Actors, Politicians, and Celebrities

There have long been raised eyebrows over Bogarde's claims to have witnessed the depravity of the Belsen Camp, but his biographer has shed a little more light on the topic.

An interesting read and very much in the mould of the kind of research many users here are doing:

Dirk Bogarde » Dirk Bogarde and Belsen

 

And while I'm on the topic, this may well interest:

All songs of Sir Dirk Bogarde. Download free songs of Sir Dirk Bogarde in mp3 and listen online on Mp3co.biz.

The second interview down (1980) discusses his first novel, A Gentle Occupation, which is heavily autobiographical. It draws upon his time with the British Army in the Dutch East Indies in 1946. He makes clear what it fictionalised and what the atmosphere was like.

Takes a few moments to load and you'll probably get an annoying pop-up advertising window to close.

 

Ironic that he would go on to play Rommel!

 

I was watching a documentary about MGM. It mentioned Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Robert Montgomery.....as being combat soldiers.
Gable used a camera AND Machine Guns to fight the Germans in Europe.
Jimmy Stewart did the same as a Pilot/Commander of a B-17, flying bombing missions over Nazi Europe.
Similar things were said about Montgomery.
Was it that simple and factual.?
I assume these were all guys in their 30's or 40's...maybe closer to 50 with Gable.?
Anyway...did these guys really go on multiple and routine combat missions...a lot of times.?
Guys that old, being commissioned as officers and then showing up for combat duty.?
Is there any more to the story.?
I am not disparaging anybody or any facts. I have no doubts these guys wanted to Fight and Help.
Just wondering what actually transpired.
Thank You

 

Clark Gable: Actor Clark Gable Served in Uniform, Flew Combat Missions in World War II | Defense Media Network
Jimmy Stewart: A Wonderful Life: Jimmy Stewart, Actor and B-24 Bomber Pilot | Defense Media Network

 

Wow.....Defense Media Network"....i never seem to be able to turn up links like that when i search.
Thanks For The Info

 

Here's some info on Robert Montgomery from IMDB from "They Were Expendable"

Robert Montgomery was a real-life PT skipper in World War 2. He helped direct some of the PT sequences for the film when John Ford broke his leg three weeks into filming. Montgomery finished the film and was complimented by Ford for his work. Ford claimed he couldn't tell the difference between his footage and Montgomery's, who took no screen credit.

During production, John Ford had put John Wayne down every chance he got, because Wayne had not enlisted to fight in World War II. Ford commanded a naval photographic unit during the war, rising to the rank of captain and thought Wayne a coward for staying behind. After months of Ford heaping insults on Wayne's head, co-star Robert Montgomery finally approached the director and told him that if he was putting Wayne down for Montgomery's benefit (Montgomery had also served as a naval officer in the war), then he needed to stop immediately. This brought the tough-as-nails director to tears and he stopped abusing Wayne.

Though many had questioned John Wayne's getting an exemption from military service during World War II, it was not entirely his fault. Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status, classified as 3-A (family deferment). He repeatedly wrote to John Ford, asking to be placed in Ford's military unit, but consistently postponed it until "after he finished one more film", Wayne did not attempt to prevent his reclassification as 1-A (draft eligible), but Republic Pictures was emphatically resistant to losing him; Herbert J. Yates, President of Republic, threatened Wayne with a lawsuit if he walked away from his contract and Republic intervened in the Selective Service process, requesting Wayne's further deferment.

 

Jimmy Stewart on the cover of LOOK magazine and other Hollywood notables.

 

Why not.
officers were acting in POW camps, invited locals and apparently theywere great performers.
I have a story of a local optician and his son invited forone performance and I think, I still have the programme.
Some officers had a job before1939, but what would they do after the war - acting of course.
Stefan.

 

Anyone have a copy of that article, " The War is Proving Seversky Wrong by Paul Schubert"

 

Paul Schubert's papers are held by the Nimitz Library of the United States Naval Academy
They have a copy, Box 4 Folder 1

Finding Aid Viewer :: Nimitz Library :: USNA

 

Thank you, Guy. I was able to find that site too but it seems to just contain title information on the articles without any content. Were you able to see any of the text? I might be doing something wrong

 

Dave,
I was hoping to find out which magazine the article was published in?
You would be able to order a digital copy from the archive.
Guy

 

I read that James Stewart was in two minds after the war whether to return to acting or taking up a regular commission in the newly formed US airforce. He did indeed continue to serve in the reserves and roses to Brigadier General I understand. Steve Forrest, brother of Dana Andrews won the Congressional Medal of Honour whereas the latter had a weak heart and sadly died comparatively young. Clark Gable I understand was a common sight strolling around near Peterborough walking a dog; he had struck up a rather unlikely friendship with a local publican and would oft weekend with his family. I worked with an ex Bomber Command officer and he said he once went off on a "jolly" with a small party to meet Clark Gable at Upwood, Cambs aerodrome. On encountering him he stuck out his hand and said "Shake the hand boys, that belongs to the arm that has been around the waist of Betty Grable!" (Or words to that effect!!).

 

Not WW2 I know, but was surprised to find out that Michael Cain saw active service in Korea, a Fusilier I think.
Would have thought the PR people would have made more of it.

 

He was in BAOR in 1RF prior to Korea and after his service subsequently in Korea, no-one made more of it because he was just another NS man and not then a celeb. I laughed when he says in his autobio an officer asked for volunteers for a rather chancy patrol to secure a prisoner by a trench raid. Michael is reputed to have said "On four bob a day, you must be joking!"

 

I was thinking more of the PR men after he became famous.

 

He might have been humble and asked his PR folks not to bring it up.

 

Not on Monty's staff, but in India on the Willcocks Committee, which reported, ultimately, to Auchinleck as C-in-C.

Here's a rather good photo of him at the time:



He had tried, repeatedly, to be posted to the field, but ultimately he kept on making himself too useful (and once he had knowledge of ULTRA it was all but impossible to grant such requests). When in India he went as far as to jump in a taxi with Wingate--their one and only meeting--and thought that he'd made a good impression, but sadly, he recorded, 'Wingate was dead before I could cash the cheque."

Only one of two men to rise from private to Brigadier, remarkably he was promoted L/C while still undergoing basic training, but even before that everybody called him Mister Powell ('Professor' really would have been ridiculous). Wikipedia has the other man to achieve the feat as Fitzroy Maclean, but I don't know whether this is true.

Interestingly, he only managed to enlist (Royal Warwickshire Regt) by getting the Australian Embassy to write a declaration that he was 'An Australian' on the grounds that he had until recently been Professor of Greek at the University of Sydney.