Was Charles Durning at the Malmedy massacre? [Ref: http://www.web2carz.com/people/who-you-know/2097/charles-durnings-war-heroism-exaggeration-fabrication]. It leaves you nervous about listening to the tales of war veterans. And yes, some say that his career officially started as a singer with a band at the age of 16 before going into acting. As a teen, Durning displayed the tenacious nature that would later earmark many of his . Durning's performances in Broadway productions include Drat! He appeared on the FX television series Rescue Me, playing Mike Gavin, the retired firefighter father of Denis Leary's character. In Belgium he was stabbed in hand-to-hand combat with a German soldier, whom he bludgeoned to death with a rock. Charles Durning Malmedy How To Teach You. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Mr. Durning's 'war record' merely consists of his own assertions (which varied greatly over the years) or retellings of his assertions, as understood or embellished by others. he and the rest of his company were captured and forced to march through a pine forest at Malmedy, the scene of an infamous massacre in which the Germans opened fire on almost 90 prisoners. I have just modified one external link on Charles Durning. Since you've left the military, you have already had some civilian experience, but maybe it's time for a change in your education or career path. Division. Division. During the German attack, Durning reported that a particularly young soldier charged him, but Durning couldnt bring himself to fire. Being a fellow member of The Screen Actors Guild with Mr. Durning, I hope one day to meet with him again. Part of the reason he was willing to talk may have been because I told him some of my fathers war experiences from the Bataan Death March in the Philippines. Division, and a former Chief of Staff for the 1st. And then you go and do a documentary feature film about the Bataan Death March (as I did last year and will begin screening on Feb. 14 at Brown University) and you end up gaining your own appreciation for the fact that history is just some agreed upon set of stories. For example, tankers were returned to armored units, specialist troops (rangers, paratroops, etc.) There tends to be a correlation between the quality of character actors and how big of a character they are themselves. Born in Highland Falls, New York, Charles Durning was the ninth of ten children. Durning was a boxer, ice-cream seller and dance instructor before establishing himself as an actor. In 2010, the two filed an official Declaration of Separation. Like Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy, Charles Durning was a highly-decorated soldier in World War II before he began an acting career. I'd be interested to learn how he came into show business - his turn in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" shows him to be a gifted dancer. With the 398th Infantry Regiment he moved into Germany where he was again seriously wounded in March 1945 and evacuated to the United States. Search instead in Creative? Unfortunatley, the secondary sources have most of his info wrong. On that basis everything ever quoted is potentially false - a ridiculous proposition. Other film credits include Dog Day Afternoon with Al Pacino; When A Stranger Calls; The Final Countdown; The Hindenburg; Twilight's Last Gleaming with Burt Lancaster; True Confessions with Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall. Please take a moment to review my edit. The net result was a commercial that was okay. Charles is related to William Pershing Durning and Jeff M Durning as well as 1 additional person. Alfred "Ed Moch" Cota. I repeat one last time, if you "know" - as you insist you do - why don't you contact the French Embassy and get them to retract the statement? He was discharged with the rank of private first class on January 30, 1946. We would do three plays in Central Park for the summer. Incredibly subjective. http://news.yahoo.com/durning-king-character-actors-dies-nyc-075353360.html, While the article notes there appears to be some confusion at Durning's war record (which unit he was with at any particular moment etc), I think the Third Army [art needs to be clarified. Mr. Steve Karras, among other researchers, has accessed primary sources such as Durnings discharge papers, his medical records, unit personnel rosters and morning reports, Army General Orders, and other records, as well as secondary sources such as unit official histories, to assemble an accurate record of Durnings military experiences. --65.190.163.190 02:09, 23 May 2006 (UTC). All rights reserved. There are no original sources, official documents or corroborating accounts by those he served with that validate his stories. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. In 2002, he performed in Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui with Al Pacino, produced by Tony Randall. "Oldbubblehead (talk) 04:25, 17 July 2013 (UTC). 68.124.153.86 (talk) 00:34, 30 April 2008 (UTC) Gerard, Other than his wartime experiences, the article makes no mention of Charles Durning's career pre 1973. I'm beginning to wonder about the veracity of Mr Durning's World War II story. Tootsie. On par with his multitude of feature film roles, Durning has always been in high demand on television and has guest starred in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), Monk (2002) and Rescue Me (2004). - Should note that at the time Mr. Durning would have served with the 386th AAA (AW) Bn (he joined the unit while still stateside and he was levied out on 23 May 44 . - On the other hand, if he were assigned to the 398th Inf Regt upon discharge from the hospital - as most accounts reflect - that raises even more serious questions. Before jumping into your new job all gung-ho, you would do yourself a great disservice if you didn't do your research. 5. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022). I tend to agree with David T Tokyo, but I'd feel better if the declaration appeared in a better source than the one we have, preferably an official one. On the other side there are based on what the Germans say (at least those who are ready to admit they actually were there: curiously if you listen at the men of Peiper, almost all were miles away from that particular place a that particular time): most of the times, this is presented as an unfortunate accident due to the fact that some US PoWs had tried to escape. And yet I am still very far from being convinced. For his numerous roles on television, he earned nine Emmy Award nominations. He was discharged in 1946 as a private first class. Charles Durning, Durning served in the U.S. Army during World War II. And there's the weakness in Wiki; the burden of proof should be on those making assertions of fact; instead, Wiki gives credence to unsubstantiated, possibly self-serving claims made by individuals, that are only bolstered by second and third hand retellings of that same man's stories. He talked about how cold it was that day in the snow as they were hiding behind the trees. Durning was then evacuated to the U.S. to spend the remainder of his time in the Army recovering until he was discharged in January 1946 as a private first class. The "confusion" regarding Mr. Durning's service is far more extensive than has been touched on here. One one side they are based on the testimonies made by the American survivors, which must been seen as relations made by guys who had escaped to an almost promissed death, who were under shock, often wounded and who had some difficulties to make a coherent relation of the facts. The Malmedy massacre was a German war crime committed by soldiers of the Waffen-SS on 17 December 1944, at the Baugnez crossroads near the city of Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945). Anyone have any further information??? But interestingly, in the detailed Wikipedia discussion of Malmady, they conclude that Durning was not a part of the event. "Concert on Memorial Day", Drama League's Distinguished Performance Award, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor Television, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Durning&oldid=1134219393, Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners, United States Army personnel of World War II, Articles with dead external links from May 2020, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Articles needing additional references from December 2022, All articles needing additional references, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata, Articles with dead external links from April 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, U.S. First Infantry Division, U.S. 100th Infantry Division, Old Dogsborough / Ted Ragg / Ignatius Dullfeet, Episode: "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories", WWII campaign , good conduct and service medals, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 15:50. "Hollywood Stars at D-Day", Soldiers Online Army.mil. That place that no one knows about horrifying things we keep secret. "I had no money at all, and he [Joseph Papp] didn't pay much. But it was thought be of value in the areas where they knew the mercury issue was relevant. The Pursuit of Happiness. 2. The American D-Day beach landings were under the command of US 1st Army, and the 1st Infantry was part of the First Army until - afaik - until the end of the war in Europe. He is not credited for being in Star Wars at IMDB. He was one of the military masterminds of The Invasion of Normandy that also landed at Omaha Beach. It's entirely possible that Durning (or someone on his behalf) asked for (and obtained) corrections to the original records in the time since his discharge, explaining the additional awards in the 2002 summary and the letter from 2008. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:43, 22 February 2009 (UTC). With regards to the re-assignment of soldiers - while it is common knowledge that the replacement system funneled troops from unit to unit after being wounded, they were still moved to units with respect to their training. Rlevse Talk 03:28, 9 November 2009 (UTC), i'm confused because it seems that three purple hearts are claimed, but only two instances of being wounded are cited. Zskok (1994) Smrt Waringa Hudsuckera ( Charles Durning) byla inspirovna skutenou udlost ze dne 3. nora 1975, kdy obchodnk Eli M. Black rozbil kufkem okno sv kancele ve 44. pate Newyorkskho mrakodrapu Pan Am Building (nyn MetLife Building) a skoil z nho. Durning was reassigned to the 398th Infantry Regiment with the 100th Infantry Division, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to: Search the largest free Veteran Job board to find jobs with veteran-friendly companies. His three brothers James (Roger) (1915-2000), Clifford (1916-1994),and Gerald Durning (born 1926), and his sister Frances (born 1919) survived to . Age (2022) Update Soon. He wasnt just a run of the mill World War II veteran. Warren Kozak writes in the Wall Street Journal, "The Real Rules of War," Dec. 23, that his father, who survived the Battle of the Bulge, told him that for two weeks . What I know now, was and is still a missed opportunity for us to discuss this event, because like Mr. Durning, my Grandfather, Brigadier General, Norman Cota was an assistant Commander of the 29th. Charles Durning was born on 1923-02-28. Charles Durning (AP)Charles Durning, a World War II hero who became the king of the character actors, died Monday at his Manhattan home. That can cause a number of types of confusion. The rest of the Wikipedia article on World War II service is, as others have noted here, quite inconsistent. My old buddy Dr. Steven Miller (who was my partner in the Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project and would eventually be executive producer of Flock of Dodos as well as the current Lionfish PSA Campaign), quickly raised the funds for me to write and direct a commercial for the campaign. Charles Durning served his country with honor and with great personal sacrifice. When a Stranger Calls. It does say that he was a survivor of the Malmedy Massacre. Languages Editions (L) This record will need to be linked on this talk page so that other editors can verify this before we can allow this kind of character assassination. Charles Durning, an American actor , plays Mayor John Fitzgerald, father of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, in the TV mini-series 'The Fitzgeralds And . Stetsonharry (talk) 21:09, 2 February 2009 (UTC), I think everybody's raised good points. The worksheet shows (additionally) Foreign Service Pay of $128.43 for the period 1 Dec 45 to 24 or 26 Jan 46 $7072/month depending on how it was pro-rated. [5]. Has he really said this. Furthermore one should keep in mind that all survivors to the massacre, i.e. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. In any case, recovered soldiers were returned to units of their original branch. I really found that shocking to hear. - At least one account says he was assigned to the 159th Infantry Regiment. A Tiger's Tale. Description. His three brothers James (known as Roger, 19152000), Clifford (19161994), and Gerald (19262000) and his sister Frances (19182006) survived to adulthood, but five sisters died from scarlet fever and smallpox as children. Related:To create a personalized transition plan for yourself, and for transition guides and checklists, visit theMilitary.com Transition Center. And the Rangers were not a dumping ground for disciplinary problems. My father was a Malmedy survivor and I have done extensive research into the massacre and its aftermath. in the Battle of the Bulge, he and the rest of his company were captured and forced to march through a pine forest at Malmedy, the scene of an infamous massacre in . Charles Durning s WWII Experience It's hard to describe what we all went through that day, but those of you who were there will understand. at Frances (disambiguation). Dog Day Afternoon (1975) -- (Movie Clip) They're Bringing In Your Wife Something of a spoiler, as writer Frank Pierson delivers one of the noted plot curve-balls of the decade in his fact-based screenplay, as cop Moretti (Charles Durning) tells hostage-holding bank robber Sonny (Al Pacino) that his wife has arrived, not expecting Chris Sarandon as Leon, in Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon, 1975. He was honored with the Life Achievement Award at the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award Ceremony on January 27, 2008. He describes in detail being captured by Germans and escaping, but NOT as part of the Malmedy events--not even at the same period of time. He also points out that During's records only mention Silver Star, not Silever Star Medal. The question of why a trained rifleman (if that is what he was on D-Day) would suddenly end up in a field artillery observation battalion (if that is what happened) on 17 December is still pertinent. He made his film debut in 1965, appearing in Harvey Middleman, Fireman. Mr. Charles Durning's first job in the entertainment field was as an usher at a burlesque house. I really think that this aspect of the massacre is well documented and available to every historian. We were frightened all the time. There are links to articles on the medals with pictures of them there. The chest wound which earned him the Purple Heart prompted his evacuation to the United States for recovery where he spent the remainder of his time with the Army. Durning, 84, will receive the award for fostering the "finest ideals . Five of his siblings died due to scarlet fever and smallpox, and much of his early life was spent in hardship. (2000). Before I make any changes to his page, I have asked for some clarification from the Wikipedia powers that be. The biggest joy of the experience was getting to spend the day chatting with Mr. Durning. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Charles Durning, a World War Two hero who became one of Hollywood's top character actors in films like "The Sting," "Tootsie" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," has. Sep 25, 2021 - Explore Dick Clark's board "Charles Durning", followed by 266 people on Pinterest. He also appeared in Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972) with Barbara Hershey and John Lithgow. Don't know whether you have seen this discussion of Mr. Durning's service: If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with, If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with, This page was last edited on 22 April 2022, at 10:34. Tue 25 Dec 2012 10.24 EST. He was transported to the 24th Evacuation Hospital. Durning continued a regular on screen association with Burt Reynolds appearing in several more feature films together and as "Dr. Harlan Elldridge" in the highly popular TV series Evening Shade (1990). He was 89. Further thoughts on this would be helpful. Charles Durning is indeed a great actor and served his country honorably during WWII, including his landing at Normandy on D-Day. The New York Times, which commented on Durning's more than 200 credited roles, referred to him and actor Jack Klugman, who died the same day, as "extraordinary actors ennobling the ordinary". He was a great character actor, a tremendous military hero, and a really good guy (plus a Democrat) whom I got to spend a day with in 2004. Charles Durning Height, Weight & Measurements At 89 years old, Charles Durning height is 5' 8" (1.73 m) . [10] Additional awards included the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device and two bronze service stars, and the World War II Victory Medal. He agreed to give us a day, I pulled together an amazing crew of industry veterans (including the very best cameraman I ever got the joy of working with they were all Democrats willing to donate their time for the campaign), we found a location north of L.A., and within a couple days were out there filming. December 26th, 2012 Tweet A few words of respect for Charles Durning who died on Monday at age 89. While working as an usher in a burlesque theatre, he was hired to replace a drunken actor on stage. It was an awesome day. Nothing more. Mr. Durning, my gratitude and utmost respect go out to you. Stars in Khaki by Wise and Wilderson provides little information. Durning received the French National Order of the Legion of Honor from the French Consul in Los Angeles in April 2008. One possible explanation for his not being mentioned on this, or vocal generally on World War II, is that I found him listed in Halliwell's Filmgoers Companion as born in 1933. He was part of the landing forces at Normandy during the initial invasion of France by Allied forces. According to Wikipedia, 43 men escaped. Durning was equally entertaining in the Billy Wilder production of The Front Page (1974), he supported screen tough guy Charles Bronson in the suspenseful western Breakheart Pass (1975) and featured as "Spermwhale Whalen" in the story of unorthodox police behavior in The Choirboys (1977).The versatile Durning is equally adept at comedic roles and demonstrated his skills as "Doc Hopper" in The Muppet Movie (1979), a feisty football coach in North Dallas Forty (1979), a highly strung police officer berating maverick cop Burt Reynolds in Sharky's Machine (1981), and a light footed, dancing Governor (alongside Burt Reynolds once more) in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). I wonder whether it might be able to get some rock solid sources on this. Shearonink (talk) 19:53, 9 June 2019 (UTC), Not so far as I can tell, information does not appear in cited souces. Of course all those who have writen on that massacre have emphasised one or other point of view according to their preference: som tried to whitewash the Germans others of course have pointed out how bestial they have been. But then I found a book in Google Books on actors serving in the military (Duty, Honor, Applause) that talks about Durning's service in the Rangers, says some of his fellow rangers were killed at Malmedy but says nothing about his escaping.[2]. Preceding unsigned comment added by Deemery (talk contribs) 16:08, 26 December 2012 (UTC), In 1943 you joined the army, enlisting as an Army Ranger. It contains a roster, list of decorations awarded, and some information on landing craft assignments. I'd also hope that other identified incorrect entries be removed from the article, such as earning 3 Puprple Hearts (he earned just one); serving with the 1st Division (he did not) and receiving campaign credit for the Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Campaign - which, again, he did not); Oldbubblehead's research has proven those elements invalid. In Tootsie, he played a suitor to Dustin Hoffman's cross-dressing lead character. Durning participated in various functions to honor American veterans, including serving as Chairman of the U.S. National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. Over the course of his life, aside from the medals he earned as a soldier, Durning won numerous accolades as an actor including a Life Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 9 Emmy Award nominations, and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The Service Stars (or campaign stars or battle stars) came in bronze or silver. David T Tokyo (talk) 05:40, 15 October 2008 (UTC), This is a major hole in the article. Again, Durning is not listed. I'm afraid that's where your argument runs out of steam. Rangers in World War II by Robert W. Black contains a complete roster of all Rangers who served during World War II. Those who did not escape, including medical personnel, quickly surrendered to the SS troopers and after being searched and relieved . He won a Golden Globe in 1990 for his supporting role in the television miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts, having had three previous nominations. In 2005, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of a Marine veteran in "Call of Silence," an episode in the television series NCIS, first broadcast November 23, 2004. He scored minor roles over the next decade until he really got noticed by film fans as the sneering, corrupt cop "Lt. Snyder" hassling street grifter 'Robert Redford' in the multi award winning mega-hit The Sting (1973). LOS ANGELES - From World War II hero to dancer and award-winning actor, Charles Durning has lived a storied life. David T Tokyo (talk) 16:30, 26 February 2009 (UTC), 12th Repl. Sheesh. It is apparently based on a June 1993 interview the source of which is not listed. Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York. The French government apparently issued a statement mentioning Malmedy, but the closest I can come is this[1]. There is a significant question as to who he served with upon returning to the Continent. I got to direct a TV commercial for the Kerry Campaign in 2004 starring the late Charles Durning. Both his war record and his acting career were mentioned. It's a shame he is not more forthcoming; such vagueness merely arouses suspicion. Best Answer. And then you'd do three to six plays every year down on Lafayette Street new plays by new writers: Sam Shepard, David Mamet, David Rabe, John Ford Noonan, Jason Miller.". No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Early life. Share on Facebook; What is the purpose of your discussion topic? In conclusion I still have strong doubts about this story and I think that one should check for more reliable sources before writing that Mr. Durning is a Malmedy massacre survivor. (1970, as Charles Durnham), Sisters (1973), and The Fury (1978). IMDb is not considered to be a reliable source since it is mainly user-edited - just like Wikipedia. chris Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.179.70.124 (talk) 11:29, 25 December 2012 (UTC), Charles Durning was presented with the French Legion of Honor on April 22, 2008 (last week). But he leaves behind an interesting question: was he at the Malmedy Massacre? Some television credits include The Connection; Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, the made-for-television musical in which he played the mailman who reaches out to Maureen Stapleton's lonely widow on the dance floor; Attica; PBS's Dancing Bear with Tyne Daly; the PBS production I Would Be Called John as Pope John XXIII; Hallmark Hall of Fame: Casey Stengel, in which Durning played the legendary baseball manager Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel; NBC's mini-series Studs Lonigan with Harry Hamlin and Colleen Dewhurst; The Best Little Girl in the World with Jennifer Jason Leigh. Durning's rugged early life provided ample material on which to base his later portrayals. They have also lived in La Mesa, CA and Flagstaff, AZ. --Chuck Baggett (talk) 02:48, 29 November 2017 (UTC), Cheers.InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 12:27, 14 December 2017 (UTC), Recent edits have removed a reference while asserting a claim "from IMDb" about Mr Durning's ancestry.