Great movie!
Posted on 07/15/2021 4:35:36 PM PDT by CheshireTheCat
Steve McQueen had a rough childhood. Between two abusive stepfathers, an alcoholic mother who abandoned him, and growing up in a reform school, it’s no surprise the famous actor viewed the Marine Corps as a great escape from life’s hardships.
Before he was a movie star or a jarhead, “The King of Cool” worked a long list of dirty jobs, including one stint as a roughneck on an oil rig and one as a “towel boy” at a brothel, which prepared him for the grimy existence of an enlisted Marine.
McQueen enlisted in 1947 as a tank engine mechanic and endured a very bumpy four-year enlistment. Apparently attending a reform school for boys did not have the intended effect, and McQueen struggled with the Corps’ strict rules. He had a penchant for rebelling and was busted down to private no fewer than seven times: an impressive feat for such a short military career.
While serving aboard Camp Lejeune, he took it upon himself to turn his weekend liberty into a two-week unauthorized vacation. When he was finally apprehended, McQueen was charged with unauthorized absence and sentenced to 41 days in the brig, where he lived on bread and water — an experience that came in handy for his famous roles as a prisoner in The Great Escape and Papillion....
(Excerpt) Read more at coffeeordie.com ...
He was so good he made Private 7 times!!!!!
“The King of Cool”
They don’t give that out haphazardly.
Cincinnati Kid my favorite, Tuesday Weld, Ann Margret, Edward G, Rip Torn, Karl Malden...
Bonus: high stakes poker.
Nice read, thx.
Never knew McQueen had such a horrible start in life.
Yes, he was.
With the 1940’s baseball glove.
BYW, Did he jump the fence on a Norton, or Triumph ?
I had to look it up…it was a Triumph. (Man, the trivia tests are pretty tricky here at FR.
And when he was dying from cancer, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and savior.
Billy Graham went to minister to him, and later said that when he left, he felt as though he was the one who had been ministered to.
Always with the attitude.
I can’t imagine, he wouldn’t be.
Difficult maybe. : )
I didn’t know. Thanks.
I miss TCM, you can’t get it unless you have a cable description. Soldier in the Rain was exceptional, as were every acting gig he was in. He was better than Brando for sure. On par with Wayne, Eastwood, Lee Marvin and so many others who were A listers. Just a step below Jimmy and Grant. Gleason was a giant of a talent, but didn’t work enough to be on the list. He was close though.
Papillon was probably my favorite...”Hey you bastards, I’m still here!”
Just a step below Jimmy and Grant.
Stewart or Cagney ?
That makes a good story, but, except for a two week AWOL escapade, no mention of it appeared in McQueen’s service record.
Hell is for Hero’s and The Magnificent Seven are my favorites but McQueen was the real deal. He made everyone he worked with look better. A real man for real movies.
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