D-Day

Today's post is (obviously) devoted to all who fought during the massive invasion forever known as D-Day, June 6th, 1944. We must always remember those who lived and died, for all played their part and made a difference.

My father was a soldier during World War II, from 1943-1945. That means that he was in the army on D-Day, but I have no idea if he actually participated in the D-Day invasion that happened seventy-five years ago today. Why? Well, although he took me to see World War II-related movies at the drive-in, and watched WWII-related movies and television programs with me at home, he never discussed his actual war experiences.

No, for that kind of thing, I was "stuck" reading Marvel Comics' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, and later titles from both Marvel and DC like Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders, Our Army at War (later Sgt. Rock), Star-Spangled War Stories, Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen, and other comics of that ilk!

Sgt. Fury was always my favorite of the war comics, though. Its earliest issues were drawn by Jack Kirby, but by issue #8 (the first issue I got brand new), the artwork was by Dick Ayers. Imagine my joy thirty years later when I got to meet Dick and even work with him on an unsold comic book series of ours!

And how did my father feel about my love for the war comics? I don't think he gave it much thought, really. But when I read Sgt. Fury #9 (pictured above), it sent me to the World Book Encyclopedia to find out more information about this "Hitler guy." That, and similar situations where (for example) issues of Journey into Mystery (later The Mighty Thor) made me consult the World Book on various characters from Norse mythology like Loki, Odin, and Balder, are no doubt why my parents always encouraged my comic book habit.

There was one issue my father took exception to, and that's Sgt. Fury #32, pictured above. He looked at the cover in mild surprise, complaining about how ridiculous it was that the Nazi soldiers were missing Nick Fury and his men at such close range.

Thanks for your time.

One of Those Guys Named Leslie

Leslie Nielsen had a long and varied career as, well, Leslie Nielsen.

Leslie Townes Hope thought "Leslie" sounded girlish, so he thought of shortening it to "Les," as in "Lester." (In fact, some early records of his show him as having the name Lester!) Somewhere around the time he became an entertainer, he quickly saw that "Les Hope" could be twisted to "hopeless." He went with "Bob Hope" instead.

But Leslie Howard used his own name -- well, kinda (and more on that soon) -- with pretty good results, I'd say.

I think it's safe to say that he (and admittedly, a few other actors of his ilk) defined the genteel British gentleman in the eyes of America during the 1930s and beyond. He was far more than just an "actor," having produced and directed films as well. I've enjoyed many of his works.

Admittedly, I found 1934's Of Human Bondage -- the star-making vehicle for Bette Davis, whom I must admit has never been a huge favorite of mine -- to be a bit over-bearing, but that's just a personal taste (and this is, after all, my personal blog, right, fellow babies?).

I loved The Petrified Forest, the 1936 film which co-starred him with (again) Bette Davis, and provided a great springboard for a motion picture newbie named Humphrey Bogart. (Legend has it that after having appeared with Bogart on Broadway, Howard insisted on Bogie's casting in the film, against the wishes of the studio which desired a bigger "name" actor in the role of Duke Mantee.) Howard's character (and his noble sacrifice) might have been a great role model for me... if only I'd first seen the film at a more impressionable age.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I saw Howard's take on The Scarlet Pimpernel, another of his movies from 1934. I was drawn to it by the "secret identity" aspect later utilized by such childhood heroes of mine like Zorro, Batman, and so many others. (By the way, when I refer to Zorro as having "later utilized" the secret identity aspect, I'm referring to the fact that the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel, published in 1908 after premiering as a play in 1903, pre-dated the first Zorro story , which appeared in 1919!) So when I encountered a listing in Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide a few years ago for "Pimpernel Smith," a 1941 updating of the original Pimpernel tale with Howard again in the title role, I determined to search for it on video... a search which took me until a few months ago.

My locating Pimpernel Smith coincided with my finding a copy of Howard in 1938's Pygmalion (the film precursor of My Fair Lady), which was highly recommended to me by fellow Blogger-blogger Willow. This acquisition was also made a few months ago.

Typically, for me, I didn't actually make time to watch either film until a very short time ago. And, as the anniversary of Howard's 1893 birth was on April 3rd, I decided to watch the two back-to-back, and possibly craft an April 3rd post from this double viewing. (The fact that I'm posting this on April 4th says that I have a life outside this little blog.)

Pygmalion, as Willow promised, was a delight. Although I'm very familiar with the plot of -- and songs from -- My Fair Lady, I've never seen that whole movie! (You may pick yourselves up, now!) Therefore, there were a lot of surprises for me. (Actually, I'd read Pygmalion in a high school English class, but it didn't make that much of an impression on me then.)

I must admit, I was very amused by the fact that the British allowed the liberal use of the word "damn" in that 1938 film, while we in America -- thanks to the Hays Code -- would be scandalized by its single use in 1939's Gone with the Wind only a year later... a film which also featured Mr. Howard! (And I'll bet you thought I was going to leave his appearance in GWTW unmentioned, eh?)

Of course, I've read that the word "bloody" -- a word which is totally inoffensive to most Americans, who don't know its slang etymology to the British -- was used in Pygmalion to no little controversy!

Pimpernel Smith is also a fun flick, albeit more seriously handled, for the most part, as befitting its anti-Nazi subject matter. Once you get past the Nazi soldiers speaking in heavy British accents, the movie draws you in admirably.

The real-life Howard was quite involved in fighting against Nazism, both prior to and during World War II. In fact, said involvement may -- or may not -- have lead to his untimely death in June of 1943... a fascinating controversy, discussed at great length here. Howard's anti-Nazi feelings may have been exacerbated by the fact that he was born Leslie Howard Steiner, son of a Hungarian Jew and his British wife (herself the granddaughter of a Jewish immigrant from East Prussia).

In fact, the only thing I didn't like about Pimpernel Smith was that my copy of the movie ended right before the emotional final speech given by Howard's character, as promised by the notes on the back of the VHS tape's box! I've never seen the freakin' ending! And at this late date, I really doubt I could finagle a free replacement copy of Pimpernel Smith from the video company.

Well, at least I now know that it's available on DVD...

What's this? Why, it's nothing more

or less than a DVD rewinder! Heh.

Thanks for your time.

Happy Ending!

(No, no, no! Get your mind out of the massage parlor! This is my third and -- for now -- final Nazi-related post.)

After all my recent talk -- as well as many comments left on my last two posts -- about the Nazis and World War II, I wanted to share this borrowed photo ("borrowed" from CelebrityMorgue.com ) of Hitler's remains, purportedly locked away in Russia. (And if you're wondering, the two similar shots out there showing "Hitler" with a bullet through his forehead have been pretty much discredited.)

Good enough for him.

Thanks for your time.

The Beginning of... (A "Theme Thursday" Post)

As I mentioned in my previous post, September 1st, 2009 marked the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War. World War II. "The Big One." Or, as I prefer to think of it, "The War to End All Wars: The Sequel."

(Hm. All things considered, that whole "the war to end all wars" concept didn't really take, did it? Never mind.)

Anyway, I'm going to tell you a little story about the very first casualty of that war. You may already know this story; I myself only learned of it a few days ago.

(The tone of today's post -- until the very end, at least -- is a tad different from Tuesday's playful little "gotcha" post about WWII's beginning, by the way.)

In the early evening of August 31, 1939, seven SS officers disguised as Polish citizens burst into a radio station in the town of Gliwice (Gleiwitz), a German town on the border of Poland. Ordering the station's guards and three engineers to offer no resistance, Sturmbannführer Alfred Naujocks and five of his six elite SS men watched as their seventh member, Polish-speaking Karl Hornack, spoke the following into the station's microphone: "Uwage! Tu Gliwice. Rozglosnia znajduje sie w rekach Polskich." (Attention! This is Gliwice. The broadcasting station is in Polish hands.)

The "news" that made its way across Europe was that the "Polish invaders" were eventually repelled by German police.

As "proof" that the attack on the station had been carried out by Poles, the SS had shot and killed a 43-year-old unmarried farmer named Franciszek (Franz) Honiok. A drugged Honiok had "accompanied" the seven SS men after having been arrested by the SS on the previous day, having been casually chosen for his fateful part in the Germans' ruse.

They left Honiok's body on the station steps, with a bullet in his forehead. He had been dressed in a Polish uniform which the Germans had stolen.

Franciszek (Franz) Honiok, the lamented,
seldom-mentioned first casualty of World War II

Hitler used this "attack" -- and other ridiculous stories -- as his excuse to invade Poland on the very next day.

In 1958, nearly twenty years later, when confronted with the details of the raid on the radio station, Sturmbannführer Alfred Naujocks admitted his role: "Yes, I started it all. I don't think anyone will bother about me now."

Unfortunately, Naujocks was right. In a severe miscarriage of justice, Naujocks was never to stand trial for war crimes. He died in 1960 (although some claim he died as late as 1966).

Sturmbannführer Alfred Naujocks (or as I prefer to call him, "motherf***er")

(If you're interested in reading more about this incident, you can click here and/or here.)

So, in "honor" of Uncle Adolf, Alfred Naujocks, and all the rest of those Nazi bastards, let's have a little singalong, shall we (with Thanx and a Tippo to Skip Simpson, who did the same type of thing in last week's Theme Thursday post on his blog)?

(To the tune of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band")


It was sev'nty years ago today,
Hitler needed an excuse to prey.
Seems he wanted to attack the Poles,
An' justify it by reversing roles.
The attack by Poland was a lie,
And Honiak was 'Dolf's fall guy!
But Germany still overran the laaaaand!

Thanks for your time.

Oh, Baby!

Awww, what a cute little baby!



Don't you agree?



Hmmph!



Little creep is more like it.



Sure, he looked all sweet and innocent then...



...but a little over fifty years later...



...when the "cute little baby" was -- naturally -- fifty years old...



...the bastard started something known as...



World War II!




This post, published on the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War, is in tribute to those whom Tom Brokaw has called "The Greatest Generation," both here and abroad.

Thanks for your time.