ON THE FLIP SIDE OF HOLLYWOOD

6.05.03 | unknown

[fight_truth_decay]

In contrast to the ideals, opinions and feelings of today's "Hollywonk" the real actors of yesteryear loved the United States. They had both class and integrity. With the advent of World War many of our actors went to fight rather than stand and rant against this country we all love. They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men." This page lists but a few, but from this group of only 18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish Service Cross', Purple Hearts and one Congressional Medal of Honor. So remember; while the "Entertainers of 2003" have been in all of the news media lately (for it seems News Paper, Television and Radio has been more than ready to put them and their anti-American, anti-Bush message before the public) I would like to remind the people of what the entertainers of 1943 were doing, (60 years ago). Most of these brave men have since passed on.

The Real Hollywood Vs Hollywonk! Real Hollywood Heroes

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 an 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 Entered the Army Air Force as a private and worked his way to the rank of Colonel. During World War II, Stewart served as a bomber pilot, his service record crediting him with leading more than 20 missions over Germany, and taking part in hundreds of air strikes during his tour of duty. Stewart earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, France's Croix de Guerre, and 7 Battle Stars during World War II. In peace time, Stewart continued to be an active member of the Air Force as a reservist, reaching the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950s.

Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out) Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered WW II, Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942 at Los Angeles. He attended the Officers' Candidate School at Miami Beach, Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942. He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943 he was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook where flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s. Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943 and was relieved from active duty as a major on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request, since he was over-age for combat.

Charlton Heston was an Army Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.

Earnest Borgnine was a U. S. Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.

Charles Durning was a U. S. Army Ranger at Normandy earning a Silver Star and awarded the Purple Heart.

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

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

Lee Marvin was a U.S. Marine on Saipan during the Marianas campaign when he was wounded earning the Purple Heart.

John Russell: In 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he received a battlefield commission and was wounded and highly decorated for valor at 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 U.S. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Audie Murphy, little 5'5" tall 110 pound guy from Texas who played cowboy parts? Most Decorated serviceman of WWII and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with "V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre With Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.

So how do you feel the real heroes of the silver screen acted when compared to the hollywonks today who spray out anti-American drivel as they bite the hand that feeds them? Can you imagine these stars of yester-year saying they hate our flag, making anti-war speeches, marching in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president? I think not!

[fight_truth_decay]

1939

From: Mr. Smith Goes To Washington...On his impromptu, whirlwind sightseeing bus tour of the capital city's sites and monuments in a compiled montage of images, Smith gazes at the words "EQUAL JUSTICE" carved on the Supreme Court Building, the White House, Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues. He is swept up in the glories of the nation's capital - inside the Capitol Building, he stands in awe before a statue of Thomas Jefferson - author of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. As a gigantic Liberty Bell clangs, more montage images are super-imposed in close-up - the penned words "Life, Liberty" and "Pursuit of Happiness," flames of freedom, and statues of the founding figures of Samuel Adams and Hamilton.

Smith also gapes at the Washington Monument pointing up into the sky. More images fill the montage: a bust of George Washington, a bald eagle, a War Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The camera circles around the Lincoln Memorial. He walks up to view the imposing seated statue of a solemn-faced Lincoln in front of him, reading the inscribed words of Lincoln's most famous speeches.

In a memorable sequence, he overhears a young grandson (assisted by his grandfather) reading outloud part of the Gettysburg Address from the inscription. Smith reverently views the touching scene with patriotic pride. An elderly black man with his hat against his chest also looks up reverently.

[JohnGalt]

Solid article, but the ugly underbelly of Hollywood were the useful idiots who supported the war in Europe to save Uncle Joe. Frank Capra, for instance, was investigated by Hoover's FBI for suspicion of promoting Communist themes in his movies.

http://www.paperlessarchives.com/compic.html

[fight_truth_decay]

Mr Smith Goes to Washington caused some controversy and there was pressure against its release (two months after the outbreak of WWII in Europe),as Capra's film was alleged to be propagandistic, depicted political corruption, and appeared to paint an anti-democratic picture of the US government. But the film also called for faith in traditional American values, patriotism and faith in it's people. Mr. Smith fought political corruption and upheld American values. There was also alot of flag waving. It showed a pretty patriotic side of the American people that might only make the 'digital' cutting room floor today.

[razorback-bert]

Art Buchwald was born in Mt. Vernon, New York. He was raised in Hollis in Queens, New York. He attended P.S. 35, Jamaica High School and forest Hills High school. He never graduated. Instead, he ran away to join the Marines where he served honorably (so he claims) from 1942 to 1945 in the Pacific. Although he wasn’t a war hero he looked very good in uniform.


Note: I knew a Marine, who was in his company on Guadalcanal and Tarawa .

[razorback-bert]

Sterling HaydenBiography
A handsome, virile star of the late 1940s and 50s, Sterling Hayden spent several years at sea before signing with Paramount in 1940, appearing in two films with future wife Madeleine Carroll. Variously touted by the studio publicity machine as "The Most Beautiful Man in Movies" or "The Beautiful Blond Viking God", the actor broke his contract in 1941 to join the Marines. During WWII, he assisted the Yugoslavian partisans fight against the Germans and briefly joined the Communist Party in 1946 (resigning after six months) before resuming his acting career the following year. Shortly after his superb performance in "The Asphalt Jungle" (1950), Hayden was gray-listed and was unable to work in Hollywood for six months. He then privately called on the FBI to make a statement concerning his former Communist affiliations, but was subpoenaed by HUAC in 1951 and obliged to testify in public, naming his fellow believers.

[fight_truth_decay]

Amd who doesn't enjoy at least one viewing of Frank Capra's.. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)during the holidays?

Hoover wore a dress..what more can I say.. he had his own demons !

[JohnGalt]

Fascinating and thanks for the addition.

[JohnGalt]

I like Capra films, too, I was more adding color (well, Red, anyway) to the black and white notion of good ole Hollywood of yesteryear.

[JohnGalt]

Dalton Trumbo, a Communist Hollywood writer, wrote one of the great anti-war novels in American literature, Johnny Got His Gun, in the mid-30s. When Germany invade Russia in '41, suddenly he became an advocate for American entry into the war to defeat fascism-- you can see the begining of the Good War myth.

Eventually, Trumbo was black listed but wrote Oscar winning screenplays including Spartacus-- the most blatantly Communist film of the era. Trumbo came full circle and worked on a project with the Red-Brown anti-Semetic Liberty Lobby called Executive Decision (I think it was) on the military industrial complex (an Eisenhower phrase BTW) assassination of JFK.

[whinecountry]

Hayden tough-guy bump. Even after many viewings, he still is intimidating as all get-out as the corrupt police chief in The Godfather.

[razorback-bert]

Hayden parachuted into Greece as an OSS agent, worked his way into Yugoslavia and ran an allied supply line for Tito.

Jack T Ripper

[whinecountry]

Wow. Incredible. No wonder the man had such a presence.

Hollywood must have seemed so incredibly silly to Mr. Hayden, as well as the others listed above, after all he'd gone through. Thanks for the info.

[Susannah]

Hoover wore a dress..what more can I say.. he had his own demons !

The smear tactics used by the Soviets to discredit J. Edgar Hoover by falsely charging that he was a cross-dressing sexual deviant are taken as fact by the media and many Americans despite the fact that it has been revealed that the charges – utterly unproven and absurd – were widely disseminated by, among others, the KGB's disinformation shop. In his book "The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI" Ronald Kessler effectively demolishes this filthy slander in which liberals love to wallow.

[fight_truth_decay]

That Hoover was a cross-dresser is now largely presumed to be fact even by sophisticated people.-Kessler.

[fight_truth_decay]

http://hnn.us/comments/1685.html

[Fiddlstix]

[eleni121]

Hayden - great actor but boy did he (we) ever work for the wrong guy - Tito

[JohnGalt]

I don't know what the facts are but my grandmother lived next to an old Hoover secretary-- I forget her name and I realize that hurts my story-- but she swore the Hoover stories were bogus.

[jonalvy44]

check out www.hollywood-hero.us