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You mentioned he was seriously wounded..years ago he did a Playboy interview that I read..when asked where he was shot to get a Purple Heart, he replied..."when you are laying on your stomach under fire, there are only two areas that stick up!...I wasn't shot in the head!"
Actually, his sciatic nerve was severed by machine gun fire as he participated in an assault on the island of Saipan. He was then shot in the foot in the same engagement by a sniper, and he spent a year recovering in a naval hospital before being discharged as a Private First Class (PFC). He had been a corporal, but was busted back down to Private for being a, “troublemaker.”
Ernest Borgnine (who liked Lee Marvin and got along with him very well) told a rather ugly story about Marvin that happened during the making of the "Dirty Dozen." I won't relate the whole thing but it caused director Robert Altman's hitting the breaking point with Marvins drinking and telling Marvin point-blank if he EVER did what he did again he'd be fired and replaced, and the hell with the film's budget! Marvin stayed sober for the rest of the production. Borgnine added that Marvin was a mean drunk, not physically dangerous but prone to making vicous and cutting remarks to the cast and crew. On the other hand he said when Marvin wasn't drinking he was a great guy to be around and a lot of fun.
@@CrewGuyPJ Oh yeah. And in fact Ernie's portrayal of Shack the sadistic conductor was so terrifying I've never watched the film again after seeing it once. It shows what a good actor Borgnine was, those who knew him said he was the nicest and most generous person they ever knew.
Charles Bronson was also a veteran of World War 2. First as a infantry soldier then as a member of the Army Air Forces. Severely wounded by shrapnel in a Air Battle in the Pacific,Charles Bunchinsky was also a recipient of the 💜.
Indeed he was - he played the lead role of Lieutenant Frank Ballinger in the TV show "M Squad", and prior to his acting roles, he was in the USMC in WW2.
It reminds me of something Tarantino said in his 'Once upon a time in Hollywood' book (which has a lot of backstory not in the film) essentially he says a lot of actors/driectors etc were war vets and it was understood that they had PTSD and the system would be inclined to give them a pass sometimes. I could well imagine these films would be a trigger for Marvin & co, and more painful than we could imagine - RIP Lee
Don't forget the episode of the TV series "Combat!" called The Bridge at Chalon. This was a good performance by Lee Marvin and the whole cast, that needs to be seen. I think it comes close to his work in "The Big Red One".
Yes, one of my favorite episodes of Combat. Towards the end Sgt Saunders (Vic Morrow) thinks Lee is going to follow through with a threat to court marshal one of his men. Then while Lee is laying in the hospital recovering from a very bad stab wound he just tells Saunders "get out of here". After that Lee informs an officer he wants to recommend a silver star for Saunders. Nobody plays a soldier better than Lee Marvin.
While I respect Marvin’s opinion of the film, as a ten year old kid I loved it! But what I’m even more proud of, is the fact that he was the real deal as far as “Hollywood” tough guys. The fact that my dear sweet mother hated him as an actor, only gave him street credibility to me. After my service in the Marine Corps, I only gained more respect for him. And indirectly, my mother softened her view. You see, she gained her own title of MOM, Mother Of Marine.
I loved this at age ten also, partly because I learned of its existence through Small Soldiers when that was a new release. I quickly realised it was a movie a lot of my relatives liked and my grandma had it on VHS so I watched the hell out of it for a while. I still love it today and watch it at least once a year. Knowing it was more concerned with entertainment than authenticity, I can see why a veteran like Lee Marvin disliked its tone. As a piece of manly entertainment it kicks ass to this day, authentic or not.
Don't forget the 'sister' film of 'Dirty Dozen' - 'The Devil's Brigade.' It would be interesting to know what the cast thought of that film. FWIW, Gen. Omar Bradley was chief technical advisor on 'Patton' - and retired senior officers from WW2 said George C. Scott captured the essence of Patton's personality and psychology - even though he did not bear much physical resemblance to the real Patton.
I think others would dispute that is a sister film. The 'Dirty Dozen" was based on a novel by E.M. Nathanson released in 1967. "The Devils Brigade" was based on the actual exploits of the 1st Special Service Force composed of U.S. and Canadian troops during WWII. Even that film had a lot of inaccuracies as it portrayed the Americans as misfits and dregs from the stockade. It also got it wrong about their 1st action which was in the Pacific for the re-taking of the Aleutian islands from the Japanese (which was a U.S. territory before it acquired statehood) .
@@AngryMarine-il6ej Quite right. I read a book about the Force while I was in college. It varied greatly from the movie. Decades later, after retiring from the USAF, I moved to Montana, not far from Fort William Henry Harrison where the 1st Special Service Force was formed and trained. I had the privilege of meeting a former captain who was one its first members and I asked about the movie. He scoffed and said they made us out to be misfits, drunks, and lovers, not warriors.
My friends who were war vets liked the movie but would agree with Marvin that it was more an entertainment action flick then a a war movie and just said to enjoy it, don't analyze it, it's just an action flick.
All movies are just that: a movie, fantasy not reality. This movie was entertaining and popular and remains so after almost 60 years. Dont nitpick it, just enjoy it for what it is.
@@allanfranklin9615 Yup. This even includes more "realistic" war shows like Band of Brothers. No matter how realistic they try to make them, the ultimate purpose is still entertainment. I've found that the old '60s TV show Combat! to have some really great episodes.
When he was on “The Johnny Carson Show”, he was the most intelligent and insightful of any of his guests. Unfortunately, he drank a lot to escape his inner demons in escaping death as a U.S. Marine in combat with the Japanese. The combat was face to face with no Quarter given or expected.
Lee Marvin suffered from PTSD. When I got home from Bosnia in 1996 of the troops sent over from the states to round out units from Germany, eight were in trouble with alcohol, 4 divorces, and just about everyone suffering from depression and anxiety all within one year of getting home. There was a total of 24 of us. I was so bad I went to get help with counselling and ended up being discharged on a medical. I feel for what Lee Marvin and others like him went through since PTSD was not known of then, but Viet Nam would move it to the front. RIP from another vet, I salute you.
Charles Bronson found out the same thing but played the game. As much as it might claim it wants to tell stories, Hollywood knows what formulas work. He made an action movie, not a war epic, which he got the chance to do later. Hell, the man did Delta Force. He might not have liked it, but he didn't mind being paid for his efforts. I will say when he passed away, his grave marker only notes his military service.
@@FactsVerse Just keep in mind that though there are a majority of war films that are nothing but Hollywierd puff and fluff, do not forget the ones like Patton, The Big Red One, and Saving Private Ryan, which portray the realities of warfare far more effectively and still are profitable. Also, as a Veteran myself, I look at things that are intended as escapes because the realities are often difficult to watch.
Remember that back in "The Dirty Dozen" Hollywood era they could only go just so far and no farther with war movies, Spielberg's horrific realism in "Saving Private Ryan" was far in the future. For example, Darryl F. Zanuck, the producer of "The Longest Day," was on Omaha Beach the day after the landing, D-Day +1. The mess hadn't been cleaned up so all the horror was still there to be seen. Zanuck knew full well what the real Omaha Beach looked like when he did "Longest Day" but couldn't reproduce it, 1960 wasn't the time. In fact, the culmination of the mission in "Dirty Dozen" was pretty controversial at the time.
I think you meant, “military training” as opposed to, “paramilitary training” at 6:03. “Paramilitary training” connotes that he was trained as some sort of militia member, whereas my understanding was that Marvin was a Marine scout sniper with I Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division, where he participated in 21 amphibious assaults against Japanese-held islands. He was wounded in action on June 18, 1944, while taking part in the assault on Mount Tapochau during the Battle of Saipan. He was hit by machine gun fire in that action, which, amazingly, severed his sciatic nerve. He was hit again in the foot by a sniper. Treated for over a year in naval hospitals, Marvin was given a medical discharge with the rank of Private First Class (PFC). He had previously held the rank of corporal, but was demoted for being a “troublemaker.”
Two things about Marvin, before he deployed to the Pacific, his father hitch hiked halfway across California to give him the 45 he had carried during his service. He was a really enthusiastic fisherman. I saw a wide world of sports with him fly fishing for sailfish on a small panga out of Quepos in Costa Rica!
Maybe Marvin felt that he was disrespecting the memories of those he knew that died in the war by being in a movie that reduced war to comic book violence and bravado. I remember that John Wayne , during the war, was hissed and shouted out of a navy hospital ward full of marines wounded in World War Two when he went to visit them. Maybe someone glamorizing the Hell and slaughter they went through was just too much for them.
I saw this as a child. I loved it. Of course, I was a child. Thing is, I still love it, and, yes, it is entertaining as hell. Realistic depiction of war? How could it be? It’s success alone clearly indicates that, at some level, everyone involved knew that it was going to be a winner. Does Marvin know better on this score? How could he not? He was there! I’d have to say that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN comes 200% closer to approximating the real agony of war. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN worked so well in part, I think, because it didn’t talk down to or lecture the audience, but it did put you right there and did not flinch from some of the abject desperation, raw terror, pathos and utter despair that made up life as a combat infantryman who’s seen a lot of heavy action. Thank you for posting this.
Well, Saving Private Ryan certainly SEEMS to be much more realistic. It was definitely made in a much grittier fashion. A lot has to do with it focusing on what the typical soldier went through, not some special squad on a secret assignment.
Who in bloody hell is anyone to judge Lee Marvin for his drinking problem? I was a United States Navy Hospital Corpsman and served during Operation Desert Shield - Desert Storm! I have seen what war does to both bodies and minds! And I hope that afterwards Lee Marvin received all the support that he needed and was by rights entitled to!!
Respect to Lee Marvin one of my favourite actors didn't realise he was a world 🌎 war two veteran obviously his time through combat on the front line stayed with him forever especially loosing friends in combat must of been terrible that you live through every day throughout life it never leaves you Respect Lee Marvin movie 🎥 Legend and World 🌍 war two hero 👏🤝R.I.P to an icon 🎸🤝👊
Lee Marvin was one of my favorite actors when I was growing up in the 60's, My favorite movie of all time was the Dirty Dozen followed by The Longest Day. Lee Marvin was mostly humble but very serious about the U.S. Marine Corps and his service in it.
His sciatic nerve was severed by Japanese machine gun fire. I don’t know how he even recovered. This is one case where self medication with strong alcoholic beverage makes a lot of sense. He couldn’t have taken enough opioids to keep that pain away.
All fine and good but Dirty Dozen came out 23 years after the war, all WWII war movies up until the 1980's did not convey any true accuracy. They were about the good guys defeating the bad guys. End of story. Does anyone think that people in the 1960's wanted to see an accurate portrayal of war, especially as Vietnam was going on as we saw American dead on TV every, single, night.
The Dirty Dozen did not make Lee Marvin a star. He was already a star before the Dirty Dozen and even won an Oscar for best actor two years earlier for the movie Cat Ballou. I agree with his assessment of The Dirty Dozen. It's entertaining enough, but the plot is cartoonish and ridiculous. The Big Red One, Point Blank, The Professionals and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are some of his films that come to mind that are much better than The Dirty Dozen.
With all due respect to Lee Marvin for his service and acting ability; it's a movie and we all know, or should, that movies bear no resemblance to real life, not even those claiming to be based on actual events. I actually saw this movie in the theatre at Paris Island Marine base having just attended my cousins graduation from boot camp. The theatre was full of Marines who seemed to enjoy the movie a great deal, cheering every time a German got shot. But to demonstrate the huge difference between make=believe and real life; my cousin went on to serve two tours in Viet Nam as a Force Recon Marine and came back a very troubled and almost broken man.
The scenes in the village during the war games, is Aldbury in Hertfordshire. My dad grew up there and was working in the village when the film was made. My grandmother was helped down after a photoshoot in the back of a transport truck by Clint Walker, who instead of taking her hand, picked her up and carried her down. She never forgot it!
Both Lee Marvin (USMC) and Charles Bronson (USAAF) were veterans who were wounded in combat. I saw Lee Marvin discuss his wounding on TV, and I believe it was the Tonight Show. He said it in a funny way to minimize it. The movie itself is military adventure using WW II as the backdrop
Maybe Charles Bronson wasn't so sympathetic because he himself was a decorated WW II vet, with his own purple heart. I think Clint Walker was actually a vet of both WW II and the Korean War. Ernest Borgnine was a navy vet who then re-enlisted to fight in WW II. Telly Savales was in the Army in WW II, but was discharged due to injuries in a car accident. Robert Ryan spent a year as a drill instructor for the USMC in WW II. Maybe Marvin should have spent more time talking with his co-stars about WW II than drinking.
I will always be addicted to watching the Dirty Dozen . Marvin’s personal view towards its realism doesn’t deter from its absolute viewing enjoyment. Every aspect was simply spectacular.
A couple interesting things about The Big Red One . Its a kinda autobiography story of director Sam Fuller . Lee Marvin plays one of the leads and he was also a veteran of the same war . During filming most of the communicating between Sam and Lee was done with old military hand signals and gestures . In the DVD special features , one of the actors said he and the others part of the first infantry reminded Lee of some of his war buddies . There were times Lee Marvin had to walk away from everyone and be left alone during production .
Rod Serling was also a WW2 combat vet, and he was pretty good about taking the things he experienced and putting them together in a way to bring people up, and not glorify war. He did an anti-Vietnam war episode in 1963. 1963!
The Dirty Dozen had a comic book plot, however, was an entertaining movie, thanks to the good actors playing their parts well in a sub-par plot. Marvin and Bronson saved it, it didnt hurt to have Borgnine, Ryan, Savalas, Cassavetes, Clint Walker in the cast. Never understood Trini Lopez in this movie. Not realistic, but watchable. To this day, I like to see it whenever possible. Much better than Spiderman.
Lee Marvin guest starred on the episode of Bonanza in 1962 titled The Crucible. His scenes were with Permell Roberts where he played Adams tormenter in the desert. He also guest starred on the old Dragnet with Jack Webb and Barney Phillips.
I totally agree. LM was great actor. As much as having incredible character. Personally I have a pretty low opinion of this genre of war films that made combat appear like a camp outing for boys. Ridiculous.
Marvin has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. But... it's a movie. We could say that most of his movies were unrealistic about the genre they portrayed. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, a movie he starred in, could be said to be unrealistic about the old west. And he went on the make a sequel to the Dirty Dozen. But it's easy to understand his opinion having fought in a real war in which he was badly wounded.
My father was a combat vet of the ETO. While not alcoholic, he struggled with anger issues and survivors` guilt. He witnessed violence at its highest levels and arrived at a days before liberated concentration camp, seeing lampshades made from the skin of Jewish victims. I do remember his disdain for Hogan's Heroes; his best friend in HS had been a POW and suffered greatly.
I agree with the feeling about Hogans Heroes . I never understood how it survived so long. There is nothing funny about a POW camp, and the plots of the shows were terrible. I was around in the 60's during its run on TV, didnt watch it then, cant stomach the re-runs today.
About half of the cast of Hogan's Heroes lost family members to the Germans in WW2. Many were Jewish. The premise of the show wasn't to make light of the war, it was absolutely to make fun of the Germans. To make it very clear that they were not the supermen they claimed to be. Each episode, they lost, as part of the agreement of the cast in signing up for it.
@@allanfranklin9615It was a comedy meant to make fun of the Germans, not a documentary. See, the thing about comedy is that you don't take it too seriously, get it? The actors who played Schultz and Klink agreed to do the show with that in mind. It is similar to the fact that Wizard of Oz isn't meant to be a serious representation of farming in Kansas, or Gone with the Wind claiming to show what life was really like during the Civil War. It's just entertainment that appeals to some and not to others. Have great day.
@@diffened Comedy is in the eye of the beholder. Thanks for the lesson. I didn't find it funny when I was a kid, and it's not funny sixty years later. I'm probably biased as my Dad was a POW during the war, his life was ruined by PTSD and its effects. There is nothing funny about a POW camp, imaginary or real. Hope you have a nice day.
Bronson also was a veteran , Purple Heart recipient, he served as a gunner on a B-29 in the Pacific. He knew about combat as well as Marvin. Many of the actors I grew up watching were WW2 vets.
I don't usually watch war movies for "accuracy", just entertainment and a little machismo. If I want accuracy in a war movie, I'll watch "The Longest Day", "Tora Tora Tora" or "Waterloo". If I want some good ol' boys being boys movies, I'll watch "The Dirty Dozen", "The Bridge On The River Kwai" or "Kelly's Heroes", I own all these movies I listed on Blu-Ray DVD, plus quite a few more, so I'm good for a while. Lee Marvin had his good and bad moments in his life, I like the good ones.
Don't get your shorts in a knot. Lee Marvin was just saying what everybody knew. I was only twelve when I saw it in the theater and I knew it was fiction. All the adults, our parents, were in the war and they knew it was fiction. I was the same age when I saw The Great Escape and I knew it was fiction because I read the book. Kelly's Heroes, more fiction, and these two are my favorite war movies. I didn't like Saving Private Ryan because it was pretending it wasn't fiction, it was more like propaganda. My favorite western is Cat Ballou. He plays a guy who is so drunk his horse staggers.
I really hate how you say The Big Red One. It's the Big... Red... One. It's not: "which one will you have sir?" "Oh gosh, I suppose I'll have the big red one."
I never liked Dirty Dozen and other similar "war" movies made in the '60's because, like Marvin said, they were unrealistic crap with characters much too old to be soldiers.
Lee Marvin had no trouble picking up his paycheck. He was an actor. He knew it was entertainment. As for The Big Red One, Lee was far too old to be leading those young men in a real battle & he knows that was inaccurate. In The Dirty Dozen, my father's problem (and he was a soldier in Europe from 1939 with Italy's King's Army -- not Mussolini's army. Those Italians did more sabotaging on behalf of the Allies). My Dad's issues -- hand grenades being used as dynamite. Grenades explode to maim humans not explode a chalet the way they did in this film. Even with gasoline. That would've caused a fire, that's all. The munitions if nearby were usually incased to prevent mishaps. Don't get me wrong, I like Lee Marvin & this film. But, I think a lot of Lee's problems with this film have been embellished a bit. By the way, John Wayne was supposed to play Reissman. He turned it down for the very reason Lee complained about it. I guess Lee needed the money. (I do believe Lee's performance in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was superior). The charm of The Dirty Dozen? It was a great all-star cast. The best since "The Magnificient 7." The story unfolded consistently & smoothly & you could empathize with each character. More big names should've been in the film instead of the soldiers I was not familiar with and never saw again. It will remain a classic.
Hmm anyone who has been in combat no matter what era knows “The Dirty Dozen’ was very inaccurate when it comes to actual portrayal of combat but a albeit tough guy entertainment film. It’s kind of interesting that know one made a movie about Lee’s own war experience at some stage,Audie Murphy had his and yes I understand he was highly decorated but that doesn’t detract from Lee’s service to his country… Just sayin 😁
As a Marine veteran I completely understand where Lee Marvin is coming from. I still enjoy THE DIRTY DOZEN, just like I enjoyed reading back issues of SGT. FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS. However, there's a huge difference between military fiction and military reality. Those who serve or have served know the difference immediately.
Most movies about Military and wars and attacks are made a lot more “ glorious and Entertaining.” I was a Ranger in the 90s. That the only movie about it called “Black Hawk Down! “ the movie won several awards because of The reality of the attack really kind of turned into a war.
How many wonderful actors you can count in the clips? I could not keep up. The writing was great. The directing was superb. But the actors really carried the movie.
First off, Ace, when you say, "The Big *Red* One" with the emphasis on *red*, that's an insult. If you're going to emphasize anything, it is on the "ONE". What is "*Paramilitary* training to be a scout/sniper?" Marvin was a MARINE. The Marines are a branch of the Armed Services. NOT some cheesy, unnamed paramilitary organization. Other than that, an interesting vid. Back when actors were mostly patriots, not the mostly morally compromised slime they are now.
Apparently Lee Marvin's scorn for the Dirty Dozen wasn't strong enough to stop him from being in the film, or its sequel several years later. I greatly respect him for his war service and also his acting, and his criticisms of the Dirty Dozen are doubtlessly well-founded, but Hollywood quite often misrepresents reality for the sake of entertainment. It seems somewhat hypocritical of Mr. Marvin to contemn the Dirty Dozen as much as he did. After all, he presumably got paid well for it, and it did greatly enhance his career.
I thought The Dirty Dozen was a good but not great movie. The Big Red One is one of my favourite movies, and for me a much better one. This has nothing to do with Marvin's comments. I just happen to prefer Fuller's movie. I am intrigued to know what Marvin thought of Attack, another war movie directed by Aldrich.
most people don't go to the movie for the reality of war, esp in the 1960s. what he describes (as stated in this video) wouldn't sell tickets c'mon, man!
I agree with Lee, but we knew the movie was a cartoon contrasted against real war. However, we enjoyed watching the great actors make an escape reality fun film. Semper Fi ✝️ 🇺🇸
He is right. It was a movie about romanticising the premeditated murder of off duty officers and their wives while at a conference. Not exactly something to be proud of!
He was right. War movies in those days were tripe. Filled with cliches that - even themselves were false. Very few were even remotely well done. They were just vehicles for the character actors that were billed in them. The Dirty Dozen was particularly hokey.
Lee Marvin was a great actor. He was from that generation of great actors like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Steve McQueen, John Wayne, Paul Newman, etc. These were my favorites.
I understand that everyone handles things differently especially the experience of war, that being said a drunk will always find a reason to keep drinking and from what I’ve heard of the man he was a drunk pure and simple. Thousands of men that saw worse than he did put it behind them and rebuilt the world. It’s funny that he was so critical of the movie I’m sure he didn’t remember a lot of his acting in it
I think it's reasonable to assert that glorifying war in Hollywood tradition (where greed is good) is not only an affront to all war veterans but to humanity - I'd go so far to say that the whole Hollwood War Movie genre is an obscene absurdist joke .
If you have never seen combat then there is no way you can understand how those soldiers turned civilians feel. No matter which war you served in. It will leave you marked.
Really good acting, (especially Marvin), memorable characters, and a great plot. I was thoroughly entertained. Sure, it was a fictionalized account of real war, but it's a movie. Platoon and Full Metal Jacket have their place, but so does this movie.
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Don’t believe everything you read.
You mentioned he was seriously wounded..years ago he did a Playboy interview that I read..when asked where he was shot to get a Purple Heart, he replied..."when you are laying on your stomach under fire, there are only two areas that stick up!...I wasn't shot in the head!"
I appreciate the service and
as an actor he’s just another prima donna complaining about how good he had it
And that's a serious wound!
@@NormalhowaboutyouHow good he had it in combat? What are you talking about? He just wanted a film more respectful of actual war veterans.
Actually, his sciatic nerve was severed by machine gun fire as he participated in an assault on the island of Saipan. He was then shot in the foot in the same engagement by a sniper, and he spent a year recovering in a naval hospital before being discharged as a Private First Class (PFC). He had been a corporal, but was busted back down to Private for being a, “troublemaker.”
@@Normalhowaboutyou
????
Ernest Borgnine (who liked Lee Marvin and got along with him very well) told a rather ugly story about Marvin that happened during the making of the "Dirty Dozen." I won't relate the whole thing but it caused director Robert Altman's hitting the breaking point with Marvins drinking and telling Marvin point-blank if he EVER did what he did again he'd be fired and replaced, and the hell with the film's budget! Marvin stayed sober for the rest of the production.
Borgnine added that Marvin was a mean drunk, not physically dangerous but prone to making vicous and cutting remarks to the cast and crew. On the other hand he said when Marvin wasn't drinking he was a great guy to be around and a lot of fun.
6 years after TDD, Marvin and Borgnine were brilliant together in Emperor of the North.
@@CrewGuyPJ Oh yeah. And in fact Ernie's portrayal of Shack the sadistic conductor was so terrifying I've never watched the film again after seeing it once. It shows what a good actor Borgnine was, those who knew him said he was the nicest and most generous person they ever knew.
Charles Bronson was also a veteran of World War 2. First as a infantry soldier then as a member of the Army Air Forces. Severely wounded by shrapnel in a Air Battle in the Pacific,Charles Bunchinsky was also a recipient of the 💜.
Came out when I was in the 6th grade - it quickly became every 12-year old boy's favorite movie.
As a kid, I remember being greatly affected by the hanging scene at the beginning.
Lee Marvin had natural star power.
👍🤚🙏
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Lee Marvin was a huge star long before the Dirty Dozen.
Indeed he was - he played the lead role of Lieutenant Frank Ballinger in the TV show "M Squad", and prior to his acting roles, he was in the USMC in WW2.
Lee Marvin is still a huge star Legit Legend ......
PFC Lee Marvin served Honorably, was wounded on Saipan. He is interred in Arlington National Cemetery. A true war hero.
Guess that's why Marvin was chosen for the lead role.
Of course. He was wanted for the role because of his star power.
None of these interrupting commercials make me want to buy their product
We absolutely agree! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. Be safe and have a great evening!
On his grave stone it said Lee Marvin…USMC…..says a lot about the man
We absolutely agree! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. Be safe and have a great evening!
For a Marine, that's all that matters. Semper Fidelis!
Loved Lee, great actor. His intensity was rarely matched. Any fans of his should watch Point Blank.
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Absolutely 💯 agree must watch it again it’s been a while.
It reminds me of something Tarantino said in his 'Once upon a time in Hollywood' book (which has a lot of backstory not in the film) essentially he says a lot of actors/driectors etc were war vets and it was understood that they had PTSD and the system would be inclined to give them a pass sometimes. I could well imagine these films would be a trigger for Marvin & co, and more painful than we could imagine - RIP Lee
Don't forget the episode of the TV series "Combat!" called The Bridge at Chalon. This was a good performance by Lee Marvin and the whole cast, that needs to be seen. I think it comes close to his work in "The Big Red One".
Yes, one of my favorite episodes of Combat. Towards the end Sgt Saunders (Vic Morrow) thinks Lee is going to follow through with a threat to court marshal one of his men. Then while Lee is laying in the hospital recovering from a very bad stab wound he just tells Saunders "get out of here". After that Lee informs an officer he wants to recommend a silver star for Saunders. Nobody plays a soldier better than Lee Marvin.
While I respect Marvin’s opinion of the film, as a ten year old kid I loved it! But what I’m even more proud of, is the fact that he was the real deal as far as “Hollywood” tough guys. The fact that my dear sweet mother hated him as an actor, only gave him street credibility to me. After my service in the Marine Corps, I only gained more respect for him. And indirectly, my mother softened her view. You see, she gained her own title of MOM, Mother Of Marine.
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I loved this at age ten also, partly because I learned of its existence through Small Soldiers when that was a new release. I quickly realised it was a movie a lot of my relatives liked and my grandma had it on VHS so I watched the hell out of it for a while. I still love it today and watch it at least once a year. Knowing it was more concerned with entertainment than authenticity, I can see why a veteran like Lee Marvin disliked its tone. As a piece of manly entertainment it kicks ass to this day, authentic or not.
Marvin was a marine...purple heart
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So was co-star Charles Bronson--WW II vet, US Army Air Forces, purple heart.
Don't forget the 'sister' film of 'Dirty Dozen' - 'The Devil's Brigade.' It would be interesting to know what the cast thought of that film. FWIW, Gen. Omar Bradley was chief technical advisor on 'Patton' - and retired senior officers from WW2 said George C. Scott captured the essence of Patton's personality and psychology - even though he did not bear much physical resemblance to the real Patton.
I think others would dispute that is a sister film. The 'Dirty Dozen" was based on a novel by E.M. Nathanson released in 1967. "The Devils Brigade" was based on the actual exploits of the 1st Special Service Force composed of U.S. and Canadian troops during WWII. Even that film had a lot of inaccuracies as it portrayed the Americans as misfits and dregs from the stockade. It also got it wrong about their 1st action which was in the Pacific for the re-taking of the Aleutian islands from the Japanese (which was a U.S. territory before it acquired statehood) .
points well taken@@AngryMarine-il6ej
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Yeah, The Devil's Brigade was a cool watch. 1960 US war-movie gem fore sure!!
@@AngryMarine-il6ej Quite right. I read a book about the Force while I was in college. It varied greatly from the movie. Decades later, after retiring from the USAF, I moved to Montana, not far from Fort William Henry Harrison where the 1st Special Service Force was formed and trained. I had the privilege of meeting a former captain who was one its first members and I asked about the movie. He scoffed and said they made us out to be misfits, drunks, and lovers, not warriors.
My friends who were war vets liked the movie but would agree with Marvin that it was more an entertainment action flick then a a war movie and just said to enjoy it, don't analyze it, it's just an action flick.
All movies are just that: a movie, fantasy not reality. This movie was entertaining and popular and remains so after almost 60 years. Dont nitpick it, just enjoy it for what it is.
@@allanfranklin9615 Yup. This even includes more "realistic" war shows like Band of Brothers. No matter how realistic they try to make them, the ultimate purpose is still entertainment. I've found that the old '60s TV show Combat! to have some really great episodes.
When he was on “The Johnny Carson Show”, he was the most intelligent and insightful of any of his guests.
Unfortunately, he drank a lot to escape his inner demons in escaping death as a U.S. Marine in combat with the Japanese.
The combat was face to face with no Quarter given or expected.
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@@FactsVerse
No need, you are doing pretty good already.
Lee Marvin suffered from PTSD. When I got home from Bosnia in 1996 of the troops sent over from the states to round out units from Germany, eight were in trouble with alcohol, 4 divorces, and just about everyone suffering from depression and anxiety all within one year of getting home. There was a total of 24 of us. I was so bad I went to get help with counselling and ended up being discharged on a medical. I feel for what Lee Marvin and others like him went through since PTSD was not known of then, but Viet Nam would move it to the front. RIP from another vet, I salute you.
Charles Bronson found out the same thing but played the game. As much as it might claim it wants to tell stories, Hollywood knows what formulas work. He made an action movie, not a war epic, which he got the chance to do later. Hell, the man did Delta Force. He might not have liked it, but he didn't mind being paid for his efforts. I will say when he passed away, his grave marker only notes his military service.
He perfectly described most war movies.
Hollywood knows that reality doesn't sell as well as fantasy.
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@@FactsVerse Just keep in mind that though there are a majority of war films that are nothing but Hollywierd puff and fluff, do not forget the ones like Patton, The Big Red One, and Saving Private Ryan, which portray the realities of warfare far more effectively and still are profitable. Also, as a Veteran myself, I look at things that are intended as escapes because the realities are often difficult to watch.
Remember that back in "The Dirty Dozen" Hollywood era they could only go just so far and no farther with war movies, Spielberg's horrific realism in "Saving Private Ryan" was far in the future.
For example, Darryl F. Zanuck, the producer of "The Longest Day," was on Omaha Beach the day after the landing, D-Day +1. The mess hadn't been cleaned up so all the horror was still there to be seen. Zanuck knew full well what the real Omaha Beach looked like when he did "Longest Day" but couldn't reproduce it, 1960 wasn't the time.
In fact, the culmination of the mission in "Dirty Dozen" was pretty controversial at the time.
I think you meant, “military training” as opposed to, “paramilitary training” at 6:03.
“Paramilitary training” connotes that he was trained as some sort of militia member, whereas my understanding was that Marvin was a Marine scout sniper with I Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division, where he participated in 21 amphibious assaults against Japanese-held islands.
He was wounded in action on June 18, 1944, while taking part in the assault on Mount Tapochau during the Battle of Saipan. He was hit by machine gun fire in that action, which, amazingly, severed his sciatic nerve. He was hit again in the foot by a sniper.
Treated for over a year in naval hospitals, Marvin was given a medical discharge with the rank of Private First Class (PFC). He had previously held the rank of corporal, but was demoted for being a “troublemaker.”
Two things about Marvin, before he deployed to the Pacific, his father hitch hiked halfway across California to give him the 45 he had carried during his service. He was a really enthusiastic fisherman. I saw a wide world of sports with him fly fishing for sailfish on a small panga out of Quepos in Costa Rica!
Maybe Marvin felt that he was disrespecting the memories of those he knew that died in the war by being in a movie that reduced war to comic book violence and bravado. I remember that John Wayne , during the war, was hissed and shouted out of a navy hospital ward full of marines wounded in World War Two when he went to visit them. Maybe someone glamorizing the Hell and slaughter they went through was just too much for them.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. Big possibility!
I saw this as a child.
I loved it.
Of course, I was a child.
Thing is, I still love it, and, yes, it is entertaining as hell.
Realistic depiction of war?
How could it be? It’s success alone clearly indicates that, at some level, everyone involved knew that it was going to be a winner.
Does Marvin know better on this score?
How could he not? He was there!
I’d have to say that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN comes 200% closer to approximating the real agony of war.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN worked so well in part, I think, because it didn’t talk down to or lecture the audience, but it did put you right there and did not flinch from some of the abject desperation, raw terror, pathos and utter despair that made up life as a combat infantryman who’s seen a lot of heavy action.
Thank you for posting this.
Well, Saving Private Ryan certainly SEEMS to be much more realistic. It was definitely made in a much grittier fashion. A lot has to do with it focusing on what the typical soldier went through, not some special squad on a secret assignment.
As a Viet Nam combat veteran I completely agree w/Lee Marvin about the reality of war v movie combat.
Who in bloody hell is anyone to judge Lee Marvin for his drinking problem?
I was a United States Navy Hospital Corpsman and served during Operation
Desert Shield - Desert Storm! I have seen what war does to both bodies and
minds! And I hope that afterwards Lee Marvin received all the support that
he needed and was by rights entitled to!!
My favorite Lee Marvin and Chuck Bronson movie is Death Hunt.
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Great movie.
I am a huge fan of Lee Marvin. He was a real hero. I respect him but I did liked the movie.
Respect to Lee Marvin one of my favourite actors didn't realise he was a world 🌎 war two veteran obviously his time through combat on the front line stayed with him forever especially loosing friends in combat must of been terrible that you live through every day throughout life it never leaves you Respect Lee Marvin movie 🎥 Legend and World 🌍 war two hero 👏🤝R.I.P to an icon 🎸🤝👊
Much of the main cast were WW II vets though.
Lee Marvin was one of my favorite actors when I was growing up in the 60's, My favorite movie of all time was the Dirty Dozen followed by The Longest Day. Lee Marvin was mostly humble but very serious about the U.S. Marine Corps and his service in it.
My dad was red beret and served in Korea. He fricken LOVED the dirty dozen!
Charles Bronson, was a WAR HEROE, too.
So true! May Lee and Charles find peace 😭
Will Lee would be really mad if I say the dirty dozen is my favorite movie of all time? (Because it is my favorite)
His sciatic nerve was severed by Japanese machine gun fire. I don’t know how he even recovered. This is one case where self medication with strong alcoholic beverage makes a lot of sense. He couldn’t have taken enough opioids to keep that pain away.
His was probably a view shared by his co-stars in the film, many of whom (Bronson, Borgnine, Kennedy) served with distinction.
Robert Ryan was also a decorated Marine from WW2. Also, Teli Savalas was an Army
Veteran of ETO service during the war.
All fine and good but Dirty Dozen came out 23 years after the war, all WWII war movies up until the 1980's did not convey any true accuracy. They were about the good guys defeating the bad guys. End of story. Does anyone think that people in the 1960's wanted to see an accurate portrayal of war, especially as Vietnam was going on as we saw American dead on TV every, single, night.
Lee Marvin was already an "A" lister when he was cast in the Dirty Dozen. The film that made him a star was, "Cat Ballou."
The Dirty Dozen did not make Lee Marvin a star. He was already a star before the Dirty Dozen and even won an Oscar for best actor two years earlier for the movie Cat Ballou.
I agree with his assessment of The Dirty Dozen. It's entertaining enough, but the plot is cartoonish and ridiculous. The Big Red One, Point Blank, The Professionals and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are some of his films that come to mind that are much better than The Dirty Dozen.
With all due respect to Lee Marvin for his service and acting ability; it's a movie and we all know, or should, that movies bear no resemblance to real life, not even those claiming to be based on actual events.
I actually saw this movie in the theatre at Paris Island Marine base having just attended my cousins graduation from boot camp. The theatre was full of Marines who seemed to enjoy the movie a great deal, cheering every time a German got shot. But to demonstrate the huge difference between make=believe and real life; my cousin went on to serve two tours in Viet Nam as a Force Recon Marine and came back a very troubled and almost broken man.
The scenes in the village during the war games, is Aldbury in Hertfordshire. My dad grew up there and was working in the village when the film was made. My grandmother was helped down after a photoshoot in the back of a transport truck by Clint Walker, who instead of taking her hand, picked her up and carried her down. She never forgot it!
Both Lee Marvin (USMC) and Charles Bronson (USAAF) were veterans who were wounded in combat. I saw Lee Marvin discuss his wounding on TV, and I believe it was the Tonight Show. He said it in a funny way to minimize it.
The movie itself is military adventure using WW II as the backdrop
Maybe Charles Bronson wasn't so sympathetic because he himself was a decorated WW II vet, with his own purple heart. I think Clint Walker was actually a vet of both WW II and the Korean War. Ernest Borgnine was a navy vet who then re-enlisted to fight in WW II. Telly Savales was in the Army in WW II, but was discharged due to injuries in a car accident. Robert Ryan spent a year as a drill instructor for the USMC in WW II.
Maybe Marvin should have spent more time talking with his co-stars about WW II than drinking.
I will always be addicted to watching the Dirty Dozen . Marvin’s personal view towards its realism doesn’t deter from its absolute viewing enjoyment. Every aspect was simply spectacular.
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Didn't stop him
From cashing those checks
And at least two T.V. movie's
Lee Marvin was ah badass during the war & after... Charles Bronson too.
We absolutely agree! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. May both of these legends find peace.
A couple interesting things about The Big Red One . Its a kinda autobiography story of director Sam Fuller . Lee Marvin plays one of the leads and he was also a veteran of the same war . During filming most of the communicating between Sam and Lee was done with old military hand signals and gestures . In the DVD special features , one of the actors said he and the others part of the first infantry reminded Lee of some of his war buddies . There were times Lee Marvin had to walk away from everyone and be left alone during production .
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Rod Serling was also a WW2 combat vet, and he was pretty good about taking the things he experienced and putting them together in a way to bring people up, and not glorify war. He did an anti-Vietnam war episode in 1963. 1963!
The Dirty Dozen had a comic book plot, however, was an entertaining movie, thanks to the good actors playing their parts well in a sub-par plot. Marvin and Bronson saved it, it didnt hurt to have Borgnine, Ryan, Savalas, Cassavetes, Clint Walker in the cast. Never understood Trini Lopez in this movie. Not realistic, but watchable. To this day, I like to see it whenever possible. Much better than Spiderman.
Love Marvin but it's a little rich to say the actors in the Dirty Dozen where too old, when he looked 50 at least for his part in Big Red
Lee Marvin guest starred on the episode of Bonanza in 1962 titled The Crucible. His scenes were with Permell Roberts where he played Adams tormenter in the desert. He also guest starred on the old Dragnet with Jack Webb and Barney Phillips.
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The cast from The Streets of San Francisco.@@FactsVerse
I totally agree. LM was great actor. As much as having incredible character. Personally I have a pretty low opinion of this genre of war films that made combat appear like a camp outing for boys. Ridiculous.
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Marvin has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. But... it's a movie. We could say that most of his movies were unrealistic about the genre they portrayed. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, a movie he starred in, could be said to be unrealistic about the old west. And he went on the make a sequel to the Dirty Dozen. But it's easy to understand his opinion having fought in a real war in which he was badly wounded.
"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend...."
Hollywood in a nutshell.
My father was a combat vet of the ETO. While not alcoholic, he struggled with anger issues and survivors` guilt. He witnessed violence at its highest levels and arrived at a days before liberated concentration camp, seeing lampshades made from the skin of Jewish victims. I do remember his disdain for Hogan's Heroes; his best friend in HS had been a POW and suffered greatly.
I agree with the feeling about Hogans Heroes . I never understood how it survived so long. There is nothing funny about a POW camp, and the plots of the shows were terrible. I was around in the 60's during its run on TV, didnt watch it then, cant stomach the re-runs today.
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About half of the cast of Hogan's Heroes lost family members to the Germans in WW2. Many were Jewish. The premise of the show wasn't to make light of the war, it was absolutely to make fun of the Germans. To make it very clear that they were not the supermen they claimed to be. Each episode, they lost, as part of the agreement of the cast in signing up for it.
@@allanfranklin9615It was a comedy meant to make fun of the Germans, not a documentary. See, the thing about comedy is that you don't take it too seriously, get it? The actors who played Schultz and Klink agreed to do the show with that in mind. It is similar to the fact that Wizard of Oz isn't meant to be a serious representation of farming in Kansas, or Gone with the Wind claiming to show what life was really like during the Civil War. It's just entertainment that appeals to some and not to others. Have great day.
@@diffened Comedy is in the eye of the beholder. Thanks for the lesson. I didn't find it funny when I was a kid, and it's not funny sixty years later. I'm probably biased as my Dad was a POW during the war, his life was ruined by PTSD and its effects. There is nothing funny about a POW camp, imaginary or real. Hope you have a nice day.
Bronson wasn't kidding when he threatened Lee, others had to pull him away before he could hit him
Bronson also a WW2 B29 tailgunner 25 mission's purple heart it takes a lot to balls be a tailgunner and come back in one piece
Bronson also was a veteran , Purple Heart recipient, he served as a gunner on a B-29 in the Pacific. He knew about combat as well as Marvin. Many of the actors I grew up watching were WW2 vets.
War is Hell / R.I.P. is Heaven.
I don't usually watch war movies for "accuracy", just entertainment and a little machismo. If I want accuracy in a war movie, I'll watch "The Longest Day", "Tora Tora Tora" or "Waterloo". If I want some good ol' boys being boys movies, I'll watch "The Dirty Dozen", "The Bridge On The River Kwai" or "Kelly's Heroes", I own all these movies I listed on Blu-Ray DVD, plus quite a few more, so I'm good for a while. Lee Marvin had his good and bad moments in his life, I like the good ones.
Good movie
Don't get your shorts in a knot. Lee Marvin was just saying what everybody knew. I was only twelve when I saw it in the theater and I knew it was fiction. All the adults, our parents, were in the war and they knew it was fiction. I was the same age when I saw The Great Escape and I knew it was fiction because I read the book. Kelly's Heroes, more fiction, and these two are my favorite war movies. I didn't like Saving Private Ryan because it was pretending it wasn't fiction, it was more like propaganda.
My favorite western is Cat Ballou. He plays a guy who is so drunk his horse staggers.
Lee Marvin's best WW2 movie was 1968 / "Hell in the pacific".
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A video about Hardy Kruger's WW2 & postwar life.@@FactsVerse
My perspective has changed. Lee Marvin is my favorite " tough guy " actor! I've always admired him. Thanks 👍 for the video. 😊😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤❤
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@@FactsVerse More of the same plus TV shows from the 60s and 70s.
Lee Marvin was almr ost fired from the first Twilight Zone episode he did because of his drinking.
I really hate how you say The Big Red One. It's the Big... Red... One.
It's not:
"which one will you have sir?"
"Oh gosh, I suppose I'll have the big red one."
Watched this movie 100 times and I think I will watch it 100 more. Superb acting
I never liked Dirty Dozen and other similar "war" movies made in the '60's because, like Marvin said, they were unrealistic crap with characters much too old to be soldiers.
TS was badly injured in a jeep accident while in the army
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In Camp Pickett (Virginia) Telly got a Purple Heart medal for it.
Lee Marvin had no trouble picking up his paycheck. He was an actor. He knew it was entertainment.
As for The Big Red One, Lee was far too old to be leading those young men in a real battle & he knows that was inaccurate.
In The Dirty Dozen, my father's problem (and he was a soldier in Europe from 1939 with Italy's King's Army -- not Mussolini's army. Those Italians did more sabotaging on behalf of the Allies). My Dad's issues -- hand grenades being used as dynamite. Grenades explode to maim humans not explode a chalet the way they did in this film. Even with gasoline. That would've caused a fire, that's all. The munitions if nearby were usually incased to prevent mishaps.
Don't get me wrong, I like Lee Marvin & this film. But, I think a lot of Lee's problems with this film have been embellished a bit.
By the way, John Wayne was supposed to play Reissman. He turned it down for the very reason Lee complained about it. I guess Lee needed the money. (I do believe Lee's performance in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was superior).
The charm of The Dirty Dozen? It was a great all-star cast. The best since "The Magnificient 7." The story unfolded consistently & smoothly & you could empathize with each character. More big names should've been in the film instead of the soldiers I was not familiar with and never saw again. It will remain a classic.
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@@FactsVerse- If you can find it a John Garfield classic -- "Between Two Worlds." Great picture.
Lee Marvin’s best film in my opinion is the professionals. Great cast well written.
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Hmm anyone who has been in combat no matter what era knows “The Dirty Dozen’ was very inaccurate when it comes to actual portrayal of combat but a albeit tough guy entertainment film. It’s kind of interesting that know one made a movie about Lee’s own war experience at some stage,Audie Murphy had his and yes I understand he was highly decorated but that doesn’t detract from Lee’s service to his country… Just sayin 😁
Hmmmm...just like many aspects of The Great Escape regarding inaccuracies...ughhhh...just sayin...
A great actor!!! I loved watching him.... Loved him in Cat Ballou, playing, Kid Chelene!!!!!! Happy Heavenly Birthday!!!! 🎈🥳🎉🎈🥳🎉🎈🥳🎉......
His sergeant was Sargeant Crenshaw. Better known as Captain Kangaroo.
As a Marine veteran I completely understand where Lee Marvin is coming from. I still enjoy THE DIRTY DOZEN, just like I enjoyed reading back issues of SGT. FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS. However, there's a huge difference between military fiction and military reality. Those who serve or have served know the difference immediately.
Most movies about Military and wars and attacks are made a lot more “ glorious and Entertaining.” I was a Ranger in the 90s. That the only movie about it called “Black Hawk Down! “ the movie won several awards because of The reality of the attack really kind of turned into a war.
Perhaps the producer/director should have assigned a few people to guard Lee from the local pubs.
How many wonderful actors you can count in the clips? I could not keep up. The writing was great. The directing was superb. But the actors really carried the movie.
First off, Ace, when you say, "The Big *Red* One" with the emphasis on *red*, that's an insult. If you're going to emphasize anything, it is on the "ONE".
What is "*Paramilitary* training to be a scout/sniper?" Marvin was a MARINE. The Marines are a branch of the Armed Services. NOT some cheesy, unnamed paramilitary organization.
Other than that, an interesting vid. Back when actors were mostly patriots, not the mostly morally compromised slime they are now.
I understand Marvin’s feelings as a veteran myself, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this film.
No, I always knew most war movies were nonsense. There a few notable exceptions such as They Were Expendable, 30 Seconds Over Tokyo, and Battleground.
Lee Marvin was in "Paint Your Wagon". He thinks "The Dirty Dozen" was bad?😅😅
Apparently Lee Marvin's scorn for the Dirty Dozen wasn't strong enough to stop him from being in the film, or its sequel several years later. I greatly respect him for his war service and also his acting, and his criticisms of the Dirty Dozen are doubtlessly well-founded, but Hollywood quite often misrepresents reality for the sake of entertainment. It seems somewhat hypocritical of Mr. Marvin to contemn the Dirty Dozen as much as he did. After all, he presumably got paid well for it, and it did greatly enhance his career.
I thought The Dirty Dozen was a good but not great movie. The Big Red One is one of my favourite movies, and for me a much better one. This has nothing to do with Marvin's comments. I just happen to prefer Fuller's movie. I am intrigued to know what Marvin thought of Attack, another war movie directed by Aldrich.
The Dirty ,Dozen didn't make Lee Marvin a star. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance did.
My father flew 54 missions as a bombardier in a B-24 with the last 5 on D-Day. The only war movies he liked were Catch-22 and MASH.
Lee Marvin justifies my opinion of Dirty Dozen being pulp cinema.
most people don't go to the movie for the reality of war, esp in the 1960s.
what he describes (as stated in this video) wouldn't sell tickets
c'mon, man!
I agree with Lee, but we knew the movie was a cartoon contrasted against real war. However, we enjoyed watching the great actors make an escape reality fun film.
Semper Fi ✝️ 🇺🇸
The problem with Hollywood mythologies is that some people believe that they are learning history at the movies.
PTSD is no joke! War is happening in Ukraine and the Middle-east. I pray we can learn to live together. 😢
He is right. It was a movie about romanticising the premeditated murder of off duty officers and their wives while at a conference. Not exactly something to be proud of!
“If this war movie makes you want to try your hand at high stakes military strategy..” No. hush
He was right. War movies in those days were tripe. Filled with cliches that - even themselves were false. Very few were even remotely well done. They were just vehicles for the character actors that were billed in them. The Dirty Dozen was particularly hokey.
Lee Marvin was a great actor. He was from that generation of great actors like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Steve McQueen, John Wayne, Paul Newman, etc. These were my favorites.
As I watch today The Texan Rory Calhoun and Randolph Scott westerns & Gary Cooper didn,t know Glen Ford outshot most of them w/ Pistol
I understand that everyone handles things differently especially the experience of war, that being said a drunk will always find a reason to keep drinking and from what I’ve heard of the man he was a drunk pure and simple. Thousands of men that saw worse than he did put it behind them and rebuilt the world. It’s funny that he was so critical of the movie I’m sure he didn’t remember a lot of his acting in it
If he didn't like Dirty Dozen...I wonder what he thought of The Delta Force lol
While I really liked the Dirty Dozen, see Marvin’s point. But I’m sure he read the script beforehand and no one put a gun to his head to act in it!
I think it's reasonable to assert that glorifying war in Hollywood tradition (where greed is good) is not only an affront to all war veterans but to humanity - I'd go so far to say that the whole Hollwood War Movie genre is an obscene absurdist joke .
Letting alcohol numb the horrors of war....sounds familiar
If you have never seen combat then there is no way you can understand how those soldiers turned civilians feel. No matter which war you served in. It will leave you marked.
Several other cast members served in the war. Did they have similar opinions of Dirty Dozen, or did they just see it as a job?
Really good acting, (especially Marvin), memorable characters, and a great plot. I was thoroughly entertained. Sure, it was a fictionalized account of real war, but it's a movie. Platoon and Full Metal Jacket have their place, but so does this movie.