With the rest of the world, we mourn the passing of Elizabeth Taylor, one of the grand dames of Hollywood, and one of the last from what is rightly called "Hollywood's Golden Age." She'll be remembered for magnificent performances from National Velvet to Ivanhoe (my personal favorite) to Cleopatra to Taming of the Shrew. "Liz" was a classic; she didn't just star in Giant, she walked with giants – men and women who were bigger than life on and off screen.
But, as we compare Hollywood's current stars to previous constellations, there's one comparison that rarely gets any publicity, especially in this age of liberal media. You've probably heard that a lot of big-name actors left Hollywood after December 7, 1941, but maybe you haven't heard much more than that. Allow me to fill in a few blank spots:
Jimmy Stewart
Jimmy came from what qualifies as a military family – both grandfathers fought in the Civil War, his father fought in the Spanish-American War and World War I. They were infantry, but Jimmy had earned both private and commercial pilot's licenses, so he chose the Army Air Corps. Perhaps he saw the writing on the wall; he enlisted in March 1941, and took pilot training. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in April 1942 and assigned as a pilot-instructor.
Afraid his celebrity status would keep him behind the lines, he requested and received combat assignments to the 703rd and 453rd Bombardment Groups, racking up 20 official combat missions over Germany. Actually, he flew many more; assigned to the 453rd because the group was having trouble, he lead them into combat on numerous occasions, but refusing credit for those missions. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Like many veterans, Jimmy usually declined to talk about the war. He joined the new US Air Force as a reservist, and, though the film Strategic Air Command wasn't based on his military experience, he insisted on an authentic portrayal. He retired in May 1968 as Brigadier General James Maitland Stewart.
John Ford
One of Hollywood's great directors was also one of America's unsung combat photographers. He joined the Naval Reserve in 1934, and reported to active duty in September 1941 with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, in the Photographic Presentation Branch. In June 1942, he was on Midway during the momentous battle, and actually shot much of the footage, making himself an obvious target. He was likewise aboard USS Hornet for the famous Doolittle Raid. He later served in Washington, in the Burma-China Theater and with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in London. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Naval Reserve Medal. He was placed on the Honorary Retired List with the rank of Rear Admiral on 1 May 1951.
In March 1973, the American Film Institute bestowed its first Lifetime Achievement Award on Ford at a nationally telecast ceremony. During the broadcast, President Richard Nixon presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rear Admiral John Ford.
Peter Ortiz
New York-born character actor Pierre Julien Ortiz often played uncredited roles in films and on TV, as he did in World War II. Of French and Spanish ancestry, he was an accomplished linguist, speaking 5 languages. He left school at 19 to join the French Foreign Legion, rising to become its youngest sergeant. In 1940, he was captured by the Germans, but escaped. When the US joined the War, Ortiz joined the Marines then transferred to the fledgling OSS (forerunner of the CIA). Parachuting into France, he became a Maquis (French underground) leader in 1944. One of his regular intelligence-gathering forays was to a nightclub in Lyons frequented by German officers.
According to IMDB.com: "One night, a German officer damned President Roosevelt, then the USA, and finally the Marine Corps. Ortiz then excused himself, went to his apartment and changed into his Marine Corps uniform. Returning to the club, he ordered a round then removed his raincoat and stood there resplendent in full greens and decorations yelling, 'A toast to President Roosevelt!' Pointing his pistols at one German officer then another, they emptied their glasses as he ordered another round to toast the USA then the Marine Corps! The Germans again drained their glasses as he backed out leaving his astonished hosts and disappeared into the night." He was captured again and ended the War a POW. The films 13 Rue Madeleine (1947, starring James Cagney) and Operation Secret (1952, starring Cornel Wilde) were based on his exploits. He was awarded two Navy Crosses, two Purple Hearts, Legion of Merit, Order of the British Empire, five Croix de Guerre, among others. He retired in 1946 as Colonel Pierre Julien Ortiz.
Glenn Ford
Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford was born in Canada, son of a railroad worker. The family emigrated to California when Ford was eight; started acting in 1924, Anglicizing his Welsh first name to Glenn, then became a naturalized citizen in 1939. He joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in 1941 and, though his Hollywood star was already rising, insisted on regular duty, just like any other sailor, including some evening and weekend shifts. In 1943, he transferred to the Marine Corps and saw action in the Pacific.
After the War, he transferred again, to the Naval Reserve, and served in the Korean and Vietnam Police Actions. During a 1993 interview, Ford confided that he had been sent on 5 secret missions into Vietnam during that war. Asked for details, all he would say was, "They asked me to go, and I went." He retired as Captain Glenn Ford.
A few other names you might recognize:
Don Adams of Get Smart fame served with the Marine Corps during World War II in the Pacific. He was wounded during the Battle of Guadalcanal, contracted malaria, nearly died of blackwater fever and finished the War in the USA as a drill instructor.
Eddie Albert of Green Acres was as a lieutenant in the Coast Guard during World War II in the Pacific. He received the Bronze Star for his actions during the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943, when he rescued several hundred wounded Marines while under heavy machine-gun fire.
Lew Ayres was already a major star in the 1930s, including starring in the 1930 antiwar film All Quiet on the Western Front. He was so affected by the film's message he became a conscientious objector. He was called a coward and fired by MGM for his stance. Ayers did serve in the War, and was properly acclaimed after the war, when the public learned of his bravery under fire as a medical corpsman.
Walter Brennan played a minister in Sergeant York, but was one of The Real McCoys in World War I. He enlisted in the US Army at 22 and served in an artillery unit. Though unwounded, he was exposed to poison gas which ruined his vocal chords, giving him that distinctive high-pitched voice that was his acting signature.
James Doohan went where no man had gone before, but the Star Trek star had lots of company when he landed at Juno Beach in Normandy on D-Day. Landing with the US Army, the Royal Canadian Artilleryman lost the middle finger of his right hand, a fact he hid during his long career. His life was saved when a bullet hit a silver cigarette case which had been given to him by his brother.
George Roy Hill, before becoming a director, served in the Marine Corps as a fighter pilot during World War II and the Korean Police Action.
Jack Holt was a silent film star and long-time stuntman who entered the US Army at the age of 54, serving at the request of General George C. Marshall as a horse buyer for the cavalry.
Werner Klemperer gained Hollywood immortality as the bumbling Col. Wilhelm Klink in Hogan's Heroes. In fact, Klemperer (and all the actors playing the principal Nazi officers), were Jews who fled Europe as Hitler rose to power. He served in the US Army during World War II. When offered the role of Col. Klink, Klemperer agreed, with the stipulation that he would immediately quit the show if the Germans ever succeeded.
David Niven played a reluctant hero in The Guns of Navarone (1961), but the suave English gentleman was, in fact, a graduate of Sandhurst (the UK's West Point) and a British Commando at Normandy. On his return to Hollywood, he was made a Legionnaire of the Order of Merit – the highest American order that can be earned by a foreign citizen – the award was presented by General Dwight Eisenhower to Lieutenant Colonel David Niven.
Jon Pertwee served in the Royal Navy as an officer aboard HMS Hood at the outbreak of the War. He was lucky to be assigned ashore just before that vessel was sunk by the Bismarck and survived to become the third Doctor Who.
Mickey Spillane not only created Mike Hammer, he played the great private investigator in The Girl Hunters (1963). During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became both a fighter pilot and flight instructor.
Peter Ustinov was a two-time Academy Award-winning film actor, director, writer and journalist. However, from 1942-46, he was as a private soldier with the British Army's Royal Sussex Regiment. He spent most of his service with the Army Cinema Unit, where he worked on recruitment films, wrote plays, and appeared in three films.
Victor Sen Yung was the son of Chinese immigrant parents. He gained fame as "Number 1 Son" in several Charlie Chan films before joining the US Army Air Forces in World War II. He eventually became a captain in Army Intelligence.
Some were unable to serve officially, but contributed to the war effort in other ways:
Andy Devine, one of Hollywood's best-loved sidekicks, was judged too old for enlistment in 1941, but the 36-year-old was an avid pilot and owned a flying school that trained flyers for the armed forces during World War II.
Marlene Dietrich, another grand dame of Hollywood, renounced her German citizenship when the Nazis rose to power, rejecting Hitler's request to return home. She became a zealous supporter of the Allied Forces, performing hundreds of shows for the troops – many of those shows very close to the front lines.
Audrey Hepburn and her mother, a Dutch baroness, were vacationing in Arnhem, Holland, when the Wehrmacht occupied the town. Though only 10 when the war broke out, Audrey served as a courier for the Dutch resistance.
[My grandmother was a Hollander; my grandfather an Austrian living in Holland. He became (legally) a German citizen after Austria's annexation by the Nazis, as did his son and daughter. My aunt was a teenage girl when the war broke out; she also was part of the Dutch resistance. My father refused to join the German Army, and, in later years, was proud of the fact that he was, legally, a traitor to "his country" during the War.]
Memorial Day is not far off. As we remember all those mostly unnamed, unknown "bit players" who gave their lives for freedom, maybe you could watch a movie featuring one of those "stars" who gave up well-earned comfort and wealth because they knew what was right, and fearlessly defended the countries whose people provided them that wealth and comfort.
Thanks for listening, tune in next week for another rant.
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