As most of you know, both men were great actors. Lee Marvin was the star of numerous war movies like Sergeant Ryker and The Dirty Dozen. Bob Keeshan was a man we all grew up with. He played Captain Kangaroo.

Both of these men have something else in common:

1. They were good friends.

2. They were both Marines in WWII.

3. They both won the Silver Star taking the island hellhole known as Iwo Jima.

FYI.

Lee Marvin was our next door neighbor in the Hollywood Hills.

He loved my mother's cooking. He was a nice man to me as a child.

Years later he recognized her in a crowded elevator in San Francisco, my mother being short too, and went to her hugging her and calling her by a "familiar" name.

There was a time of great actors who were not the standard 'roided out pretty boys but, some not so pretty. Such as Broderick Crawford who bragged about it when he hosted Saturday Night Live.

I miss the mid 20th Century.

Yoli here,

Dad was a big fan of both Lee Marvin and Broderick Crawford, and Edward G. Robinson as well.

It may interest some to know that Mr. Robinson was a man of refinement who collected fine art and was very well versed thereon.

BTW, as BG (the Colonel in my life) has taught me...One does not "win" a military decoration. They are awarded for valor or especially meritorious service. If you want to win something buy a lottery ticket;)

I learned this early in my relationship with BG when I first saw him in uniform...Dress Blues, Spurs...(pant, pant...drool.) I gazed at the four rows of "fruit salad" on his chest and chirped "Oooooo...You've won so many medals!" He corrected me on the spot.

He did not elaborate as to how he earned those decorations, but simply named them. Some were for service in a particular campaign or area; some for meritorious achievement in non-combat roles, and some were for valor. I recognized the ribbon for the Purple Heart and I didn't ask...he didn't tell.

Later, I learned from another officer that BG had been wounded during Desert Storm ('91) when he was a young Captain in command of an Armored Cavalry Troop (Minor wound, I was happy to learn.) Seems one of those wacky (waqi?) Iraqis wasn't 100% defunct and fired an RPG in the general direction of BG's tank. It hit a power pole nearby, detonated, and sprayed bits all over the place, nicking BG and his loader. Both were bandaged and continued their mulching of Saddam's vaunted Republican Guard Russian-built tanks.

The offending Iraqi was immediately rendered 200% dead by the loader on another tank, who spotted and sprayed him with an M-16 rifle, you see.

That'll teach him to play "Possum"!

On a cheerier note...I'm eating TWO apple turnovers and sipping kawfeeeeee!

I'll skinnydip the extra calories away shortly. Twenty-five laps ought to do it.

Luv Tew Awl!

Yoli

Spelling Bee Runner-up

MacTheWolf (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:55 am As most of you know, both men were great actors. Lee Marvin was the star of numerous war movies like Sergeant Ryker and The Dirty Dozen. Bob Keeshan was a man we all grew up with. He played Captain Kangaroo.

Both of these men have something else in common:

1. They were good friends.

2. They were both Marines in WWII.

3. They both won the Silver Star taking the island hellhole known as Iwo Jima.

FYI.

If I'm not mistaken, and of course I might be...I think Bob Keeshan was also the original Bozo the Clown. I'd look it up, but its 7:00am and I need to go to bed!!

Batman

Batman (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:06 am If I'm not mistaken, and of course I might be...I think Bob Keeshan was also the original Bozo the Clown. I'd look it up, but its 7:00am and I need to go to bed!!

Batman

Bob Keeshan was Clarabell the clown on the old Howdy Doody Show:)

It seems that that is a bit of an urban legend.

http://www.snopes.com/military/celebrit ... marvin.asp

AND Jimmy Stewart was a Brigadier General who flew umpteen combat missions--he was lifelong buddies with Henry Fonda, also a fine actor but of very different politics. Stewart wanted to be judged on his acting--

MacTheWolf (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:55 am As most of you know, both men were great actors. Lee Marvin was the star of numerous war movies like Sergeant Ryker and The Dirty Dozen....

I liked his portrayal of "Sgt. Steiner" in the movie "Cross of Iron" best. He had a bit part in "The Caine Mutiny," I believe his character was nick-named "Horrible" or "Meat Ball." He played the young sailor who was called to testify at "Captain Queeg's" courtmartial.

As for the myth and falsehoods surrounding famous actors also supposedly being great war heros... I do believe that our propensity for these "urban legends" tells us a LOT about ourselves and what we want to believe, because the myth supports our own cherished belief system, and almost all belief systems (philosophy, faith, what ever you use to explain the inexplicable) need "shoring up" to re-enforce our own waning faiths.

Recently, I read a short piece of news about the actor Ernest Borgnine, wow what a shocker. His Navy career was not at all what you might think... Remember how well he portrayed the cruel and sadistic "Fatso" in the movie "From Here to Eternity?" Well, when he spoke about that experience, he told of his own REAL experience in the Navy, when he was in an amateur boxing bout with another sailor, he did not mean to hurt his opponent so badly, but when the bout was over and he saw the kid's horribly bloodied face, Ernest Borgnine quit all boxing... Much more like the actor Montgomery Clift's character "Private Robert E. Lee Pruitt" than like the role that he portrayed as the cruel "Sgt. Fatso."

(BTW, if you care to read about it, look here:

http://www.usni.org/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=1615

But this brings to light (for me at least) our natural (and WRONG) propensity to readily believe without verification, anything that better re-enforces our prejudices or beliefs. Like it or not, we ALL of us have a tendency towards racism, sexism, ageism, and what-ever-else-ism, it is as natural and sometimes as unpleasant as body odor. We all have it, some of us are decent enough to shower off the bad body odor, and some of us are wise enough to mentally "shower off" the preconceived notions that make us believe that people who are fat and have gravelly voices like Earnest Borgnine, are in fact the ogres that they seem to resemble, when the real facts that we ignore show quite a different story.

We want to believe that we are a good "judge of character" and that we can readily size up a person just by looking at them... Well that "just ain't so..." But when we hear or read a story that agrees with out preconceived notions about the world, we are very likely to remember and repeat it and treat it as if it was verified.

DeaconBlues (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:00 pm I liked his portrayal of "Sgt. Steiner" in the movie "Cross of Iron" best...

Deeky,

I called my Dad to see if he knew about Marvin's role in "Cross of Iron"...guess what?

Marvin wasn't in the cast. Sgt. Steiner was portrayed by the equally great (and equally late...RIP) James Coburn. Dad also waxed praiseful of another two fine actors in the movie...anyone care to guess whom? Hint: Initials M.S. and J.M.

Of course, all this means I have to invite the Popster over, copy of "Cross..." in his clutches, and watch it with him in the home theater in the big house.

I guess it's 'bout the German Army...right? Instead of popcorn I'll serve Bratwurst und Bier

Fraulein Yoli

Daughter of The Dad Who Knows Everything (or so he thinks.)

DeaconBlues (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:00 pm I liked his portrayal of "Sgt. Steiner" in the movie "Cross of Iron" best. He had a bit part in "The Caine Mutiny," I believe his character was nick-named "Horrible" or "Meat Ball." He played the young sailor who was called to testify at "Captain Queeg's" courtmartial.

...

...

Say what?

IMDB lists Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner as being played by James Coburn and not Lee Marvin.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074695/

I loved Lee Marvin as the drunk gunfighter in CAT BALLOU

But he was "meatball" in the 1954's Caine Mutiny.