Hollywood . . . Then and Now
 

While I can't vouch for the total accuracy of the following article, and I am not the author, I thought it was worth passing on.
Luke

The entertainers of 2003 have been in all of the news media lately. It seems newspaper, television and radio have been more than ready to put them and their message before the public. It is interesting to note what the entertainers of 1943 were doing (60 years ago). Most of these brave men have since passed on.

Sir 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 a 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 flew 20 missions as a B-24 pilot in Europe.

Clark Gable (mega-movie star when war broke out) was a waist gunner flying missions on a B-17 in Europe.

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.

Charles Bronson was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps.

George C. Scott was a 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 Marine rear gunner in several actions against the Japanese on Rabal in the Pacific.

Lee Marvin was a Marine on Saipan when he was wounded. He served with a fellow Marine we came to know later as Captain Kangaroo - Bob Keeshan.

John Russell was a Marine on 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 Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Audie Murphy, little guy from Texas, Most Decorated serviceman of WWII.

I wish I had room to tell you more about Actor Sterling Hayden and an actor by the name of Peter J. Ortiz (Twelve O'clock High, Rio Grande and The Wings of Eagles), but this would turn into a book.

There is quite a huge gap between the heroics and patriotism in 1943 and the cowardly despicable posturing of the Hollywood crowd of today . .

Luke, my thanks to all those brave men! I notice Ed Asner, Alec Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Martin Sheen are definetly NOT on your list!

Don't forget the ladies or the civilians! For example I believe Hedi Lamarr was the actress who was also an engineer and developed the frequency hopping system used to prevent radio jamming of remote controlled torpedoes. This technolgy went on to become widely used in military communications and is alive and well today along with its offspring, spread spectrum technology. (This technology also provides my employment at present.)

unspellable ! ! !

I thought you were kidding. There is documentation of this fact at the following URL:
http://www.ncafe.com/chris/pat2/

Actually, Hedi Lamarr and a co-inventor, George Antheils, patented the concept of spread-spectrum communication but never realized any monetary return, as the concept could not be implemented in hardware until practical and inexpensive microprocessors were available.

Luke

What a great combination beauty and brains, hurray for us!!

Luke (and Unspellable), I saw a documentary on AE, history channel or the like, and it discussed her. Evidently a very bright person! A shame that it gets forgotten by the masses and only her "film" career is remembered.

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

Ed

The stranges one, Julia Childs, yes the one with the cooking show, serving in the OSS during World War II!!!

The anti-war Hollywood crowd is strangely silent now.

Let's hope something was learned.

Luke

Luke, I really hope you are right. But since their IQ is only slightly higher than a potato, it's difficult to imagine they will ever learn anything!!

DECK OF WEASELS!! Along the same lines!!! <img border="0" alt="[hiha]" title="" src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" /> Click for Deck of Weasels

Nice touch, Thor. I'll pass this on to non-Forum friends.

Today I received the following from ViggoG along with permission to repost:
Thanks Viggo !!
Luke

"Luke,
There are few remaining who remember the Heroism of that Wonderful Bunch of People and the many more who served, Going in Harms Way to Entertain and boost Our Moral.
I for one remember well their service and have personally met a few as they traveled to the "USO's And Camps" in "Their Service" to our Nation!
I was there and can personally vouch for having seen or heard of those you list and their Excellent Service.
ViggoG, Now 78 years young!"

I was going through old discussions today and ran across this one.

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

Donald Pleasance was incarcerated in Stalag Luft I, in the same compound as my Father. They performed together in a camp production of "The Petrified Forest."

"Actually, Hedi Lamarr and a co-inventor, George Antheils, patented the concept of spread-spectrum communication but never realized any monetary return, as the concept could not be implemented in hardware until practical and inexpensive microprocessors were available."

George Anthiel was a composer of classical music.

--Dwight

Not many people are aware that the old character actor Nevil Brand was #4 on the list of the most highly decorated soldiers in US history.

Jack Pallance was a gunner on a B-17 , and owes his hard cragy facial features to the fact that he was severely burned in a crash landing after returning from a mission.

George Kennedy is also a decorated WWII vet.

Ron