War Movie actors who also experienced the real thing- (A list)

[Ransom E. Olds]

Barrett: I particularly wanted mention of Wayne Morris here because he's only genuine ace I have ever personally encountered, if we can count crossing paths in the old terminal at Love Field, circa 1950, as an encounter. Ransom

[Barrett]

"Rance," you're in good company, since Jimmy Stewart played Ranson E. Stoddard in TMWSLV!

True Duke story:

He made 1 or 2 morale trips to the Pacific during WW II, apparently complete with cowboy duds so the GIs would recognize him. But his biggest impression was in New Guinea where he visited the 348th FG. He tied on a big one w/Neel Kearby's boys and awoke on a cot in the middle of the compound, surrounded by a large, curious crowd. The guys had never seen a naked hungover movie star before....

[Pips]

We can't forget about that icon of the British Film Industry (and one of my favourite actors) Kenneth Moore. He served as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, seeing active service aboard the cruiser HMS Aurora and the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, returning to acting in 1946.

Some of his war films were Reach For The Sky, Sink The Bismarck, Battle Of Britain, The Longest Day, The Dark Of The Sun and Oh! What A Lovely War.

Anyone have further detail on his wartime service?

[JerryBoucher]

One name that's missing from the list is Ed Wood, the director of films such as 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'. IIRC, he saw action as an infantryman in the Pacific, may even have gotten a medal also. Apparently he wore women's underwear under his battlekit and thus was terrified of being wounded and his little secret being found out

[RussGannon]

Not actually an actor, but they made his book Lord of the Rings into three pretty impressive movies. Served as an officer on the Somme at La Boiselle in 1916 - I suspect with 19 Division.

And the of course Spike Milligan (Royal Artillery), Harry Secombe (Royal Artillery) and Peter Sellars (RAF) all did their little bit before becoming Goons.

[RonC]

I try not to be a negative individual, particularly on a first posting, but elevating John Wayne to hero status has always troubled me.

John Wayne, the quintessential symbol of American victory in World War II, was one of the few leading men of his generation to actively seek to avoid military service. While almost all the other leading actors were enlisting, and some even fighting in WW II (Jimmy Stewart), Wayne claimed 1) disability from a football related leg injury at USC; 2) that he was the sole supporter of his immediate family and his parents; and 3) he was too old. But older, popular people had enlisted or tried to enlist, such as John Ford, Clark Gable and Jack Dempsey.
As an avid student of military history, I have read on this topic thoroughly. Please see a typical historic exchange that evolves into a discussion of Wayne:
MilitaryHistoryOnline.com (Not Logged in)

In his mid-thirties with his career declining, he saw the opportunity to revitalize his career as Clark Gable and others were away in the Army. This last statement came from the PBS series 'Soldiers.' Wayne became a big star during the war when many of his fellow actors were in the service. The director John Ford had enlisted and pushed Wayne to follow suit, but the "Duke" resisted.

William Manchester, the respected historian and writer, in 'Goodbye Darkness, A Pacific Diary' recounted this John Wayne story--and Manchester was there. He was with Wayne on a visit to a Marine hospital in the Pacific. He said the real Marines raucously booed the phony "hero" because a lot of them had signed up because they wanted to be just like John Wayne. Then they saw what real war was like and were wounded, some grievously. Big Duke could do all his heroics on film, and leave them so he could go back to the safety and comfort of the U.S. The soldiers were committed to stay and to bleed and die. It seems that John Wayne was the first of the "Chicken Hawks."
Sorry to put a damper on a fun discussion, but the whole John Wayne business is a pet peeve of mine.

Ron

[karrart]

Originally Posted by RonC

I try not to be a negative individual, particularly on a first posting, but elevating John Wayne to hero status has always troubled me.

John Wayne, the quintessential symbol of American victory in World War II, was one of the few leading men of his generation to actively seek to avoid military service.
Ron

I don't know what the truth is about this. I read an article maybe 20 years ago that said he tried to enlist on at least four different occasions. According to this article the real reason he was turned downed was because of 2 busted vertebrae, added in with age, family stuff- the usual things that have been listed as the reason's he's said to have stated to avoid service. The article ended by saying word had come down "from on high" to knock it off, he wasn't getting in and he could better serve the war effort just by being an entertainer. Like I said- I don't know.
Robert Karr
OLD BIRDS STAYING ALIVE - THE AVIATION ART OF ROBERT KARR

[RonC]

Karrat,

Thanks for that information. In researching the subject (to a small degree after reading Manchester's book), I haven't found anything that even hints that he tried to enlist. That gives me an incentive to look further.

Ron

[Barrett]

Originally Posted by RonC

I try not to be a negative individual, particularly on a first posting, but elevating John Wayne to hero status has always troubled me.

John Wayne, the quintessential symbol of American victory in World War II, was one of the few leading men of his generation to actively seek to avoid military service. While almost all the other leading actors were enlisting, and some even fighting in WW II (Jimmy Stewart), Wayne claimed 1) disability from a football related leg injury at USC; 2) that he was the sole supporter of his immediate family and his parents; and 3) he was too old. But older, popular people had enlisted or tried to enlist, such as John Ford, Clark Gable and Jack Dempsey.
As an avid student of military history, I have read on this topic thoroughly. Please see a typical historic exchange that evolves into a discussion of Wayne:
MilitaryHistoryOnline.com (Not Logged in)

In his mid-thirties with his career declining, he saw the opportunity to revitalize his career as Clark Gable and others were away in the Army. This last statement came from the PBS series 'Soldiers.' Wayne became a big star during the war when many of his fellow actors were in the service. The director John Ford had enlisted and pushed Wayne to follow suit, but the "Duke" resisted.

William Manchester, the respected historian and writer, in 'Goodbye Darkness, A Pacific Diary' recounted this John Wayne story--and Manchester was there. He was with Wayne on a visit to a Marine hospital in the Pacific. He said the real Marines raucously booed the phony "hero" because a lot of them had signed up because they wanted to be just like John Wayne. Then they saw what real war was like and were wounded, some grievously. Big Duke could do all his heroics on film, and leave them so he could go back to the safety and comfort of the U.S. The soldiers were committed to stay and to bleed and die. It seems that John Wayne was the first of the "Chicken Hawks."
Sorry to put a damper on a fun discussion, but the whole John Wayne business is a pet peeve of mine.

Ron

I got no particular dog in this fight, but if Manchester said that JW inspired/suckered marines to join the Corps based on film portrayals, it's simply untrue. Duke's USMC roles were entirely postwar: Without Reservations, a romantic comedy (1946), Sands of Iwo (1949) and Flying Leathernecks (1951). He made 15 films 1942-45 and only five were military: Flying Tigers and Reunion in France (1942), Fighting Seabees (1944) with Back to Bataan (army) and They Were Expendable (1945, with J Ford.) Most of the others were westerns.

Methinks that Manchester might have had an Agenda.

[Gregvan]

Hi,

Though he wasn't in the military and was more of a TV star, his story is so amazing I had to point it out. Many will remember the TV series "Hogan's Heroes" and the little French actor Robert Clary who played Corporal LeBeau. Clary was a French actor/singer of Jewish descent who was born Robert Max Widerman in 1926. At the age of 12 he began singing professionally, the youngest of 14 children in his family. In 1942 (I think) he was taken off to Buchenwald along with 12 other immediate family members. He was the only one of these 13 to survive, but after the war he found that a few of his siblings had not been taken by the Nazis and had survived. I believe he's still alive today, and still carries the number A5714 on his arm. After the war he began a singing/acting career on Broadway in the US, and married Eddie Cantor's daughter. I'm amazed he could participate in a TV show about barbed wire and "funny Nazis", but he has said that "Every week we made fools out of our captors...I don't hold a grudge because that's a great waste of time."

He has written an autobiography and gives lectures on the Holocaust.