Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services

by James E. Wise Jr., Anne Collier Rehill

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 Japanese planes, 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.

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hollywood often gets a bad rap from conservatives on the supposed lack of patriotism or commitment to their country by actors. As an actor veteran, I'm especially sensitive to such canards. As a film historian, I'm aware of how false such charges are. Captain James E. Wise Jr. has written a handful of books on actors from all periods of Hollywood history who answered the call of their country and did so often at great risk. STARS IN BLUE is his volume devoted to American navy personnel from the ranks of the movie kingdom. White starts his book with the remarkable heroism of Eddie Albert during the invasion of Tarawa. Albert, best known probably for the TV comedy GREEN ACRES, rescued nearly 50 Marines trapped under murderous machine-gun fire by repeatedly bringing his Coast Guard landing craft in close to shore, and was awarded the Bronze Star for doing so. The author (along with co-author Anne Collier Rehill) goes on to describe the exploits that earned John Howard the Navy Cross (in the Navy, second only to the Medal of Honor as an award for bravery) and which gained fighter pilot Wayne Morris four Distinguished Flying Crosses and "ace" status for shooting down 7 Japanese Zeros. Dozens of actors who served with distinction in World Wars I & II, Korea, and Vietnam are included, with remarkable detail as to the records of their service and bravery. White's and Rehill's research is superb, relying not merely on secondary sources but on original government documents. The efforts (and sometimes suffering) of these and others (such as Henry Fonda, Robert Taylor, Gene Kelly, Paul Newman, Humphrey Bogart, and Harry Belafonte) should make anyone think twice before blanket dismissal of the patriotism of the movie colony. It's a fascinating read.

[Patrick Nichol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book for movie fans and Navy buffs alike. It's incredible how many Hollywood stars actually served in "The Senior Service" before finding fame.

It explains why some actors, like Steve McQueen and Henry Fonda, played Naval personnel so convincingly in their films.

[James Wazorick · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter was interesting, but this was not a well written book. The author collected a great number of factoids and just threw them into a jumble without a compelling narrative. What was most striking to me is that one of today's 'stars' would be caught dead enlisting in the military.