Back to Golden Days

When the United States entered World War II, many Hollywood actors put their careers on hold to enlist in the armed forces and serve their country. But did you know that some male stars actually served in World War I before they become famous? Here are 10 of them.   1. Humphrey Bogart Bogart joined the U.S. Navy in May 1918. After four months of boot camp at the Pelham Bay Naval Training Station in New York, he was assigned as a helmsman to the transport ship SS Leviathan . Just as the crew was about to be shipped off to Europe, Germany surrendered and the war came to an end. However, he still sailed with the Leviathan from Hoboken, New Jersey to Liverpool, England. In the six months that followed the armistice, the ship was tasked with ferrying U.S. servicemen back from France and England. Reportedly, it was during this time that Bogart got the scar on his lip, which gave him his iconic lisp. He was discharged in June 1919. LEFT: Humphrey Bogart in his Navy uniform. He was a Seaman

When the United States went to war, so did Hollywood. As many male stars sacrificed their careers to enlist in the armed forces and serve their country, studios began churning out pictures that focused on World War II. Even after 1945, and to this day, World War II continues to be a source of inspiration to many filmmakers. Here are my top 10 favourite classic World War II films.   10. Bataan (1943) Pacific Theatre | Philippines Campaign Directed by Tay Garnett, Bataan follows the defense of the Bataan Peninsula against the invading Japanese by American and Filipino forces led by General Douglas MacArthur. With an ensemble cast that includes Robert Taylor , George Murphy, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Walker and Lloyd Nolan, the film centers on a combat unit of thirteen men whose mission it is to destroy a bridge along the peninsula and prevent the Japanese from rebuilding it.   9. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Pacific Theatre | Philippines Campaign Directed by David Lean, The Brid

I started this blog six years ago as a way to share my passion for classic films and Old Hollywood. I used to watch dozens of classic films every month, and every time I discovered a new star I liked I would go and watch their entire filmography. But somewhere along the way, that passion dimmed down. For instance, I watched 73 classic films in 2016, and only 10 in 2020. The other day, I found this film with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. that I had never heard of — the film is Mimi (1935), by the way — and for some reason it made me really excited about Old Hollywood again. It made me really miss the magic of that era and all the wonderful actors and actresses. And it also made me think of all the reasons why I fell in love with classic films in the first place. I came up with 80 reasons, which I thought would be fun to share. Most of them are just random little scenes or quirky little quotes, but put them together and they spell Old Hollywood to me. This is part four (the final one) of the 8

I started this blog six years ago as a way to share my passion for classic films and Old Hollywood. I used to watch dozens of classic films every month, and every time I discovered a new star I liked I would go and watch their entire filmography. But somewhere along the way, that passion dimmed down. For instance, I watched 73 classic films in 2016, and only 10 in 2020. The other day, I found this film with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. that I had never heard of — the film is Mimi (1935), by the way — and for some reason it made me really excited about Old Hollywood again. It made me really miss the magic of that era and all the wonderful actors and actresses. And it also made me think of all the reasons why I fell in love with classic films. I came up with 80 reasons, which I thought would be fun to share. Most of them are just random little scenes or quirky little quotes, but put them together and they spell Old Hollywood to me. This is part three the 80 reasons why I love classic films. Y