Hollywood's World War II Veterans Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Before appearing on the big screen as "The Thing from Another World" and on the small as a Kansas marshal, this veteran won the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart as a result of leg and foot wounds at Anzio in 1944. Who was this 6' 7" Norwegian-American who suffered from leg pains much of his adult life?

Answer: James Arness

Although difficult to recognize due to low lighting and heavy makeup, Arness played the "Thing" in the 1951 black-and-white flick, "The Thing from Another World". John Wayne introduced Arness as Matt Dillon in the first TV episode of "Gunsmoke" in 1955. It would set a record for U.S.'s longest-running prime time live-action series when it ran for 20 seasons and 635 episodes. His role of Zeb Macahan in the TV miniseries "How the West was Won" earned Arness a wide following in Europe.

Arness' grandfather, Peter Aursnes, changed the spelling of his last name to Aurness when he emigrated to America from Norway in 1887, and James dropped the "u" when he went into show business. Peter Graves, James' younger brother, adopted the Graves name from his mother's side of the family.

Wayne, a close friend of Arness and who recommended James for the role of Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke", was 6' 4". Graves was a half inch shorter than Wayne, and Weaver, who played Chester Goode on "Gunsmoke" for 10 years, was 6' 2". Weaver also served as a Navy pilot in World War II.

2. After he'd "gone to Washington" in the movies as Mr. Smith in 1939, this actor became the first major film star to wear a uniform in World War II. Who was this pilot who flew over 20 sorties in Europe, winning two Distinguished Flying Crosses and France's Croix de Guerre, and rose from private to colonel in four years?

Answer: Jimmy Stewart

In 1945 Stewart rose to command the Second Bomber Wing and won the Air Medal with three oak clusters. After the war, in addition to his acting career, Stewart remained active in the Air Force Reserves and in 1959 he was promoted to Brigadier General.

In 1938 Stewart starred in "You Can't Take It With You", which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the following year he starred as the title character in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". In 1941 he won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in "The Philadelphia Story". Following the war he was nominated for Best Actor in 1946's "It's a Wonderful Life", in 1951's "Harvey", and in 1960's "Anatomy of a Murder". In 1999 the American Film Institute placed him at number 3 on its list of Greatest Male Stars of All Time.

3. Before winning an Oscar as Dragline in "Cool Hand Luke" and playing George S. Patton in "The Brass Target", this star served under Patton in Europe and earned two Bronze Stars. Who was this veteran who spent 16 years in the Army, attaining the rank of Captain?

Answer: George Kennedy, Jr.

Kennedy won the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Dragline in "Cool Hand Luke". He appeared in over 75 films and was the only actor to appear in all four "Airport" films.

In the 1970 film "Spartacus", Kennedy was the last slave to say, "I am Spartacus!" in the iconic scene when the slave rebellion is finally defeated.

After the war Kennedy remained in the service and was a DJ on Armed Forces Radio as well as helping to establish the Army Information Service.

4. Before acquiring a death wish or serving in the Dirty Dozen, our next hero flew 25 missions as a gunner on B-29s in the Pacific. Who was this combat veteran who received a Purple Heart for wounds received in battle?

Answer: Charles Bronson

Besides the "Death Wish" series on film, Bronson appeared in over 90 movies. Among his best-known roles were those as Chato in "Chato's Land", and as the title character in 1958's "Machine-Gun Kelly". He also appeared in "The Magnificent Seven", "The Great Escape", and "The Dirty Dozen".

Bronson served in the 61st Bombardment Squadron, which flew missions against Japan's home islands toward the end of the war.

5. Before traveling around the world in 80 days on screen, he joined the British Army's Rifle Brigade and then the commandos before seeing action harrassing the enemy behind German lines in the secret Phantom Reconnaissance Regiment. Who was this lieutenant colonel whom General Eisenhower presented the Legion of Merit?

Answer: David Niven

Before the war Niven appeared in such films as 1936's "Charge of the Light Brigade" and 1939's "Wuthering Heights".

Niven interrupted his acting career to enter the service when the war broke out. He had attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and served in the Rifle Brigade before Dunkirk. He saw action at Normandy behind German lines. At one point during the war, Private Peter Ustinov served as Lt. Col. Niven's batman.

After the war Niven won the Best Actor Oscar in 1958's "Separate Tables". He also starred as Phileas Fogg in "Around the World in 80 Days" and as the title character in "My Man Godfrey", for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

The Legion of Merit is the highest U.S. military award given to members of armed forces of foreign nations.

Klemperer, who was born into a Jewish family in Cologne, Germany, served in the U.S. Army during the war and won two TV Emmy Awards playing the incompetent Colonel Klink in "Hogan's Heroes".

6. Before he was Destry, he won the Medal of Honor in France when he single-handedly killed or wounded 50 Germans while receiving a leg wound. Who was this soldier who went on to become America's most decorated hero of World War II?

Answer: Audie Murphy

In addition to his actions near Holtzwihr, France, in January of 1945, to win the Medal of Honor, Murphy also earned the Distinguished Service Cross in August of 1944, the Silver Star in October of '44, and the Bronze Star in March of '45. He also earned Awards of Valor from the governments of France and Belgium.

Among the 40 films he made after the war, Murphy starred as the title character of Destry in 1954. In 1961 he made 26 episodes of a TV Western series called "Whispering Smith". He also starred as himself in the autobiographical "To Hell and Back".

7. Before being nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscars in "Roman Holiday" (1954) and "The Heartbreak Kid" (1973), our next hero won the Bronze Star for rescuing 47 Marines at Tarawa in 1943. Who was this TV star of "Green Acres" whose family name was Heimberger?

Answer: Eddie Albert

In November '43 at Tarawa, Albert was piloting a landing craft under heavy enemy machine gun fire when he rescued 47 Marines who were stranded offshore and then supervised the rescue of 30 more. Before the war Albert toured Mexico as a clown and high-wire performer in a circus and also worked for U.S. Army Secret Service photographing German submarines.

Eddie Albert is best known for his TV role of Oliver Wendell Douglas in the six-year run of "Green Acres". Memorable roles in the movies in addition to those for which he earned Oscar nominations include Warden Hazen in "The Longest Yard" and Bing Edwards in "Brother Rat".

8. Before winning Oscars for Best Actor in "All the President's Men" and "Julia", our next hero served on three different warships in World War II, including one that was sunk by Japanese torpedos and one that was hit by a kamikaze pilot. Who was this Chicago native who first started thinking about an acting career while in the Navy?

Answer: Jason Robards

Robards served on the Northampton and had to tread water through the night before being rescued by a destroyer after his ship was sunk in the Battle of Tassafaronga. The Northampton received six battle stars. Although the Nashville was struck by a kamikaze pilot in the Philippines, it was not sunk.

Besides Oscars for his roles of Ben Bradlee in "All the President's Men" and as Dashiell Hammet in "Julia", Robards won praise as Jamie Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey Into Night", as Murray Burns in "A Thousand Clowns", and as Howard Hughes in "Melvin and Howard".

In addition to his two Oscars, Robards also received a Tony, an Emmy, and a U.S. Medal of Arts presented by the President of the United States.

9. Before winning a Best Actor Oscar portraying two different characters in "Cat Ballou", this Marine was wounded in the Battle of Saipan in 1944. Who was this veteran of over 60 films who needed over a year of medical treatment in Navy Hospitals to recover from his wounds?

Answer: Lee Marvin

Marvin, as well as most of his company, was a casualty at Saipan as the result of an assault by the Fourth Marine Division on Mount Tapochau, Saipan's highest peak. Of 71,000 Americans who landed on Saipan, almost 3,000 were killed and over 10,000 were wounded.

The loss of Saipan resulted in the suicide of Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, who had led the Japanese carriers at Pearl Harbor.

In "Cat Ballou", Marvin played the brothers Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn, both of whom were gunfighters, but on opposite sides. He also won awards for his roles as Flash Perkins in "Raintree Country", as Tully Crow in "The Comancheros", as Liberty Valance in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", and as Ben Rumson in "Paint Your Wagon", among others.

10. Before he was Paladin on TV, our last hero served as a gunner on Avenger torpedo bombers in the Pacific. Who was this veteran of World War II as well as over 40 films?

Answer: Richard Boone

In addition to 225 episodes of "Have Gun -- Will Travel", Boone appeared in 25 other TV series. His last appearance was as the voice of the dragon Smaug in 1977's "The Hobbit." Boone's first movie role was in "Halls of Montezuma".

Keith was also a veteran, serving on Dauntless dive bombers in a Marine squadron and earning an Air Medal.

Source: Author shvdotr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Let's honor some great entertainers who also put everything on the line for their nation.

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