This book is filled with celebrity profiles of motion picture starts who served in the U.S. Army and air services from World War I through the Vietnam War. Photos.
"Often told in the performers' own words, When the Stars Went to War is the story of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, and the other leading men who went into combat. It is the story of Carole Lombard, Bette Davis, Groucho Marx, Jimmy Cagney, Greer Garson, and a host of others who raised millions for the war effort by selling bonds, and of such luminaries as Marlene Dietrich, Mickey Rooney, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Jack Benny, who put themselves in considerable danger entertaining troops at the front." "And, of course, it is the story of the ones who stayed behind: those who tried to enlist and were turned down, those who were given cushy home-front jobs, those who passed the time having love affairs with the spouses or lovers of fellow actors who had gone to war - the hardworking and the guilt-ridden." "Perhaps the stars' most important contribution to the war effort was the films they made, films that kept up morale and inspired America's fighting men. As one young G.I. put it, "Somehow it's better to be fighting for Lana Turner than it is to be fighting the Great Reich ... because she is all our girls rolled into one.""--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Of all the celebrities who served their country during World War II--and they were legion--Jimmy Stewart was unique. "Bomber Pilot" chronicles his long journey to become a bomber pilot in combat.
"A highly readable and distinctly 21st-century boy's own tale." BEN SUMMERSKILL OBESeeking escape from the quiet countryside of North Wales, the young James Wharton joined the British Army with adventure on his mind - and he found it...At basic training, boozing and brawling accompany the daily trials of army life, but all the while James faces a battle of his own: he is gay, and finding the courage to tell not only his family and friends but also his fellow soldiers will be the biggest challenge of all.Written with searing honesty, and updated to include a new chapter, James charts his incredible journey from punchbag to poster boy, describing the troubles and trials of coming to terms with his sexuality via late nights in Soho clubs and early mornings at ceremonial events.The first openly gay person to appear on the cover of Soldier, the British Army's official magazine, James has played an active role in developing support networks for gay men and women within the forces.A courageous and candid account from the soldier who escorted the Queen to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, endured rocket attacks in the deserts of Iraq and served bravely alongside Prince Harry on the plains of Canada - this is James's life out in the army."A fascinating and charming insight into a remarkable life that wouldn't have been possible just a few years ago." MATT CAIN, FORMER CUL TURE EDITOR, CHANNEL 4 NEWS
Two journalists describe their whirlwind efforts to become famous in two weeks by getting their names and faces in magazines, newspapers, and on television.
It's a Story for the Ages... Boy does well. Boy teeters on midlife crisis. Boy moves to Florida, becomes a newspaper columnist and enlists the help of Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Brian Boitano, James Carville, Barbara Corcoran, Jack Hanna, Heloise, Magic Johnson, Shirley Jones, Sue Monk Kidd, Kathy Griffin, Hoda Kotb, Rob Marciano, Tyler Mathisen, Mary Matalin, Colin Mochrie, Suze Orman, Dr. David Perlmutter, Willard Scott, Vanessa Williams and almost 100 more to show him how to get his mojo back. Show Me is a result of over 50 years of research: 50-plus years of living a life, 10 years of journaling about that life, and four years as a columnist writing about people who, at one time, Jones assumed lived a better life than he did. In his battle against time, short attention spans and emotionally bereft modern technology, Jones wages an editorial war against pessimism by waving his journalistic flag in the promotion of creative thinking, positive communication, innovation, authenticity, respect and LAUGHTER. Now, with the help of his treasured gallery of informants-starting with the influencers from his days as a showy-yet-sensitive, bunny-fearing Mid-Missouri youngster to his exploration of modern-day success-family man, entrepreneur and humorist Randall Kenneth Jones hopes to SHOW YOU what all of these extraordinary people so graciously SHOWED HIM. Show Me showcases how to learn from your past, embrace your present, grow personally and professionally, laugh at yourself and banish mediocrity-by listening, learning and respecting the never-ending balance between ambition and tradition.
A blistering critique of the gulf between America's soldiers and the society that sends them off to war. As war has become normalized, armed conflict has become an "abstraction" and military service "something for other people to do." Bacevich takes stock of a nation with an abiding appetite for war waged at enormous expense by a standing army demonstrably unable to achieve victory.