Stars in Blue

by Wise, James E.; Rehill, Anne Collier

• ISBN13: 9781557509376
• ISBN10: 1557509379
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-09-01
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr

Summary

-- Covers the film and naval careers of dozens of movie stars -- Filled with little-known facts and anecdotes -- Based on interviews, diaries, letters, and official records -- Corrects many errors in previously published accounts -- Showcases rare photographs The lives of movie stars are often more closely followed than those of political leaders, sports figures, or sometimes one's own relatives, but even the most avid film buffs might be surprised to learn their favorite actors served in one of this country's sea services and distinguished themselves above and beyond the call of duty. In this book, filled with fascinating and revealing profiles of more than fifty celebrities, many readers will discover for the first time the patriotic contributions and sacrifices actors have made in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard from World War I to Vietnam. Henry, Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Montgomery, and Ernest Borgnine are among many stars who have portrayed naval personnel on film, but do their fans know that Fonda won a Bronze Star for his actions during Pacific naval encounters, that Bogart dropped a fleeing prisoner with his .45, that Montgomery was awarded a Bronze Star for his courageous performance of duty during the Normandy invasion, or that Borgnine hunted U-boats off America's East Coast? A virtual Who's Who, this entertaining yet historically accurate and complete account brings to life these and dozens of other stars' naval and coast guard service backgrounds and film careers, drawn from interviews, diaries, letters, and official military and film industry archives. Find out how John Howard won a Navy Cross, how Navy Hellcat ace Wayne Morris downed seven Japaneseplanes, how UDT frogman Aldo Ray reconned the Okinawa landing beaches, how Eddie Albert saved more than a dozen wounded marines on the bloody reefs of Tarawa, and how Hedy Lamarr patented World War II communications anti-jamming technology still in use today. Rarely have movie stars' real lives been portrayed in such detail, including interesting anecdotes from their Hollywood careers and never before published photographs from their military careers, including Paul Newman as a Navy radioman/gunner who flew in torpedo bombers during World War II.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix	(2)
Acknowledgements	xi
Part 1: Above and Beyond	3	(74)
Eddie Albert	3	(10)
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.	13	(20)
Henry Fonda	33	(12)
John Howard	45	(6)
Robert Montgomery	51	(10)
Wayne Morris	61	(16)
Part 2: The Early Years	77	(36)
Wallace Beery	77	(4)
Ed Begley	81	(4)
Jack Benny	85	(8)
Humphrey Bogart	93	(6)
Pat O'Brien	99	(8)
Spencer Tracy	107	(6)
Part 3: World War II	113	(142)
Harry Belafonte	113	(4)
Ernest Borgnine	117	(6)
Frank "Junior" Coghlan	123	(12)
Jackie Cooper	135	(8)
Tony Curtis	143	(6)
Kirk Douglas	149	(10)
Buddy Ebsen (USCG)	159	(8)
Tom Ewell	167	(6)
Pat Hingle	173	(4)
Rock Hudson	177	(6)
Gene Kelly	183	(6)
Jack Lemmon	189	(8)
Guy Madison	197	(4)
Victor Mature (USCG)	201	(6)
Paul Newman	207	(6)
Logan Ramsey	213	(6)
Aldo Ray	219	(4)
Buddy Rogers	223	(4)
Cesar Romero (USCG)	227	(6)
Robert Stack	233	(8)
Rod Steiger	241	(4)
Robert Taylor	245	(10)
Part 4: The Korean War and Afterward	255	(16)
Bill Cosby	255	(4)
Glenn Ford	259	(6)
John Gavin	265	(6)
Appendixes	271	(30)
A. The Ladies Do Their Bit	271	(8)
B. Hedy Lamarr	279	(5)
C. The Music Men	284	(12)
D. Jack Dempsey	296	(3)
E. And Others	299	(2)
Selected Bibliography	301	(8)
Index	309