Stars in Khaki: Movie Actors in the Army and the Air Services [Hardcover]

James E. Wise (Author), Paul W. Wilderson III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

Celebrity profiles of motion picture stars who served in the U.S. Army and air services such as Jimmy Stewart and Audie Murphey.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This gallery of Hollywoodites in the army and the "air services" arrives in the star-spangled wake of Wise and Wilderson's surveys of actors in the "sea services" (Stars in Blue, 1997) and the marines (Stars in the Corps, 1999). Again, discouraging words are seldom heard, but since there are sources aplenty of salacious Hollywood tattle, this trove of inspirational tales starring Tinseltowners is rather welcome. It is nice to see that Sabu, filmdom's Elephant Boy, ranks with Tony Bennett, Clark Gable, and Jimmy Stewart among the "Soldiers and Airmen in Combat" of part one, as opposed to the obviously less red-blooded "Staff Personnel, Instructors, and Entertainers" in part two--but hey, they also serve who only dance and sing. It is noteworthy that the noncombatant section includes such he-dudes as Charlton Heston, Clint Eastwood, and Burt Lancaster, as well as singin' cowboy Gene Autry and Sammy Davis Jr., who suffered extreme harassment in the army's first integrated unit. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 241 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557509581
• ISBN-13: 978-1557509581
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, September 6, 2011

By 

Dr. James Gardner (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stars in Khaki: Movie Actors in the Army and the Air Services (Hardcover)

"Stars in Khaki" is the 3rd in a series of books about Hollywood celebrities and their service in the armed forces during WW 1, WW 2, and the Korean War. The two previous books were "Stars in Blue" (Navy) and "Stars in the Corps" (Marines). All 3 books were co-written by James Wise, and the current book is co-written by Paul Wilderson.

The book is divided into 2 parts - combat and "staff personnel, instructors, and entertainers". Here's a look at the combat people

* Tony Bennett (1926) - Drafted in 1944, served in Europe

* Neville Brand (1921) - Enlisted in 1941, served in Europe, won the Silver Star and other medals, wounded in 1945, rose to staff sargeant

* Art Carney (1918) - Drafted in 1944, served in Europe, wounded in 1945

* Jackie Coogan (1914) - served in Army Air Corps, flew 20 missions, won Air Medal, Victory medal, and several others

* Charles Durning (1923) - Drafted in 1943, wounded on the beach in Normandy and later in Germany, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, won the Silver Star

* Clark Gable (1901-60) - Enlisted in 1942, served in Army Air Corps, flew 5 missions, won Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal.

* James Garner (1928) - Drafted in Korean War, spent 14 months in Korea, awarded 2 Purple Hearts.

* Tim Holt (1918-73) - Enlisted in 1942, flew 22 missions, rose to Captain, won Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Medal with 3 Oak Clusters, and others.

* Audie Murphy (1924-71) - Drafted in 1942, served in Europe, most decorated soldier in WW 2 including Medal of Honor.

* Bert Parks (1914) - Enlisted in 1942, served in Pacific, rose to Captain, won the Bronze Star and several others.

* Sabu (1924-63) - Enlisted in 1943, served in Pacific as a gunner, won Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Medal with 4 Oak Clusters, and several others.

* Jimmy Stewart (1908-97) - Drafted in 1940, served in Europe, flew 20 combat missions, won Distinguished Service Cross, Air Medal, and Croix de Guerre.

* Jack Warden (1920) - Enlisted in the Navy in 1938, discharged in 1941, re-enlisted in Army Air Corps in 1942, served as a paratrooper, injured.

* William Wellman (1896), Enlisted in Ambulance Corps in 1917 in France, joined Lafayette Flying Corps, won the Croix de Guerre, shot down and injured, rose to Lieutenant.

Part 3 of the book lists others who served in combat but who were not highlighted in Part 1. These include:

* Alan Alda - 6 months as gunnery sergeant in Korean War
* James Arness - served in Europe, wounded at Anzio, won Bronze Star and others
* Walter Brennan - served in France in WW 1
* Charles Bronson - served 3 years in Army Air Corps, completed 25 missions as a gunner, received Purple Heart
* Mel Brooks - Enlisted in 1944, served in Europe, deactivated mines
* James Coburn - Served as radio operator in WW 2
* Tim Conway - Served 2 years as a private in Korean War
* Broderick Crawford - Served as a Sergeant in Air Corps 1942-5
* Robert Cummings - Served as a flight instructor in WW 2
* Ossie Davis - Served as surgical technician in Africa, 1942-5
* John Derek - Served as paratrooper, 1944-6
* Steve Forrest - Staff Sergeant/radio operator in WW 2, served at Battle of Bulge
* Arthur Franz - Served in Army Air Force as gunner and navigator
* Buddy Hackett - Served 3 years with antiaircraft unit in WW 2
* John Huston - Served 2 years in calvary for the Mexican army
* George Kennedy - Infantryman in WW 2, won 2 Bronze Stars, served under Patton
* Kris Kristopherson - helicopter pilot in Vietnam war
* Walter Matthau - Flew combat missions in WW 2
* Chuck Norris - Served as military police in Korea

This is a great book. There is a special chapter on Martha Raye and also a list of people who could not serve and the reasons.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars stars in khaki, April 21, 2010

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porsche driver "porsche driver" (east coast) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Stars in Khaki: Movie Actors in the Army and the Air Services (Hardcover)

The books in this series are so important to our history. They show the effort given by people who entertained us on stage and screen and still had the people defending us on their minds. Truly a part of history.