The Story of G.I. Joe

I digress.

Over the past year I have watched dozens of World War II movies. Many of them I record from Turner Classic Movies and then watch with my first cup of coffee if I happen to wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning.

At first I gravitated toward movies about the Air Force and bomber crews … 12 O’Clock High, Command Decision, Bombardier, Memphis Belle.

I’ve been branching out and watching period war movies … particularly those that were filmed in the 1940’s. They are great visualizations of what life was like then and there. In some cases, I’m fortunate enough to hear TCM Robert Osborne give a synopsis of what was going on behind the scenes … the message the film maker was trying to get across, sometimes at the encourage of Roosevelt himself.

These are the movies that were being seen at home and by our boys who were stationed in locales that had movie theaters. This would include Herman and his B-17 crew members when they were in England and in Sweden.

The Story of G.I. Joe, filmed in 1945, is actually the story of Ernie Pyle, the Pulitzer Prize winning war correspondent who traveled primarily with the infantry in Europe.

Burgess Meredith played Ernie Pyle in the movie. The GI’s called Ernie “old man” because he was 43.  There were 150 combat veterans who had roles as “extras” in the film.

This quote from the movie must have been written by Ernie Pyle:

… It’s a world the other world never knows. Even the Air Force. Up there they approach death differently. When they die, they’re clean shaven and well fed, if that’s any comfort. But the GI, well … he lives so miserably, and he dies so miserably …

Ernie Pyle died in combat on April 18, 1945 while he was covering the war in the Pacific. He was 44 years old. The film premiered exactly two months later.  I’ve read it described as one of the best World War II films ever.  I agree.