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Movies => Bad Movies => Topic started by: Andrew on November 02, 2006, 09:14:59 PM



Title: You learn something new every day
Post by: Andrew on November 02, 2006, 09:14:59 PM
Odd, but I had checked Jack Palance's IMDB profile and noticed something.  It listed him as being awarded the purple heart.  Apparently this was after his B-24 bomber (WWII) caught fire during a training flight and he was seriously burned.

However, while looking up information on Mr. Palance, I found an entry for Russell Johnson (The Professor).  He received a purple heart after being wounded by enemy fire; his B-24 bomber was shot down bombing Japanese targets in the Philippines.


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: Derf on November 03, 2006, 12:10:45 PM
You may already know this, but Eddie Albert (Oliver Wendell Douglas from Green Acres) was involved in the invasion at Normandy, pulling the wouded out of the water. He is credited with saving a fair number of people. That impressed me when I learned about it.


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: peter johnson on November 03, 2006, 12:13:07 PM
A lot of celebs from a certain era have long service records that they don't go into very often --
Comedian Jonathan Winters saw lots of action in the Pacific as a Marine, and quite probably suffered mentally in his later years in part due to all the gore he was privvy to during those battles.
I'm told George Gobel, and a bunch of other borscht comics went into clowning in part to combat their war memories.  Don't know if true first-hand, but sounds plausible.
peter johnson/denny crane


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: ulthar on November 03, 2006, 02:33:25 PM
I had once heard that Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood) was a sniper in WWII with quite a commendable service record.  As far as I can tell, that is a fairly widespread rumor.    Apparently, the rumor has circulated also in regard to Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo). Unfortunately,  neither is true (http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/kangaroo.html), but at least Keeshan has a record of having served in the military.

Sad.  For some reason, I really wanted to believe that about Fred Rogers.


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: Neville on November 03, 2006, 02:47:25 PM
As Peter said, many actors served in the army during WWII or Korea. I believe Lee Marvin saw action as a marine in the Pacific theatre during WWII, although he probably was very young. I remember John Boorman mentioning that on an interview. He also mentioned Marvin was still traumatised from events he had witnessed or taken part into his service.


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: Yaddo 42 on November 03, 2006, 07:55:03 PM
After Bob Keeshan died, I heard a local TV host idiot repeat the urban legend that Keeshan had actually saved Lee Marvin's life.

I saw the documentary about Marvin and Boorman that aired on AMC several years ago. Marvin was wounded in combat on the island of Saipan. IIRC shrapnel barely missed his sciatic nerve (accounts online say he was hit there), and he was evaced face down, he was hit in the backside, which he said shamed him. Also many if not most of his platoon were killed during the same action that he was wounded in. This increased his feelings of guilt.

Brilliant British comedian, actor, and author, and Monty Python influence Spike Milligan served in the 56th Heavy regiment Royal Artillery in WWII. He was wounded in combat and suffered from shell shock. He later wrote several volumes of memoirs with titles like: "Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall", "Rommel: Gunner Who? A Confrontation in the Desert", "Monty: His Part in My Victory" and "Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall".


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: Andrew on November 04, 2006, 12:00:45 AM
I can just imagine Mr. Rogers, in his friendly voice, saying something to the effect of, "The target stands up and..." **BANG** "...goes right back down again.  That was a headshot neighbor. I am sure he didn't feel anything.  How do you feel today?"


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: Yaddo 42 on November 04, 2006, 06:54:15 AM
"Can you say 'One shot....One kill?' I knew you could."

"Police your brass, boys and girls, it's not nice to litter."

"Speedy delivery? I'll give you a Speedy Delivery, in a full metal jacket."

"Lady Elaine is going down. With extreme prejudice."

Now I'm imagining some kind of twisted "Apocalypse Now" spoof:
"Trolley Trolley was to take me up river into the Land of Make Believe. King Friday had gone off the reservation, setting up his own private army among the natives, slaughtering anyone who opposed him, cutting off all contact with MACV-SOG. CID delivered a dossier to me to play on Picture Picture, Friday had been in country for years, he was hard, living on the knife's edge. I had been back here, getting soft, drinking too much milk, changing my shoes and sweaters like any of it really mattered....."

This is too fun, I should stop.


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: peter johnson on November 04, 2006, 07:24:46 PM
Spike Milligan:
"When I got to the train after completing basic training, I was issued a white feather and a picture of Hitler, with "This is the Enemy!" written across the front.  I went from car to car on the train, but couldn't find him anywhere . . ."
Time was, one could only find the first volume of Milligan in America.  Years later, in an ashram in India, I found the other volumes, without covers, sitting beside a toad-infested fountain.  What became of the toads, I have no idea . . .
peter johnson/denny crane


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: trekgeezer on November 07, 2006, 08:18:44 AM
Check out Charles Durning's record. Three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. He was at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. If you have ever seen the movie "Battle of the Bulge"  with Henry Fonda, there is a sequence where some captured Americans are executed by the Germans, but one young officer escapes (played by James McArthur). That character is based on Durning.

Read the article (http://www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert/wwii/durning.html)


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: Amanda on November 07, 2006, 10:22:37 AM
I believe that Donald Pleasance was a member of the British Air Force (what is that called, the AAF?  I can't remember) but he was shot down, captured and tortured by the Germans.  

I had a really neat email the other day about this very thing, WWII era stars and their service records.  It was really interesting.  Of course they talked about Jimmy Stewart and Audie Murphy, but it mentioned Donald Pleasance, Eddie Albert, Clark Gable, and loads of other people.


Title: Re: You learn something new every day
Post by: raj on November 07, 2006, 10:45:23 AM
RAF Amanda - Royal Air Force.
The US airforce in WWII was still attached to the Army, it was the Army Air Corp.