Notable Persons who served in WW1-Part 6-Stage & Screen

[Pete Hill]

Part 6

Film & Theatre

Maurice Chevalier (France)- Popular and acclaimed actor, singer & entertainer who starred in many hit musicals both on stage and on screen in Europe and the USA, his fame reaching its peak during the 1920s & 30s.

In WW1, Chevalier served in the French army and was, in fact, already half-way through his National Service and was stationed near the German border when the war began in 1914. Seeing action in the first bloody weeks of the war, he was wounded in the back by shrapnel and then captured. He spent 2 years in a German POW camp where he passed the time by learning English which greatly assisted him in his later career. He was released in 1916 thanks to the influence of the King of Spain who was a friend of Chevalier’s girlfriend Mistinguett. Chevalier spent the remainder of the war entertaining Allied troops behind the lines.

Jean Renoir (France)- Acclaimed Film-Director of French cinema from the 1920s to the early 1960s. His best-known films include “The Rules of the Game” and “The Grand Illusion”

When the war broke out in 1914, the 20-year-old Renoir was already serving in the French cavalry as part of his National Service. After seeing action and receiving a wound to the leg (leaving him with a permanent limp), he transferred to the fledgling air-force and served as a Reconnaissance pilot in Escadrille 64.

Rene Clair (France)- Film Director of the 1920s-1960s, best-remembered for his films The Imaginary Voyage (1926) & Forever and a Day (1943).

During WW1, Clair served as a Volunteer ambulance driver on the Western Front.

Michael Curtiz (Hungary/USA) - Film Director who helmed over 150 movies between 1912 and 1961 (he emigrated to the USA in 1926). He is best-remembered for his classic Casablanca (1942) along with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and White Christmas (1954).

At the outbreak of WW1, Curtiz was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1914 and he served for a short time in the Artillery but he was sent back into the film-industry in 1915 in order to produce propaganda features. Curtiz was Jewish and several of his relatives, including his sister’s husband and their three children, perished in the Holocaust during WW2.

Bela Lugosi (Hungary/USA) – Stage and Screen actor of the 1920s to the 1950s who enjoyed a successful career in Hollywood after emigrating to the USA in 1921. He is best-remembered for starring in ‘Dracula’ (1931) and playing the role of Frankenstein and other villains in numerous films. His last film was the famously bad ‘Plan Nine from Outer Space’ in 1955 which was completed shortly before he died, lonely and poor. His relationship with the eccentric director of that film, Ed Wood, became the subject of the film of the same name directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp in 1994.

During WW1, he served as an Infantry Lieutenant in the Austro-Hungarian Army 1914-17 before he starting working as an actor for the Hungarian film industry, appearing in war & propaganda films before the armistice in 1918.

William Wellman (USA)- Film Director who helmed over 50 movies between 1919 and 1975. He directed the WW1 aerial epic Wings (1927) which won the Academy Award for Best Film at the first-ever Oscars held that year. Other well-known films he directed included The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and Battleground (1949). One of his later films was the poorly-received WW1 air-war film Lafayette Escadrille (1958) which was notable mainly for featuring a young Clint Eastwood.

In WW1, Wellman joined the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps on the Western Front and then he joined the French Foreign Legion. After that, he trained as a pilot and joined N87 Escadrille of the Lafayette Flying-Corps, gaining the nickname ‘Wild-Bill’. He flew Nieuport 17s and 24s, christening his planes with the name ‘Celia’ (after his mother). Wellman saw considerable action over France and he was officially credited with 3 enemy aircraft destroyed for certain plus 5 probables. He was shot down and wounded, leaving him with a permanent limp in one leg and he received the Croix de Guerre for his service.

Richard Arlen (USA)- Film Actor of the 1920s-1940s who starred in the 1927 movie Wings (see above).

During WW1, Arlen served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air-Force.

Merian C Cooper (USA)- Film Producer, Director and Screenplay writer. He is most famous for co-directing (and co-writing) the famous and ground-breaking epic King Kong (1933) which featured many innovations in special effects. His other work included directing the film Four Feathers and producing several John Ford/John Wayne films such as Rio Grande, The Quiet Man and The Searchers.

During WW1, Cooper served in the US Air-Corps and flew DH4s over the Western Front. He was shot down in 1918 and received serious burns in the crash but survived, albeit as a POW which he remained so until the end of the war. After WW1, he formed the ‘Kosciusko’ Squadron of American Volunteer pilots fighting in Poland against the Russian invasion of 1919-21. He was shot down again and spent nine months as a POW of the Bolsheviks until he escaped and made his way to Latvia on foot. During WW2, he served in the US army air corps as a staff officer.

Walter ‘Walt’ Disney (USA)- Film director, producer, entrepreneur, screenwriter, animator, philanthropist and theme-park designer. Won 26 Academy Awards during his career and the company he co-founded- The Walt Disney Company-now earns $35 Billion a year.

In WW1, Disney tried to enlist in the US Army in 1917 but was rejected due to his age (he was only 16 at the time). Un-deterred, he instead joined the Red Cross and spent a year on the Western Front as an Ambulance-driver.

Humphrey Bogart (USA) -Film actor & movie star 1930s-1950s, star of such classics as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon and The African Queen.

During WW1, the young Bogart enlisted in the US Navy in 1918 and served on board the transport vessel USS Leviathan. Some historians claim he was wounded by shrapnel during a bombing attack.

Walter Brennan (USA)- Prolific Film Actor who appeared in over 70 films between 1925 and 1974. He won three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, an achievement no other actor has equalled since, for the movies Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938) and The Westerner (1940) plus he was nominated for a fourth in Sergeant York (1941).

In WW1, the 23-year-old Brennan enlisted in the US Army in 1917 and served as a private in the 101^st Field Artillery on the Western Front.

George O’Brien (USA)- Silent Film Actor of the 1920s and star of numerous Westerns released during the 1930s. He is best-known for his starring role in the acclaimed 1927 silent film ‘Sunrise’.

In WW1, O’Brien served in the US Navy on board a Submarine-Chaser and also acted as a stretcher-bearer for injured Marines and was decorated for bravery. He served in the US Navy again during WW2.

Adolphe Menjou (USA)- Film actor of both the Silent and Sound era and who appeared in over 50 films between 1916 and 1960. He is best-remembered for his roles in The Sheik (1921-alongside Rudolph Valentino), The Front Page (1931-Academy Award Nomination), A Farewell to Arms (1932), A Star is Born (1937) and for playing one of the cold-hearted French Generals in the WW1 film Paths of Glory (1957).

During WW1, Menjou served as a Captain in the US Army Ambulance Service on the Western Front.

Buster Keaton (USA) - Film actor, script-writer and director of the 1920s Silent Era through to the Sound era and beyond. His best-known films include ‘The Navigator’ (1924) & the anti-war black comedy ‘The General’ (1927), the latter often ranked by film-critics as one of the finest films of all time. By the 1960s, he was making cameos in B-grade ‘Beach’ movies.

In WW1, he served in the US Army 40th Division on the Western Front 1917-18. Although he appears to have experienced little or no actual combat, Keaton contracted a severe ear infection that nearly took his life and left him with partial hearing loss.

Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson (USA)- Stage & film actor/dancer of the 1920s -1940s. He appeared in a number of film musicals alongside Shirley Temple during the 1930s and was an acclaimed singer and dancer on the stage. Regarded by many as the greatest Tap-Dancer of all time, he was immortalised in the popular 1968 folk-song ‘Mr Bojangles’.

When the USA entered WW1 in 1917, Robinson joined the US Army and served as a rifleman in the 15^th New York Infantry Regiment. When the unit reached France and was attached to the 4^th Army, it was renamed the 369^th Infantry with the nickname of ‘Harlem’s Hellfighters’ and he remained on the Western Front until the end of the war. Robinson was given the honour of being the regimental band’s Drum-Major for the Victory parade along Fifth-Avenue, New York.

Cole Porter (USA)- Famous songwriter and composer of stage and screen musicals from the end of WW1 up until the late 1950s. Many of his songs are still hugely popular today and he is regarded as one of the greatest American songwriters of all time, penning tunes such as ‘I’ve Got You Under my Skin’, ‘Night and Day’, ‘I Get a Kick Out of You’, ‘Anything Goes’ & ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’.

Porter was travelling in Europe when the USA entered the Great War in 1917 and he joined the French Foreign Legion in that year and served for a time in North Africa. He was then transferred to the Western Front and was employed at the French Officer’s School at Fontainebleau as a Gunnery Instructor for newly-arrived American soldiers. Interestingly, Porter still managed to keep a luxury apartment in Paris even during his military service and he was able to continue his playboy lifestyle during his spells of leave.

Randolph Scott (USA)- Prolific Movie Actor who appeared in many Westerns from the late 1920s through to the early 1960s. Although many of his films were B-Grade features, some of the Westerns he starred in are now considered classics of the genre. The latter included his final film Ride the High Country (1962), directed by the controversial Sam Peckinpah and regarded by many critics as one of the best Westerns ever made.

During WW1, Scott enlisted in the US Army in 1917 at the age of 19. He served on the Western Front as an Artillery-Observer in the 2^nd Trench Mortar Battalion, 19^th Field Artillery.

James Whale (UK) - British-born film director who had a successful career in Hollywood helming numerous films, the most famous of which are 'Frankenstein', 'Waterloo Bridge', 'The Man in the Iron Mask' and the big-budget musical 'Showboat'.

In the Great War, he served as an officer in the British army with the rank of Second Lieutenant, enlisting in 1915 and seeing considerable action on the Western front. He was captured in August 1917 and spent the remainder of the war in a POW camp. Highly traumatized by his wartime experiences, they were a major factor in his eventual suicide by drowning in his Hollywood home in 1957. The recent film "Gods and Monsters", which starred Ian Mackellen and Brendan Fraser, depicted the final months of his life albeit in a semi-fictional sense.

Nigel Bruce (UK)- Character-Actor on stage, radio & screen 1930s-1950s. Best-known for playing Dr Watson, the sidekick to Sherlock Holmes in 14 films about the famous detective duo (Holmes was always played by his good friend Basil Rathbone-see below). He also appeared in nearly 45 other films such as Treasure Island (1934) and The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936).

In WW1, Bruce joined the 10^th Service Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, serving as a Lieutenant. He later joined the Honourable Artillery Company in 1916 and fought at Cambrai in 1917 where he was badly wounded. Bruce’s left leg was hit by no less than eleven bullets and he was confined to a wheelchair for over a year before he was able to walk again.

Basil Rathbone (UK)- Stage and film Actor 1920s- 1950s, starred in numerous films, including The Dawn Patrol and The Adventures of Robin Hood and was famous for his portrayals of Sherlock Holmes.

During WW1, he served in the British Infantry in the trenches as a private in the London Scottish Regiment and later as a Lieutenant in the Liverpool Scottish regiment. He was decorated for bravery in action. Involved in a number of trench-raids and reconnaissance missions, he once scouted a German trench in broad daylight by disguising himself as a tree!

Claude Rains (UK/USA)- Successful film and stage Actor of the 1930s-1960s. He spent the majority of his career in Hollywood and became a US citizen in 1939. He was nominated for Academy Awards for best actor four times, namely for Mr Smith goes to Washington (1939), Casablanca (1942), Mr Skeffington (1944) and Notorious (1946). He also won a Tony Award in 1951 for his performance in the play Darkness at Noon.

During WW1, Rains served in the London Scottish Regiment as a comrade of Rathbone (see above) and three other future actors (see below). He rose from the ranks to become a Captain. During a gas attack, he was injured and permanently lost most of his sight in one eye.

Ronald Colman (UK)- Successful stage and film Actor who was active from 1916 to 1957. He won an Academy Award for best actor in 1947 for the film A Double Life and was nominated for three more films- Bulldog Drummond & Condemned (both in 1930) and Random Harvest (1942).

During WW1, Colman served in the London Scottish Regiment and was one of the first of the Territorial Soldiers to see action. He fought at the Battle of Messines in 1914 and on October 31^st, he was badly wounded in the leg by shrapnel. He was left with a permanent limp and was invalided out of the army in 1916 whereupon he immediately began his acting career on the London stage.

Cedric Hardwicke (UK)- Notable actor of the stage and screen, appeared in numerous Hollywood and British films. He appeared in over 45 movies between 1931 and 1964, the most well-known included The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949) and The Ten Commandments (1956).

During the Great War, he fought on the Western Front as an infantryman in the London Scottish Regiment and he remained in the British contingent of the Army of Occupation in Germany until 1921.

Herbert Marshall (UK)- Successful stage and film Actor who appeared in nearly 40 movies between 1929 and 1963. His most well-known films included The Painted Veil (1934), The Razor’s Edge (1946), Duel in the Sun (1946) and The Fly (1958).

In WW1, along with the other future thespians Rathbone, Rains, Colman and Hardwicke (see above), Marshall served in the London Scottish Regiment. Of all these men, Marshall paid the biggest price for his war service when he was severely wounded in the leg and had to have it amputated, wearing an artificial limb for the rest of his life.

Charles Laughton (UK)- Popular and acclaimed film & stage Actor and Director. Appeared in numerous films from the early 1930s through to the 1960s, the most famous of which include Rembrandt (1936), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Hobson’s Choice (1954) and Spartacus (1960). He won an Academy Award for best actor in 1933 for The Private Life of Henry VIII and was nominated twice more for Mutiny on the Bounty (1936) and Witness for the Prosecution (1958). He directed the acclaimed thriller Night of the Hunter in 1955, which starred Robert Mitchum, and is often cited as one of the best Hollywood films of the post-WW2 era.

During WW1, Laughton, who was 15 years-old when the war began, enlisted in 1917 in the 2/1^st Battalion of the Huntingdonshire Cyclist Regiment and he later served in the 7^th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment. He saw action with both units on the Western Front and was gassed on one occasion but later recovered.

Leslie Howard (UK)- Stage and Film Actor 1930-1942. He is best-remembered for appearing in the films The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), Gone with the Wind (1939) and The 49^th Parallel (1941). He was twice nominated for an Oscar for best actor for his performances in Berkeley Square (1933) and Pygmalion (1938). Howard lost his life in 1943 whilst he was returning to Britain after a goodwill/publicity (and intelligence-gathering) tour of Spain when the DC-3 he was travelling on was shot down by the Luftwaffe over the Bay of Biscay.

In the Great War, Howard (then still known by his birth name of Leslie Steiner) enlisted in the Northamptonshire Yeomanry as an officer. He saw action on the Western Front and suffered severe shell-shock in 1916 which led him relinquishing his commission in May of that year. After his recovery, he began his acting career in 1917.

Stanley Holloway (UK)- Character Actor of the Stage and Screen who appeared in over a hundred films, stage productions and TV programs between 1919 and 1975. He is perhaps most famous for playing Eliza Doolittle’s Father Alfred in the 1964 hit film musical My Fair Lady.

In WW1, Holloway served in the Connaught Rangers Infantry Regiment.

Vernon Castle (UK)- Professional Dancer, Dance-Teacher & Choreographer of the pre-WW1 era. With his American wife & dancing partner Irene, Castle became a famous and influential Ballroom and Stage Dancer. They ran a highly-successful Dance school in New York and gave private lessons, charging up to $1,000 a session to wealthy clients. The Castles were considered amongst the very-best Ballroom dancers of their day in the UK, France and USA and a book they wrote, Modern Dancing (1914), was a bestseller. They were both major and sought-after celebrities in their time and were trendsetters through Irene’s innovative fashion and hairstyles, their openly liberal views on sexuality and race and their passion for animal rights- decades before it became popular. A Hollywood film was made about their life in 1939 with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the lead-roles.

During WW1, Vernon enlisted in the RFC and fought over the Western Front, being credited with two German aircraft destroyed. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre. In a decision perhaps influenced by his pre-war fame, he was transferred to Canada to assist in the training of new pilots in 1917. Promoted to Captain, he was later despatched to the USA to perform the same duty. In February 1918, he was taking off from Benbrook Field in Fort Worth, Texas when he had to bank sharply to avoid another incoming aircraft. His engine stalled and, unable to recover control in time, he crashed. Captain Castle died of his injuries soon afterwards. His grieving wife Irene wrote a moving memoir to him called My Husband the following year and a street in Benbrook is named after him.

Reginald Denny (UK/USA)- Prolific character Actor of the 1920s to the 1960s whose family emigrated to the USA in 1912 when he was 21 years-old. He was notable for being usually cast as the stereotypical Englishman in many US film, TV and stage productions. His most significant work included appearing alongside Greta Garbo in Anna Karenina and with Katherine Hepburn in The Little Minister.

During WW1, Denny flew with the RFC and after the war was employed as a stunt pilot.

Victor McLaglen (UK/USA)- Prolific screen Actor who appeared in well over a hundred films between 1920 and 1958. He is best-remembered for roles in the WW1 drama What Price Glory? (1926), Gunga-Din (1939) and for always being cast as Irish US-Cavalry Sergeants in John Ford’s classic Westerns Fort Apache (1948), She wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950). He won an Oscar for Best Actor for his role in The Informer (1935).

In the Great War, 28 year-old McLaglen enlisted in the British Army and he served with the temporary rank of Captain in the 10^th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment and was sent to the Middle-East theatre. For some reason, possibly because he played Irish characters in a number of films, he later claimed (falsely) that he had served in the Royal Irish Fusiliers. For a time, he also served as Provost Marshall of Bagdad in British-controlled Iraq. A talented boxer, he became Heavyweight Champion of the British Army in 1918.

Eric Blore (UK)- Comic Actor who appeared in over 80 films from the 1920s onwards, often type-cast as the stereotypical English Butler. He appeared in a number of the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers Musicals including The Gay Divorcee (1934) & Top Hat (1935).

In the Great War, Blore served in the Artists Rifles where he earned his commission and he later became an officer in the South Wales Borderers.

Clive Brook (UK)- Actor, Director & Screenplay Writer of the 1920s-60s whose best-regarded films included Shanghai Express (1932) & On Approval (1943).

In WW1, Brook served in the Artists Rifles on the Western Front 1917-18.

Arnold Ridley (UK) – Actor and Playwright, best-known for his play ‘The Ghost Train’ and for playing the role of Private Godfrey in the long-running, hugely popular BBC TV comedy Dads Army 1968-1977.

In 1914, the 20-year-old Ridley enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry as a private and saw considerable action on the Western Front. Taking part in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, Ridley was wounded in the left arm and both legs by shrapnel and during a hand-to-hand action, a German soldier struck him on the head with a rifle butt. For the rest of his life, he only had partial use of his left arm, he walked with a limp and his head injuries left him prone to blackouts. Despite this, he managed to re-enlist at the beginning of the Second World War and joined the BEF in France in 1940 but his old injuries proved too difficult for him and he was invalided back home.

John Laurie (Scotland)- Actor best-remembered for playing the role of Private Fraser in the BBC hit-comedy series Dads Army 1968-1977 but who also appeared in numerous British film and stage productions in the 1920s-1970s including ‘The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp’ (1945) and ‘The Way Ahead’ (1944).

During WW1, Laurie served in the British Army on the Western Front 1917-18.

Jack Warner (UK)- Film & TV actor who appeared in various British films of the 1940s & 50s including ‘The Blue Lamp’, ‘The Lady-Killers’ & ‘Carve Her Name with Pride’. He is best-known for his role as PC Dixon in the long-running, hugely popular British TV series ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ which ran from 1955-1976.

In WW1, the 22-year-old Warner served in the RFC in 1917 and flew Sopwith Camels on the Western Front.

Fritz Lang (Austria/Germany/USA)- Acclaimed and highly influential Film Director associated with the German Expressionist movement of the 1920s-30s and who later directed films for Hollywood after becoming a US Citizen in 1939. He is best remembered for his Silent era masterpiece Metropolis (1927), the murder-thriller M (1931) and the Film Noir classic The Big Heat (1953).

In 1914, Lang was drafted into the Austrian Army and fought in Russia and Romania. He was wounded three times and also suffered severe shell-shock in 1916. He ended the war with the rank of Lieutenant.

Friedrich W Murnau (Germany/USA)- Film Director of the German Expressionist Period during the 1920s and who emigrated to the USA in 1926. He directed the acclaimed 1927 silent film ‘Sunrise’ starring George O’Brien (see above) and which was nominated for Best Film at the very first Academy Awards held the same year. It is cited by many critics as one of the best films ever made. He is also well-known for his film Nosferatu (1922), an interpretation of the Vampire Legend, along with The Last Laugh (1925) and Faust (1926). He died in a car-accident in 1931 and only 11 people came to his funeral, including Fritz Lang and Greta Garbo.

Murnau trained as a pilot and flew in the German Air-Force during WW1.

Max Schreck (Germany)- Stage and Film Actor of the 1920s and early 1930s. Best-remembered for taking the lead-role of the Vampire Count Orlok in F W Murnau’s (see above) interpretation of the Dracula Story in the 1922 silent-film Nosferatu. He died suddenly of heart failure in 1936.

During WW1, Schreck served in the German Army on the Western Front 1915-18.

Friedrich von Ledebur (Poland)- Stage & Film Actor who appeared in a number of well-known US & British films including Moby Dick (1956), The Blue Max (1966) and Slaughterhouse Five (1974).

Von Ledebur was only 16 years-old when he enlisted in the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1916 and he became an officer in the Austrian Cavalry 1917-18.

[Kate Wills]

Pete,

Sorry to take issue, but I'm sure Hardwicke served with the ASC and 9th Northumberland Fusiliers, and Rathbone with the Liverpool Scottish.

[centurion]

Bogey wasn't wounded by shrapnel, he was assaulted by a prisoner he was escorting. Some post war publicist thought the shrapnel story would be more exciting!

[centurion]

Billy Cotton later racing car driver, band leader and TV star of the 1950s and early 60s (Wakey Wakey!) Flew in the RFC (RE8s in which he went balloon busting!)

[ericwebb]

Basil Hallam, 'Gilbert the Filbert', a popular entertainer [and an old boy of my old school!], more famous in his day than any of these, was killed; he fell from an observation balloon.

Gilbert the Filbert

Eric Webb

[Kate Wills]

Billy Cotton later racing car driver, band leader and TV star of the 1950s and early 60s (Wakey Wakey!) Flew in the RFC (RE8s in which he went balloon busting!)

Who started his active service army career as an under-age soldier with the 2/2 Londons

[centurion]

Basil Hallam, 'Gilbert the Filbert', a popular entertainer [and an old boy of my old school!], more famous in his day than any of these, was killed; he fell from an observation balloon.

Gilbert the Filbert

Eric Webb

In fact his harness had not been attached to his parachute.

[centurion]

Irving Berlin songwriter and producer of many Broadway musicals wrote his first Broad way success Yip Yip Yaphank whilst a sergeant at Camp Upton in December 1917. He also appears to have taken part in some tank familiarisation with a British Mk IV 'Britannia' at this time

[ericwebb]

In fact his harness had not been attached to his parachute.

An account I have read suggests that having bailed-out [along with his opposite number] after the balloon broke free & drifted towards enemy lines, he appeared to be caught in the balloon rigging where he hung for a short while, then in trying to untangle himself he slipped out of his harness and fell. As the balloon was well aloft by now this is doubtless conjectural. [bear in mind that the 'chute 'pack' was attached to the balloon in any case, the observer to the 'chute and that his weight when he jumped was supposed to pull it free.] There are in fact several contrary accounts. See an earlier string on This Site. See also Flight, 31st August 1916.

Good cheer,

Eric

[Lucy London]

My Mother was born in 1910 and lived in Eltham in south London. She remembered quite a bit about WW1 - Silvertown Explosion and seeing a Zeppelin burn. She always said that Maurice Chevalier learnt English from Jack Warner when they were POWs together during WW1. Has anyone anything on that please?

Also what did Jack's sisters do during WW1 - Elsie and Doris?