The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
When we refer to the Golden Age of Hollywood, we are referring to glitz, glamour and huge movie screens. But, behind the klieglam, some of the most familiar high society of the globe were living an entirely different type of life. They were not role playing heroes on the screen, they were heroes in life.
During the period in the world when the war was on and the biggest in Hollywood the stars rejected their million dollar contracts. They discarded their scripts and picked rifles and entered the military. Others flew unsafe routes throughout Europe and others amidst the jungle. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
These are the stories of the World War II Hollywood actors who laid their all in the service of their country.
James Stewart: The Pilot who never wanted to be safe.
At the time, when the war took place, James Stewart already was a giant star and an Oscar winner. Most of the people under his circumstances would have stayed back to make war movies to government. But Stewart wanted to fight.
He got his license as a pilot hence became a member of the Army Air Forces. First, the military wished that he was retained in the U.S. to assist in recruitment of new soldiers. Stewart hated this. He was having problems with his courses till they eventually allowed him to travel to Europe. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
This does not mean that he made very few flights, but he was able to handle twenty dangerous bombing missions in Nazi Germany. He as well became a Brigadier General and was given the title of Colonel. He came back home to Hollywood a re-formed man. It is in the war that he acquired the pain and profundity which we see in his acclaimed movie It’s a Wonderful Life.
Mel Brooks: Mine Blowing and Songing to the Enemy.
He used to be a young soldier in the 1104 th Engineer Combat Battalion and later became the king of comedy movies. His career was quite hazardous: he was a combat engineer. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
His major one was to locate and eliminate landmines that would enable the Allied tanks to move forward. He was at the middle of the Battle of the bulge of the war which was one of the deadliest and coldest.
Mel Brooks had the ability to use his humour even in a nightmare. We are told that as the Germans mounted loudspeakers to play Nazi music to the American soldiers Brooks mounted his loudspeakers and sang the songs of the Jewish performers so as to drive the enemy mad. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
Audrey Hepburn: The Underground Messenger of the Resistance.
Though not a uniformed soldier, the life of Audrey Hepburn had been one of the most courageous. She was a young girl who was residing in the war-torn occupied Netherlands that was headed by the Nazi.
She was also so hungry and at times ate tulip bulbs to keep alive. But she didn’t just hide. Audrey also used her communication skills as a ballerina to finance Dutch Resistance. Nazis never suspected her as she was a child. She would even give messages to the people involved in the war against the German army in her shoes to support them. Her boldness as a teenager is a gigantic aspect that propelled her to use the rest of her life in service to children with UNICEF. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
Paul Newman: Narrow Escape from Death.
Paul Newman had cool eyes and some good acting skills but he was also a radioman and tail gunner in a torpedo bomber in the Pacific.
The war literally spared Newman, who owed his life to some stroke of luck–or miracle. His pilot was also infected with an ear infection and even made them land off the ground just before they were to undertake a mission. The rest of their unit were in the plane carrier that was soon hit by a kamikaze. That day, almost the entire members of his unit perished. Newman did not die because he was present waiting until his pilot recovered. His recollection of the manner in which he had so close escaped him all was never obscured. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
Clark Gable.: King of Hollywood in the Sky.
After the Gone with the Wind, Clark Gable was the biggest star in the world. Gable suffered a broken heart when his wife, Carole Lombard, died in a flight accident fighting in the war. In memory of her, he decided to enlist to the Army air forces. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
Indeed, Adolf Hitler was an enthusiast of the films of Clark Gable. Hitler promised an enormous prize to every German pilot that succeeded in capturing Gable. But Gable didn’t care. He did some combat operations as a gunner. The enemy bullets even entered his boots but he did not surrender. He fought honorably until when he was sent back home to ensure the masses did not lose hope of the war. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
Bea Arthur: Wake up Smiling before a Golden Girl, a Marine.
The actress Bea Arthur happened to be one of the first women to join the Marine Corps of the United States before she appeared on The Golden Girls. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
She was a typist and a truck driver. Her military record shows that she was argumentative and strong willed, yet this is also the same trait that will have predetermined her TV star in decades to come! It was a two-year service with her getting a promotion to Staff Sergeant. She had long been a secret military service, which proved that she did not do it to gain popularity, but it was her duty. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
Christopher Lee: It is the Secret Life of a Real Life Agent.
We know him as the Dracula or Saruman, but there was no darker war history among the actors than that of Christopher Lee. He has served in the Royal Air Force though he was also assigned to the Special operations executive. It was a group of secret agents who served dangerous assignments on the hostile land. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
As he grew older in his life and during the times when people would ask him about his action during the war, he would simply reply with, keep it a secret. So can I, he replied when they said yes he would whisper. He felt that it was so horrible that he could barely discuss it, but he was able to create a few of the greatest all-time movie villains because he was able to experience the true darkness. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
Why These Stories Matter
These are Hollywood actors reminding us that fame does not make a person special like others especially in the time of World War II. These stars never went and hid their money when the world was in distress. They were at the line with everybody to serve.
Their behavior was changed by the war experience. It made them feel actual, and possess that sort of toughness that can never be pretentious. The next time you sit in front of the television and invisibly observe these men and women on your screen, remember that these were not ordinary human beings posing as people who are rough. They were courageous even in war field. The Hollywood celebrities during the World War II.
