Hollywood Stars and Their Army Service from the Spanish American
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James E. Wise, Paul W. Wilderson. Stars in Khaki: Movie Actors in the Army and Air Services. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2000. xi + 244 pp. $24.95, cloth, ISBN 978-1-55750-958-1. Reviewed by Charles C. Kolb Published on H-PCAACA (November, 2000) Hollywood Stars and their Army Service from In Stars in Blue we learned about Wayne the Spanish American War to Vietnam Morris, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Henry Fonda, This splendid book is the third and fnal vol‐ Humphrey Bogart, Paul Newman, Aldo Ray, ume in historian-biographer Wise's trilogy and it Ernest Borgnine, Robert Montgomery, Cesar makes a ftting companion to its two illustrious Romero, and dozens of other flm stars. With the predecessors. In 1997 Wise and his co-author Ann sequel, Stars in the Corps , we discovered the con‐ Rehill wrote Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in Ameri‐ tributions made by more than 30 motion picture ca's Sea Services in which flm actors who served stars including Sterling Hayden, Tyrone Power, in the U.S. Navy, Naval Reserve, Coast Guard, or Steve McQueen, Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, Coast Guard Reserve from 1920 through the Kore‐ George C. Scott, Harvey Keitel, Brian Dennehy, an War are profiled. Wise and Rehill also au‐ Hugh O'Brien, Ed McMahon, and Dale Dye. As in thored Stars in the Corps: Movie Actors in the these two volumes, the emphasis in Stars in Khaki United States Marines (1999) which covers the is on World War II. Many of the men who served same period but emphasizes Marines in the Pacif‐ in the U.S. Army and air services were already ic Theater of Operations during World War II. motion picture celebrities -- Jimmy Stewart, Clark Your reviewer had the privilege of reviewing Gable, Ronald Reagan, and Elvis Presley -- or were these two prior volumes [1], and is pleased to re‐ just beginning their careers --Charlton Heston and port that this third volume joins its antecedents Bert Parks -- or, as a result of their military ser‐ by providing the reader with clear, concise, and vice, would aspire to the acting profession and be‐ informative profiles of celebrities who, in this vol‐ come stars in their own right -- Audie Murphy, ume, served in the U.S. Army and air services Charles Durning, Jack Warden, and Clint East‐ from as early as the Spanish-American War into wood. the Vietnam era. The senior author, James Wise, is a retired U.S. Navy captain who was a naval aviator and in‐ H-Net Reviews telligence office, and is the author of three other Lewis Stone; Lt. Colonel Tim McCoy; Captains naval books in addition to the trilogy. His co-au‐ Alan Alda, Bert Parks, Ronald Reagan, and Eli thor, Paul Wilderson is executive editor of Naval Wallach; First Lieutenants Audie Murphy and Institute Press and holds a doctorate in American Gene Raymond; and Second Lieutenant Van history from the University of New Hampshire. Heflin. Some flm stars were intelligence officers Their book contains a preface, acknowledgments, (Bruce Cabot and Robert Preston), and there were three parts comprising 25 biographies and 100 a number of drafted and enlisted men and NCOs, brief biographies, three appendices, and 78 black- such as Sergeants Dan Blocker (a Korean War vet‐ and-white images. The Bibliography lists 99 books eran), Neville Brand, Broderick Crawford, Melvin and periodicals, nine official records or archives, Douglas, Steve Forrest, Charlton Heston, and Joe and nine other sources. A seven-page double col‐ Yule, Jr. (Mickey Rooney's true name), as well as umn index includes almost exclusively proper drill instructors (Robert Mitchum and Gordon nouns. Scott). In the Army Air Force (AAF) there were in‐ In "Part 1: Soldiers and Airmen in Combat," structor pilots (Robert Cummings, George Gobel, 14 stars are documented, 13 are from World War and a civilian, Welshman Ray Milland); and pilots II, while director William "Wild Bill" Wellman Gene Autry (C-47s), Jackie Coogan (gliders), Tim served in the Great War. Notable among the men Holt (B-29s), Dan Rowan (P-40s), Jimmy Stewart profiled in this section are Charles Durning, Clark (B-17s and B-24s, and later B-47s and B-52s), Jack Gable, Audie Murphy, Sabu, and Jack Warden. Palance, and Jack Webb. Kris Kristofferson was a With "Part 2: Staff Personnel, Instructors, and En‐ helicopter pilot in the Vietnam era. AAF personnel tertainers," the authors focus on 11 men, profiling also included bombardiers (such as Cameron stars that include Gene Autry, Clint Eastwood, Mitchell), navigators (Arthur Franz and Gordon Glenn Miller, Elvis Presley, and Ronald Reagan. MacRae), and aircrew (Peter Graves and Sabu). The third section is an alphabetical tabulation of Other motion picture stars included para‐ mini-biographies of 100 other flm and television troopers (John Derek and Kris Kristofferson), mili‐ stars, beginning with Art Abbot and ending with tary policemen (Chuck Norris and Rip Torn), radio Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. An appendix is devoted to the operators (James Coburn, Steve Forrest, and Wal‐ actress and comedienne, Martha Raye (1916-1994) ter Matthau), medical corps personnel (Ossie a member of the Bob Hope troupe who for more Davis, Gene Wilder, and Eli Wallach), and a com‐ than 30 years entertained GIs in North Africa, Eu‐ bat photographer named Van Heflin. The wound‐ rope, Korea, and Vietnam. Another appendix con‐ ed included: James Arness, Pat Brady, Charles tains two dozen captioned images of actors and Durning, James Garner, Audie Murphy, and Jack actresses "boosting GI morale." A fnal appendix Palance. World War I veterans who were also flm tabulates 38 prominent stars who were unable to stars included Walter Brennan, Robert Burton, qualify for military service during World War II Melvin Douglas, and director William Wellman (among them were Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, who was in the Lafayette Flying Corps and was Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, credited with three kills. Cowboy star Tim McCoy Peter Lawford, Gregory Peck, George Raft, John served in both World War I and II while Gene Wayne, and Richard Widmark -- most of whom Raymond was in both World War II and Vietnam. starred in films with military themes). Lewis Stone has the distinction of serving as an Among the stars who are documented were a Army officer in the Spanish-American War and number who became officers: General Jimmy World Wars I and II. Two men served in both the Stewart; Majors Clark Gabel, Glenn Miller and U.S. Navy and Army during World War II --James Daly and Jack Warden; while George Kennedy 2 H-Net Reviews was in the army for 16 years before becoming a of Baghdad (1940) but his career fagged in the film star. postwar era and beset by personal problem died Several stories deserve mention. In 1942, sev‐ at the age of 39 of a heart attack. Jack Warden had en months after losing his wife, Carole Lombard, served in the U.S. Navy from 1938-1941 then in an tragic TWA DC-3 domestic airplane crash joined the Merchant Marine as water tender in near Las Vegas, the flm celebrity Clark Gable at the engine room but disliked convoy duty because the age of 41 (well past draft age) enlisted in the of Axis aircraft attacks and his location 30 decks Army Air Corps. He attended Officers' Candidate below the main deck -- this, as he says, ended his School, and was assigned to the 351st Bomb "romance with the life of a sailor." He left the Group in England to make flms about aerial gun‐ Merchant Marine in 1942, joined the army and be‐ nery. However, Gable volunteered for combat came a platoon sergeant and parachute jumpmas‐ duty and made fve B-17 bombing missions over ter in the 101st Airborne. While hospitalized with Germany earning the Distinguished Flying Cross a leg injury sustained in a jump, Warden read a and the Air Medal, as well as the notable honor of play written by Clifford Odets and decided to be having the Nazi Air Minister, Hermann Goering, come an actor. offer a reward for Gable's capture. Attaining the We also learn about the "Culver City Com‐ rank of major, Gable was discharged in June 1944. mandos" who made or starred in training flms What caused Gable to enlist -- grief, a suicidal for the Army Air Force Special Services in Califor‐ death wish, patriotism, or a combination of these? nia. Among these commandos were DeForest Kel‐ This remains a mystery. ley from "Star Trek," Arthur Kennedy, Clayton The distinguished theater, flm, and television Moore (the "Lone Ranger"), Craig Stevens ("Peter actor Charles Durning participated in the D-Day Gunn"), and a fellow named Ronald Reagan -- a invasion at Normandy, was wounded three times Reserve Army Officer 1937-1941, called to duty, during the European campaign, and barely who would later serve as president of the Screen missed becoming a casualty at the infamous Actors Guild (1947-1952 and 1959), Governor of Malmedy Massacre. Audie Murphy (1924-1971), California (1966-1974), and President of the Unit‐ America's most decorated soldier with more than ed States (1981-1989). two dozen U.S. medals and honors, was awarded In Part 2 the exploits of pilot Orvon Gene the Congressional Medal of Honor. He served in Autry (1907-1998) are recalled, including once fy‐ six major campaigns: Sicily, Naples, Anzio-Rome, ing the "Hump" in Burma. Gene Autry is the only Rhone Valley, Rhineland, and Central Europe. person to be honored with fve stars on the Holly‐ Murphy's well-known story is profiled in the book wood Walk of Fame -- one each for radio (his ca‐ and flm To Hell and Back (in which he played reer began in 1928), recording (100 million himself), and he received a battlefield commis‐ records), flm (dozens of motion pictures com‐ sion in addition to many foreign military honors mencing in 1934), television (star of his own TV from the Allies.