, served as a Gunnery instructor, but also did time as a combat gunner with 25 missions, 39BG 20th AF; Purple Heart.

Charlton Heston USAAF SSgt, B-25 radioman/gunner 11th AF.

Walter Matthau USAAF 8th AF B-24 Liberator radioman-gunner 453rd Bombardment Group.

Jack Palance. Didn't see combat but USAAF. His facial scars were apparently a result of bailing out of a burning B24 during flight training.

Christopher Lee (OK I'm cheating here, but I think he's an amazing Actor). Flight Lt RAF Intelligence, served in N Africa Italy, Sicily

Denholm Elliott RAF Radioman Navigator Bomber command shot down over Denmark and captured - 42.

Paul Newman. USN Radio/Gunner in a Torpedo Sqn on USS Bunker Hill.

Richard Todd..........could have played himself in 'The Longest Day'

Roald Dahl was a RAF fighter ace [5 victories]


Lawrence Olivier, Spike Milligan, Tommy Cooper, Michael Bentine, Kenneth Wolstenhome, Patrick Moore, Mel Brooks, Lenny Bruce, Kirk Douglas, James Doohan, Fred Gwynne [The Munsters], Sterling Hayden, Rock Hudson, Charlton Heston, Jack Klugman, Walter Matthau [453rd BG same as Jimmy Stewart], Lee Marvin [shot in the *** at Saipan with the USMC] Karl Malden, Tony Randall, Robert Stack, Harry Dean Stanton, Rod Steiger, Lee Van Cleef, all served in the military in World War II, some seeing combat

 

[TomB]

I think Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson served.I know Ernie Borgnine served.

Mark

Mark...It would be interesting to know what some of the actors did...I was surprised about Eddie Albert being a Beach Landing Officer...apparently he sorted out a real chaotic stuff up on his section of beach.....I always remembered a scene from The Glenn Miller Story when I was a kid ...Jimmy..playing GM was conducting the band in a huge aircraft hanger with a B17 as backdrop....I did not know at the time he used to fly that aircraft during the war....wonder what memories it brought back to him....cheers Tom

 

[TomB]

http://www.listal.com/list/war-heroes-big-screen-war

Gene Autry - The singing Cowboy. Flew the Hump as a C46 pilot. Also flew C47's in N. Africa.

Tyrone Power. USMC flew R5D and PB4Y's with VMR 352 in the Pacific. As he was felt to be too old for combat.

Gene Roddenberry (Of Star Trek Fame) USAAF WW2, flew B-17, C-46, C-47 in 394th BS, 5th BG, 13th AF, Pacific theater; awarded DFC and Air Medal. 89 Missions.

Charles Bronson USAAF, served as a Gunnery instructor, but also did time as a combat gunner with 25 missions, 39BG 20th AF; Purple Heart.

Charlton Heston USAAF SSgt, B-25 radioman/gunner 11th AF.

Walter Matthau USAAF 8th AF B-24 Liberator radioman-gunner 453rd Bombardment Group.

Jack Palance. Didn't see combat but USAAF. His facial scars were apparently a result of bailing out of a burning B24 during flight training.

Christopher Lee (OK I'm cheating here, but I think he's an amazing Actor). Flight Lt RAF Intelligence, served in N Africa Italy, Sicily

Denholm Elliott RAF Radioman Navigator Bomber command shot down over Denmark and captured - 42.

Paul Newman. USN Radio/Gunner in a Torpedo Sqn on USS Bunker Hill.

Richard Todd..........could have played himself in 'The Longest Day'

Roald Dahl was a RAF fighter ace [5 victories]


Lawrence Olivier, Spike Milligan, Tommy Cooper, Michael Bentine, Kenneth Wolstenhome, Patrick Moore, Mel Brooks, Lenny Bruce, Kirk Douglas, James Doohan, Fred Gwynne [The Munsters], Sterling Hayden, Rock Hudson, Charlton Heston, Jack Klugman, Walter Matthau [453rd BG same as Jimmy Stewart], Lee Marvin [shot in the *** at Saipan with the USMC] Karl Malden, Tony Randall, Robert Stack, Harry Dean Stanton, Rod Steiger, Lee Van Cleef, all served in the military in World War II, some seeing combat

Thank heaps for that info.....Le Marvin...shoot in the same area as Audie....Wow.....Gene Autry flying the Hump in the old Dc3 with cargo doors and the Curtiss Commando C46,,,must have been some pilot....bloody hell mate....thanks for the fantastic info...you cant help but respect those guys....TomB.

 

[waynepoo]

Eddie Albert was at Tarawa in 1943......''Although his LCVP was under heavy machine gun fire and fighting a strong current, the skipper, Lt Edward A. Heimberger, better known as the movie star Eddie Albert, and his crew lifted thirteen wounded men (marines) from the water. Heimberger also offered to evacuate the rest, about thirty-five men in all. They refused, demanding only that the sailors ''bring back something for us to fight with.''..... from ''MANTLE OF HEROISM'' Tarawa and the struggle for the Gilberts, November 1943.
If Eddie was also at D Day as well...wow is all I say.
Wayne.

 

[johnnybach]

We know James Stewart flew B17's over Germany...17 missions ?....Clark Gable was a B17 air gunner 3 Missions ?,,,,Eddie Albert a USN Beach Landing Officer on D Day...Bob Hope and and many other actors toured with the USO in the combat area's..many..many more actors served in WW2 but I have no knowledge of their service.....I know the much maligned Errol Flynn tried very hard to enlist but was knocked back on medical grounds ...John Wayne......did he enlist ..or try to enlist during the war...or.....was he,,,no fault of his own... deemed by the higher Archie to be a Kola Bear ......not to be shoot at or exported.....or had gangplank fever.....I presume it was thought he would serve better making propaganda films..... can .any Duke fan shed the light on this......TomB

John Wayne (Marion mitchel Morrison ) was exempted from War Service because of his age at Pearl Harbour (34) and his Family Status (classified 3-A - family deferment). He apparently wrote repeatedly to Producer john Ford - asking him to be placed in his Military Unit - but this was consistently postponed until "Just one more film had been completed". The Duke did not officially oppose his reclassification to 1A (Draft eligible), but Republic Pictures, who he was contracted to, repeatedly threatened him with legal action if he walked out on them. They also intervened in the selective service process, requesting his continued deferment.

Wayne toured US bases and hospitals in the South Pacific for three months during 1943-44, and from several accounts regarded it as one of the most painful experiences of his life. His widow suggested that his great patriotism in later life sprang from guilt - and wrote that his superpatriotism was derived from him trying to atone for staying at home during WW2. (Source - Wikipedia). jb

 

[marco55]

Some really interesting info on these guys here.I heard that Captain Kangaroo also served.Does anybody else know about this?
Mark

 

[TomB]

Some really interesting info on these guys here.I heard that Captain Kangaroo also served.Does anybody else know about this?
Mark

I hear he hopped out of it....Tom

 

[Nooooo9]

I hear he hopped out of it....Tom

Thats Funny. But seriously, Bob Keeshan was in high school for most of WWII and enlisted in the Marine Corps just before his 18th birthday. The war ended before he could see any action. He became famous playing Clarabell the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show, and starred as "Captain Kangaroo" the host of a childrens program that ran for 30 years on American television.

 

[TomB]

Thats Funny. But seriously, Bob Keeshan was in high school for most of WWII and enlisted in the Marine Corps just before his 18th birthday. The war ended before he could see any action. He became famous playing Clarabell the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show, and starred as "Captain Kangaroo" the host of a childrens program that ran for 30 years on American television.

Right...now I see where you were coming from....the TV shown is one I haven't seen.....cheers Tom

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Guys,

Very interesting thread, surprised no one mentioned David Niven he was actually a Sandhurst trained and commissioned Lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry before he gave it up to become an actor. Returned to England upon the outbreak of the war and was recommissioned as a Lieutenant. I dont know where he served.

 

[TomB]

Hi Guys,

Very interesting thread, surprised no one mentioned David Niven he was actually a Sandhurst trained and commissioned Lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry before he gave it up to become an actor. Returned to England upon the outbreak of the war and was recommissioned as a Lieutenant. I dont know where he served.

Here is some info on David Niven I received in one of the replies....David Niven was initially present at Dunkirk...saw action at Normandy...took part in behind the lines commando raids....that is from the internet...I think that is pretty right...I have read most of that over the yrs.....you cannot take the internet as fact.....I have read that Jimmy Stewart flew B17 and had 17 missions...he then instructed bomber pilots.....earlier tonite..my time...I read he flew B24 and flew 25 missions...they got the instructor bit right....B24's were later in the war in England...well I could be wrong too....Who can you believe ?....TomB

 

[TomB]

John Wayne (Marion mitchel Morrison ) was exempted from War Service because of his age at Pearl Harbour (34) and his Family Status (classified 3-A - family deferment). He apparently wrote repeatedly to Producer john Ford - asking him to be placed in his Military Unit - but this was consistently postponed until "Just one more film had been completed". The Duke did not officially oppose his reclassification to 1A (Draft eligible), but Republic Pictures, who he was contracted to, repeatedly threatened him with legal action if he walked out on them. They also intervened in the selective service process, requesting his continued deferment.

Wayne toured US bases and hospitals in the South Pacific for three months during 1943-44, and from several accounts regarded it as one of the most painful experiences of his life. His widow suggested that his great patriotism in later life sprang from guilt - and wrote that his superpatriotism was derived from him trying to atone for staying at home during WW2. (Source - Wikipedia). jb

Followed up your info on the Duke....quite involved....and it depends on whom you wish to believe ......to be fair to the Duke..I think he did the right thing.....good on him......Tom

 

[Scott]

Followed up your info on the Duke....quite involved....and it depends on whom you wish to believe ......to be fair to the Duke..I think he did the right thing.....good on him......Tom

I'm trying to source a couple of stories that troops in the hospitals boo'd Wayne during his visits. I know one was the writer William Manchester who served in the Marines.

 

[TomB]

I'm trying to source a couple of stories that troops in the hospitals boo'd Wayne during his visits. I know one was the writer William Manchester who served in the Marines.

Scott.. From what I found on the nett..... The Duke had four kids at the outbreak of war..he was 34...he was deferred family wise...his career was just taking off,,,he did have a great deal of money and he was worried how he'd support his family on a Pte's pay...dont know how muck a Pte in the American army got those days but I do know how much my father was paid and it was poverty wages ...so I support his decision there....the rest is too long a story...best to check internet....but...check several sources to be able to get an idea of the why's and therefore's...Tom

 

[TomB]

Scott.. From what I found on the nett..... The Duke had four kids at the outbreak of war..he was 34...he was deferred family wise...his career was just taking off,,,he did have a great deal of money and he was worried how he'd support his family on a Pte's pay...dont know how muck a Pte in the American army got those days but I do know how much my father was paid and it was poverty wages ...so I support his decision there....the rest is too long a story...best to check internet....but...check several sources to be able to get an idea of the why's and therefore's...Tom

Made a typing mistake.....I meant to say ...he did.... NOT..have a great deal of money....I infered he had....my mistake...tom

 

[Scott]

Scott.. From what I found on the nett..... The Duke had four kids at the outbreak of war..he was 34...he was deferred family wise...his career was just taking off,,,he did have a great deal of money and he was worried how he'd support his family on a Pte's pay...dont know how muck a Pte in the American army got those days but I do know how much my father was paid and it was poverty wages ...so I support his decision there....the rest is too long a story...best to check internet....but...check several sources to be able to get an idea of the why's and therefore's...Tom

Technically he was exempt for age and number of kids. The problem with Wayne may be that some people think the characters he played so well were the real man. There were more personally and politically soft spoken actors (in real life) that actually served


Don Adams....
Dropping out of New York City's DeWitt Clinton High School, Adams worked as a theater usher.[SUP][4][/SUP] He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1941 together with his twin-brother cousins, William and Robert Karvelas.[SUP][1][/SUP] The three were assigned to the Third Marines in Samoa until Adams was sent as a replacement to the Battle of Guadalcanal, where he was the only survivor of his platoon.[SUP][5][/SUP] His survival, despite his company's near 90% fatality rate, was due to his contracting blackwater fever early in the campaign. He was evacuated to New Zealand and spent over a year there, in a Navy hospital in Wellington.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][6][/SUP] After his recovery, he served as a Marine drill instructor in the United States.[SUP][7][/SUP][SUP][8]


[/SUP]

 

[TomB]

Technically he was exempt for age and number of kids. The problem with Wayne may be that some people think the characters he played so well were the real man. There were more personally and politically soft spoken actors (in real life) that actually served


Don Adams....
Dropping out of New York City's DeWitt Clinton High School, Adams worked as a theater usher.[SUP][4][/SUP] He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1941 together with his twin-brother cousins, William and Robert Karvelas.[SUP][1][/SUP] The three were assigned to the Third Marines in Samoa until Adams was sent as a replacement to the Battle of Guadalcanal, where he was the only survivor of his platoon.[SUP][5][/SUP] His survival, despite his company's near 90% fatality rate, was due to his contracting blackwater fever early in the campaign. He was evacuated to New Zealand and spent over a year there, in a Navy hospital in Wellington.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][6][/SUP] After his recovery, he served as a Marine drill instructor in the United States.[SUP][7][/SUP][SUP][8]


[/SUP]

Hard to imagine Don Adams as a Marine DI...." Today I am going to teach you to drill with the M1 Carbine....... errr...would you believe a Garrard..!!!.. something like that....Tom

 

[fierytheangelsfell]

Donald Pleasence appears to be missing from some of the lists above. A lovely actor who played Blythe, the mild mannered forger in 'The Great Escape' (1963) amongst many other film roles.

As a member of the RAF his Lancaster was shot down on 31 August 1944, during a raid on Agenville. He was taken prisoner and placed in a German prisoner-of-war camp. Apparently he was able to help director John Sturges get things right in our favourite holiday film. According to the IMDB, "Several cast members were actual P.O.W.s during World War II. Donald Pleasence was held in a German camp, Hannes Messemer in a Russian camp and Til Kiwe and Hans Reiser were prisoners of the Americans".