I know this has nothing to do with firefighting, but a bit of history on everything from TV shows to military history, many of us may know or not know and this is showing my age but though it would be nice for a change, let me know what you think.





As it was at the beginning


1960 Philco Predicta UG-4744


1966 1961 1967


The Beverly Hillbillies 1962 Howdy and Buffalo Bob 1955


Leave It To Beaver 1959 Father Knows Best 1955 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet 1954


1968 1954 1953


Captain Kangaroo 1955 All In The Family 1972 Maverick 1959


WKRP In Cincinnati 1978 The Lone Ranger 1949


1950 Zenith G2355 1954 RCA 17S351 1953 Admiral Color C1617A


Haverhill Gazette TV Guide Monday, May 1, 1961


The Ed Sullivan Show 1967 The Addams Family 1965


The Red Skelton Show 1951 Gunsmoke 1970 The Mod Squad 1968



Bonanza 1960 Rawhide 1959


1954 1955 1965


Dark Shadows 1966


Dr. Kildare 1961 The Man From Uncle 1965 Ironside 1967 Peyton Place 1964 The Mickey Mouse Club 1959


The Andy Griffith Show 1963 1966 The Honeymooners 1955


The Dick Van Dyke Show 1961 Seahunt 1958


1967 1959 1970


The Twilight Zone 1960 Lassie 1958


Gilligan's Island 1966


Wanted: Dead or Alive 1958 Zorro 1957


The Rifleman 1958 I Love Lucy 1951


Mr. Ed 1961 Charlies Angels 1976


TV Test Patterns 1960





WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WW II MOVIE STARS?









Some of you younger guys probably have not even heard of
these 'old movie stars'... some contrast between
these men and the anti-American movie stars of today.









Hope you find this as informative and interesting as I did.









In contrast to the ideals, opinions and feelings of today's "Hollywonk,
" the real actors of yester-year loved the United States.
They had both class and integrity. With the advent of World War II
many of our actors went to fight rather
than stand and rant against this country we all love.









They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service
men & women, many as simple "enlisted men".









This page lists but a few, but from this group of only
18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor,
spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish Service Cross',
Purple Hearts and one Congressional Medal of Honor.





So remember; while the "Entertainers of 2005-2006" have
been in all of the news media lately I would like to remind

the people of what the entertainers of 1943 were doing, (65 years ago).



Most of these brave men have since passed on.

"Real Hollywood Heroes"



Alec Guinness (Star Wars) operated a British Royal
Navy landing craft on D-Day.



James Doohan ("Scotty" on Star Trek)
landed in Normandy with the U. S. Army on D-Day.



Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really
was an R. A. F. pilot who was shot down,
held prisoner and tortured by the Germans.



David Niven was a Sandhurst graduate
and Lt. Colonel of the British Commandos in Normandy.



James Stewart entered the Army Air Force as a private
and worked his way to the rank of Colonel.
During World War II, Stewart served as a bomber pilot,
his service record crediting him with leading
more than 20 missions over Germany ,
and taking part in hundreds of air strikes during his tour of duty.

Stewart earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross,
France 'S Croix de Guerre, and 7 Battle Stars during
World War II. In peace time, Stewart continued to
be an active member of the Air Force as a reservist,
reaching the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in the late 1950s.



Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out)

Although he was beyond the draft age at

the time the U.S. entered WW II,

Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942

at Los Angeles . He attended the Officers' Candidate

School at Miami Beach , Fla. and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942.

He then attended aerial gunnery school and in Feb. 1943

he was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook

where flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s.

Capt. Gable returned to the U.S. in Oct. 1943

and was relieved from active duty as a major

on Jun. 12, 1944 at his own request,

since he was over-age for combat.



Charlton Heston was an Army Air Corps

Sergeant in Kodiak.



Ernest Borgnine was a U. S. Navy Gunners Mate

1935-1945.

(Maybe that's why he starred in "McHale's Navy")







Charles Durning was a U. S. Army Ranger at Normandy

earning a Silver Star and awarded the Purple Heart.





Charles Bronson was a tail gunner in the

Army Air Corps, more specifically on B-29's

in the 20th Air Force out of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan



George C. Scott was a decorated U. S. Marine.





Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV) was awarded

a Bronze Star for his heroic action as a U. S.

Naval officer aiding Marines at the horrific

battle on the island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov. 1943.



Brian Keith served as a US . Marine rear gunner

in several actions against the

Japanese on Rabal in the Pacific.





Lee Marvin was a U.S. Marine on Saipan

during the Marianas campaign when he was

wounded earning the Purple Heart.





John Russell: In 1942, he enlisted in the Marine

Corps where he received a battlefield commission

and was wounded and highly decorated for valor at Guadalcanal.



Robert Ryan was a U. S. Marine who

served with the O.. S. S. in Yugoslavia.



Tyrone Power (an established movie star

when Pearl Harbor was bombed) joined the

U.S. Marines, was a pilot flying supplies

into, and wounded Marines out of, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.



Audie Murphy, little 5'5" tall 110 pound guy from Texas who played cowboy parts:

Most Decorated serviceman of WWII and earned: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Silver Star Medals, Legion of Merit, 2 Bronze Star Medals with "V", 2 Purple Hearts, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 2 Distinguished Unit Emblems, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar, French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de Guerre W ith Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Medal of Liberated France, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm.

So how do you feel the real heroes of the silver screen acted when compared to the hollywonks today who spew out anti-American drivel as they bite the hand that feeds them?

Can you imagine these stars of yester-year

saying they hate our flag, making anti-war speeches,

marching in anti-American parades and saying they hate our president?

I thought not, neither did I!



If you enjoyed this bit of history, please pass it on.





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