Navy Vet Earl Holliman, 96, dead
I wonder what the most common excuses for not serving are? “I wanted to enlist in high school, but my parents wouldn’t sign for me” has to be one of the most common. (A valued friend who died last year was at least honest – “I thought about going in but wound up getting into bikes, booze, drugs, and partying for so long I was too old to”.) Well, Mr. Holliman did manage to get into the Navy when he was only 15.
He was raised in Oil City, La., and enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 15 during WWII where he mingled with stars at the famous Hollywood Canteen. The Navy discovered his age a year later and he was discharged, only to re-enlist after he graduated high school. Variety
Points for under-age enlistment. And to explain the Hollywood access, the radioman’s school he was sent to was in the area. BIG points when he was thrown out, aged a bit, and going back in legitimately and doing his hitch. A pretty decent athlete, also his senior class president and honors student, he played right tackle in his eventual high school and turned down a scholarship at Louisiana State presumably to re-enlist in the Navy, and wound up stationed at Norfolk. (BIL was stationed there too, and said the high school cheerleaders had a cheer “We don’t drink, we don’t smoke. Norfolk! Norfolk!”)
Holliman had a pretty decent Hollywood film career – you probably saw him in many movies (“Giant”, “Broken Lance”, “Forbidden Planet”, “Gunfight at the OK Corral”, “Bridges at Toko-Ri”, “Rainmaker” (for which he beat Elvis Presley to get the role) and “Sons of Katie Elder” come to mind. His TV career was solid as well – he starred in the very first Twilight Zone episode, guested on many series, appeared on many, many game shows, and of course his biggest TV gig – starring with Angie Dickinson on “Police Woman. (If she failed to make your radar, watch John Wayne’s “Rio Bravo again. Yowzahs.)
Holliman had a few sidelines, too – five years of decently successful pop music recordings, performed on stage for years (Tennessee Williams himself went to see Holliman perform 11 times and said Holliman’s his were the best portrayals of Williams roles.)
And notably, Holliman was the National Honorary Chairman of the Marine’s Toys for Tots program.Wiki – Earl Holliman
Born into grinding proverty, a long and successful career – here’s a Navy vet worth noting. Fair winds and following seas, sir.
Category: Fair Winds and Following Seas, None, We Remember
Rest in peace, shipmate.
(Slow salute)
Rest In Peace
Rest easy shipmate, we have the watch.
Godspeed, Fare Well, and Rest Easy, Good Sir. Thank you for your service to our Country and the fine entertainment you brought to us.
Salute
Fair winds and followings seas.
He had a distinctive voice, as easily recognizable as the Duke. I had no idea he was still alive since so many from that era have already passed. Most definitely a man from the greatest generation. Fair skies and following seas forever. Rest in Peace.
Bad ass.
He was a class act. Enjoyed him in all his roles, especially Sons of Katie Elder.
Forbidden Planet is a great movie. Decades ahead of the curve on Sci-Fi. Now I need to go watch it again.
As a kid raised on the goofy antics of Detective Lieutenant Frank Drebbin it was funny to watch Forbidden Planet and see a younger Leslie Nielsen as a serious actor.
three of my friends took the bus from Laurelton Queens, NYC to Lynbrook NY, Nassau County back in 1956 to see the flick.
*Slow Salute*
For those who’ve seen it, who can forget Earl Hollimania, as presented by the bots on MST3K?
EARRRRL HOLLLLLLIMAN!!!
Side, run-on comment – my favorite excuse for not enlisting is that someone wasn’t allowed to because they were so tough that no one could control them.
Rest in peace Sir. God be with your family now.
Death announced by his husband.
(Seinfeld) – Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Rest in Peace.
RIP
He also played a Marine DI in a small TV movie called “Tribes” along side Jan Michael Vincent, and Darren McGavin.
🫡 Sailor rest your oars.