Bea Arthur was a Marine? Who knew?
Well, actually, no one. Apparently she denied she was ever a Marine but over at the Smoking Gun someone found her records.
military records show that the actress Bea Arthur spent 30 months in the Marine Corps, where she was one of the first members of the Women’s Reserve and spent time as a typist and a truck driver.
She apparently didn’t do to bad.
Arthur’s rank went from private to corporal to sergeant to staff sergeant, the title she held upon her honorable discharge in September 1945
Possibly she hid it because she was disciplined once for getting VD. There is a quote that would surprise no one that it was “Maude” During a personality appraisal the appraiser desribed her conversation as:
“Argumentative” and her attitude and manner as “Over aggressive.” In a handwritten note, the Marine interviewer remarked, “Officious–but probably a good worker–if she has her own way!”
You learn something new every day.
Thank you for your service Ma’am!
Category: Historical
a Plausible reason she did not tell anyone? Hollywood is not disposed to people with ACTUAL military background.
Possibly, I noticed in the comment section over at the smoking gun a few people had the same idea…
Funny, but I can actually believe this. 🙂
Maude Findlay: “Walter, if you lay one hand on that kid, all your friends will be dressed in black and driving with their lights on.”
Doc–it was back in the day when a lot of Hollywood types DID serve, and it was honorable. Guys like Jack Palance, Charles Bronson, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Tony Curtis, David Niven, Ernest Borgnine, Glenn Ford, Charles Durning, and Lee Marvin, just to name a few.
Too bad so few of the CURRENT Hollywood crowd seems to get that, although a few current folks are vets, like Dennis Franz, Donald Bellasario, and Chuck Norris, and James Earl Jones.
I was surprised from a recent article that Mel Brooks served in WW2. I know quite a few celebrities from that golden era survived but I wasn’t aware of his service:
http://www.cracked.com/article_18905_11-celebrities-who-were-secretly-total-badasses_p3.html
http://www.usace.army.mil/History/hv/Pages/109-Mel_Brooks.aspx
Good for her. Too bad we didn’t know it when she was alive. Wow.
Semper fi and RIP, Marine.
Bea Arthur was a professional and strove to do her best in everything she did. I was very impressed with her.
We don’t know anyone the way we think we do. There are unsung heroes all around us, and sudden discoveries of that truth always make life interesting.
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I found this clip of Miss Arthur’s final interview with Bea discussing her career and life in her own words. I think it’s for a show called, “Lunching with a Legend.”
I’d hate for a full interview with Bea or the other legendary ladies in the clip to go unseen. I’d like to see if she final discusses her service in her final interview.
http://lunchingwithalegend.com/
Cheers,
Video unseen or not, I’d prefer to think Ms. Arthur served her country more than very well.
HOORAH Bea Arthur!
I do find it rather funny that she got put in hack over a case of the clap. Very Marine, when you think of it.
I do find it rather funny that she got put in hack over a case of the clap
I thought the same thing….I’m sure alot of people have heard of the silver bullet and getting rodded off the range…but I just heard about it….from a friend of a friend….uh….really.