Sunday, December 21, 2014

The Most Bad-Ass Governor Texas Ever Had

Charles Durning plays the Governor in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and the man making a joke of things in the movie now also won a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart in WWII combat in the Infantry.  An article was presented after he died that detailed his military history and I caution it's likely the most mean-spirited obituary you may ever find insofar as it damns him with faint praise.  (Steven Karras:  Charles Durning's War: Heroism, Exaggeration, Fabrication?)

(Ed:  why use that reference?)

It had the detail WIKI lacked.  The article is poorly-written insofar as there's no need to put him on trial, particularly as a dead man, but the information is easily enough to show you he did well beyond what he had to do.

Whether Durning got to Omaha Beach on the first day or the third day is immaterial in my view as he was a kid who never had anything growing up, his life had already sustained substantial tragedy, and now he's in Europe and they want him to fight.  He did and every one of his brothers did as well.

(Ed:  show me the Christmas)

No problem.  There's likely nothing more hellish anyone can imagine than being in the midst of a world war that seems like it will never end.  Not only that but you get blown up so badly that it takes some time before they can fix you up and get you walking again.

He survives all that by being as ferociously bad-ass as he has to be and after it's all over comes what he really wants to do:  sing in a Christmas musical comedy for you.


In fact, it's exactly the same with Jimmy Stewart and "It's a Wonderful Life" as he was a General in the Air Force and he had flown B-17 combat missions over Germany ... but then came home to make at least one Christmas movie.


I don't know their politics and really I don't care but anything they have to say about Christmas is probably worth hearing.

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