Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Tuesday Trivia- Celebrity Edition

Today's Trivia will focus on the famous folks who once wore a uniform.  To be honest though, I had to dig deep into the past to get the material.  Not too many people in young Hollywood have stepped up and accepted the responsibility of defending our nation.  I think it's the nature of the business, and society in general, that there just aren't more celebrities who have been willing to serve.  To be even more honest, I don't really mind.  Maybe I'm just getting old, but I'm not a big fan of anyone in the entertainment business these days.  They just seem too self-absorbed and disconnected from the realities of life and world dynamics.  And to make it worse, they seem to be very vocal in their disconnect.  Oh, there are some notable exceptions; Gary Sinese being the most prominent of that very short list, but I'd be hard pressed to find others.

However, that's not the reason for the trivia du jour.  We shall be going through that short list of now-old dudes (and a notable dudette) who were willing to stand a post.  Chuck Norris has been mentioned here enough recently so I'll leave him out.  Most are easy to pick out because of their distinctive looks, but I'll share the answers at the end.

1.
Stood in line with other recruits before he walked it.
 2.
She served as a truck driver in the Corps then lived next door to a guy who's initials were the reverse of hers.
3.
Served as a swimming instructor, not a sniper.
 4.
Served as an aerial Gunner in the USAAC.  Maybe that's where he became such an advocate. 
5.
Served in the Marines, but played both an Admiral and a boat skipper in the movies.
6.
He wasn't a photographer in the service, but he got pretty good with photos shortly thereafter. 
7.
I was shocked, shocked to find out he had served.
8.
10's best pal
9.
While he didn't wrap up his career in the military as a cop, he still plays one today.
10.
Here's a guy with the same initials as the first one.
 11.
American Idol semi-finalist.  He was a Marine PFC, not a Navy J.G.
12.
As a paratrooper, the Army made him semi-tough.

 13.
Fortunately he didn't wear a red uniform on TV.
 14.
Funnyman who had served as a combat engineer, clearing land-mines which he said "required a sense of humor."
 15.
Once played God and a guy who wanted his co-star to keep thinking outside the box.
16.
Already a star when he joined for WWII, he left wife Ava Gardner at home.  Now that's sacrifice!

 17.
Was an MP in the service, but later had a bad attitude towards them.  Bonus for his real name.

18.
He wasn't a Naval Personnel-man, but the abbreviation for it is a clue.

 19.
LtCol, USMCR (Ret), continued to serve while working for Comedy Central.  I really like this guy.
20.
The Air Force had to discharge him for back problems. His preferred Rx is better for glaucoma though.

If the pictures didn't make it obvious enough, the clues probably helped, but here's who these celebs are:
1. Johnny Cash
2. Bea Arthur
3. Clint Eastwood
4. Charleton Heston
5. Gene Hackman
6. Hugh Hefner
7. Humphrey Bogart
8. Ed McMahon
9. Ice T (Tracy Marrow)
10. Johnny Carson
11. Josh Gracin
12. Kris Kristofferson
13. Leonard Nimoy
14. Mel Brooks
15. Morgan Freeman
16. Mickey Rooney
17. Mr. T (Laurence Tureaud)
18. Paul Newman
19. Rob Riggle
20. Willie Nelson

11 comments:

  1. Well done. Didn't do as well as I thought I would. Lots of the ones I missed were right on the tip of my tongue. I recognized the eyes, but couldn't put the rest together. Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What Juvat said.

    There were some guys I recognized and had no idea that they had served. (Spock!)

    Bogey I didn't recognize until you told me, then yeah, look at the eyes. No idea he had served.

    Ice T threw me, didn't recognize him at all. I knew Johnny Carson had served, there's a picture of him wearing his midshipman's uniform on Wikipedia. Did you know that in his amateur boxing career aboard USS Pennsylvania he was 10-0? I've always liked Carson.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I only missed two of them (Ice T & Bea Arthur). Well done, indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I only got Mel Brooks.

    Great post

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great post, what a challenge! You must have been up all night looking for pics. I went to H.S. with Kristofferson (he, a senior, me a soph). He was a text book quarterback, student and chick magnet.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks everybody. I just realized that Rob Riggle looks a lot like Ed McMahon. Many of these I had no idea they had served, but I saw something on the Internet that said Captain Kangaroo served, as well as a bunch of athletes, which inspired me to hunt deeper for others. Carson? No clue he was that much of a renaissance man.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beatrice Arthur was actually sort of pretty in 1945. How did she get so sour looking?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good question Scott.

      Inquiring minds want to know.

      Delete
  8. Got Johnny Cash, Morgan Freeman and Mr. T.

    Bea was kinda hot back in Old NFO's day, wasn't she? And I had no idea that Mr. T's real name was Laurence.

    Quoting Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann: "Laurence? Of Arabia? Only faggots and sailors are names Laurence!"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Back in Old NFO's day?

      Heh. Ragging on our senior citizens again Murph?

      Delete

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