Many film talents enlisted and served their country during World War II, the 77th anniversary of the armistice being celebrated on this day. And some were real war heroes.
“World War II is something I think about almost every day. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.” Said the great actor James Stewart, shortly before his death in 1997. Stewart, who was a true hero of the war, moreover, a bomber pilot who ended his career as a colonel. He was also the first Hollywood star to be flown under the flags of the United States.
In the context of universal mobilization, when the country went to war, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was quickly imitated by many of his actors and actresses, moreover, to varying degrees. Because if some people fought the war behind the desk, away from the enemy fire, others did not really spare themselves …
On this day, the 77th anniversary of the armistice, May 8, 1945, we present eight remarkable examples of American movie stars involved in World War II.
James Stewart (1908-1997)
An American-acclaimed actor who rose to stardom in Frank Capra’s 1938 film You Won’t Take It With You, and the following year Mr. Smith’s greatest success in the Senate. James Stewart Was a real war hero. Abducted from aviation, he obtained a pilot’s license in 1935 and even an airline pilot’s license in 1938. Went under the flag during the war (he even became the first American movie star to wear a uniform), began as an instructor. Pilot at Glendale, Arizona Air Force Base. He held the rank of lieutenant in July 1942, preparing for the B-17 bomber flight from August through December of that year.
The rank of captain In July 1943, as commander of a squadron, he completed his first bombing mission in November 1943 at the German U-Boat naval base in Kiel. On the whole, it will exercise until the end of the war. From 20 missions. Decorated many times, including a French military cross with palms (photo opposite), his commitment was such that he continued to participate in the U.S. Air Force even after the war. He completed his military career as a colonel and on July 23, 1959, was even promoted to brigadier general in the United States Air Force.
Sterling Hayden (1916-1986)
General Paranoid Ripper in Dr. Strangelove, the unlucky robber in L’ultire razzia, always with Kubrick, the wonderful Johnny Guitar with Nicolas Reyes, in the unusual film When the City Sleeps by John Houston … The Great Sterling Hayden Remains in Cinema Unforgettable. What is less well known is that he was also a spy for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II, an ancestor of the CIA.
Anyway, we did not know before The US government decided in 2008 to remove the secrets of the archives Thousands of people, including an actor. The actor was particularly tasked with supplying weapons to Yugoslavia for partisans who fought against the Nazis and even parachuted into Croatia. He was rewarded for his service, especially by the future Marshal Tito, who was at the helm of Yugoslavia after the war. It also summoned him in 1951 to the House Committee on Non-US Activities (HUACC), a well-known parliamentary committee on non-US activities that at the time was hunting down communist sympathizers and activists …
Clark Gable (1901 – 1960)
The reasons why Clark Gable committed it are painful. His wife, actor Carol Lombardi, who died in a plane crash on January 16, 1942, was preceded in death by President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the first woman to die in the line of duty during the war and attributed it to her as a postpartum presidential award. Medal of Freedom.
Gable, considered too old to serve in the Army (he was 40 at the time), Gable sent a telegram to the President asking him to be appointed to support the war. Roosevelt replied, “Stay where you are.” Gable overruled the president and joined the U.S. Air Force. He was trained in aerial photography and as a shooter he was sent to England with six crew members to the 351st Air Division. He performed 5 missions, including an air raid in Germany, where one of his teammates was killed when a bullet went through the actor’s boots and brushed his head. MGM, the studio with which he had a contract, will be able to transfer him to a lesser-known position … Promoted as a major in 1944, he was released on June 12 of the same year. It is said that the great admirer of the actor, Adolf Hitler, offered a great reward to anyone who took the star captive to Berlin.
Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992)
The first German film icon (the unforgettable Lola Lola Sternberg in The Blue Angel of 1930) before leaving for a career in the United States, where she was naturalized in 1939, Marlene Dietrich was an actress, especially against Nazism and her country. during the war. , Does not hesitate to put his celebrity war effort into service after the United States entered the world war in December 1941.
He was particularly involved in the Hollywood Canteen, a club that offered both entertainment and food to soldiers returning from missions during World War II, while collecting treasury bonds with Orson Welles. Joining the United Service Organizations (USO), a nonprofit organization that provides recreational services and moral support to members of the U.S. Army, Dietrich traveled to the European front in April 1944 to support the morale of the troops.
While showing unwavering loyalty, the FBI’s almighty boss, J. Edgar Hoover did not believe him, to the point that his mail was opened and his every move was tracked down to confuse him. According to The FBI archives were classified in 2002The actor-singer was especially tested in 1942-1944 at Hoover’s request. But the services of his agency could not find anything that would enable him to commit a crime. Dietrich buried all doubts when he applied in February 1944 to join the Office of Strategic Services. He was tasked with gathering information about sabotage operations in Europe while he was traveling on the front line. If the title of his mission is vague and we do not know the exact nature of the information he reports, it is now impossible to know more. The archives related to his case were indeed partially burned in 1980, 12 years before his death.
Charles Bronson (1921-2003)
The real movie star Charles Bronson has left a unique mark in cinema. The son of Lithuanian immigrants, living in extreme poverty (he was the 11th child in a family of 15), the future actor even worked in a coal mine at the age of 10 and graduated first from the family.
Enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1943 and trained as a machine gunner in the 760th Air Rifle Training Squadron. In 1945 he was part of the crew of the B-29, a flying fortress whose squadron was on the island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. He and his crew completed 25 bombing missions over Japan. He received a purple heart for a wound inflicted during the operation and was discharged from military service in 1946.
Henry Fonda (1905 – 1982)
Henry Fonda was an actor who was already well established in the Hollywood landscape before the United States went to war, especially playing with Fritz Lang (I have the right to life), or with John Ford in the excellent Vers sa destine and On the Mohuk trail. Unlike many of his colleagues who left for the United States Air Force, the Foundation joined the Navy. “I do not want to be in a studio war,” exclaimed the stunned stakeholder who wanted to keep the war off the table. For three years he served as a 3rd Class Quartet Master on the USS Satterlee fighter. Promoted as a lieutenant and fought in the Pacific, he was awarded a quote from the President of the Navy and a bronze star.
Tony Curtis (1925 – 2010)
As Henry FoundationTony Curtis was drafted into the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to his entry into the United States War. Sent to the Pacific Operations Theater aboard the USS Proteus, he remained there until the end of the war. On September 2, 1945, he witnessed the handover of Imperial Japanese troops in the Gulf of Tokyo while he was observing his ship, which was located more than a kilometer away. He is very proud of his military service, the actor will even be buried with medals.
Charlton Heston (1923 – 2008)
In 1944, Charlton Heston enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served for two years as a radio operator and aircraft carrier on the B-25 Mitchell, based in the Aleutian Islands near southwestern Alaska, with the 77th Bomber Squadron, 11th Air Force. He was then promoted to the rank of Chief of Staff. He will also take part in the campaign Aleut Islands.
Demobilized in March 1946, it will also provide sound for military educational films under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy. Films on mysterious topics, as some of them related to the development of nuclear weapons. Thus, the actor thus held the highest level of security in the country’s government for six years.
Source: allocine
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
