27 Jan The Story of G.I. Joe
... 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 ...
The Story of G.I. Joe, WWII Movie starring Robert Mitchum
(1945) 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 Corps and the bomber crews … Twelve 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 filmmaker was trying to get across, sometimes at the encouragement of President 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.
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.
The Story of G.I. Joe on amazon.com
Watch movie clips on Turner Classic Movies
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