The Malmedy Massacre was exhaustingly investigated by the First Army. 1935). The Pursuit of Happiness. Charles Durning, a two-time Oscar nominee known for a wide-range of character roles on film, television and stage, died of natural causes on Christmas Eve. In March 1945, Durning was moving into Germany with the 398th Infantry Regiment when he took a bullet to the chest. But he leaves behind an interesting question: was he at the Malmedy Massacre? December 26th, 2012 Tweet A few words of respect for Charles Durning who died on Monday at age 89. 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. Mr. Durning told me he was in that group, but he and six other guys hid behind trees then escaped. Furthermore one should keep in mind that all survivors to the massacre, i.e. - While many individual service records were indeed destroyed by fire, the General Orders which issued Silver Stars were stored at other locations - such as in the unit files - that have been archived at other facilities. A few additional points. SAG Award nominations will be announced Dec. 20. I now think that whoever said that was correct. Of all the thousands of units in the ETO? Memorability Metrics. 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. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:09, 2 February 2009 (UTC), I think everybody's raised good points. Unless someone has a contradictory source, or different experience with the Frances/Francis spelling/gender distinction, I believe the section should assume she is a sister. --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. Prior to appearing in the Burt Reynolds's TV series, Evening Shade, as the town doctor Harlan Eldridge (19901994), Durning appeared with Reynolds in five films, beginning with 1979's Starting Over, followed by 1981's Sharky's Machine, 1982's Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, 1985's Stick and 1999's Hostage Hotel. Durning was simply not there. A Tiger's Tale. But it was thought be of value in the areas where they knew the mercury issue was relevant. There are no original sources, official documents or corroborating accounts by those he served with that validate his stories. television commercial for the Kerry campaign, Obama commercial that I discussed a few weeks ago. Every service member leaves the military eventually. Durning married his second wife, Mary Ann Amelio, in 1974. The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors. During the German attack, Durning reported that a particularly young soldier charged him, but Durning couldnt bring himself to fire. It's right at the beginning of the movie. Durning first got his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. Fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, he and the rest of his company were captured. Stetsonharry (talk) 20:53, 5 February 2009 (UTC), If there's no objection, I suggest inserting a reference to him as a Malmedy survivor based on bhcnp.org. It's a shame he is not more forthcoming; such vagueness merely arouses suspicion. However, I just recently found out about his heroism during WWII which included being in the first wave on Omaha Beach at Normandy, being one of the few survivors of the Malmedy Massacre and being awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Hearts. Just because someone else makes a statement about the subject of this article, doesn't mean that it deserves mention here. 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.". I really found that shocking to hear. Block 36 shows arrival in the ETO on 19 Feb 44 and departure 8 Jan 46. The statement of Reynolds does however not mean that the name of the survivors are wrong or unknown. The rest of the Wikipedia article on World War II service is, as others have noted here, quite inconsistent. As you know, that is a critical difference. But then again, Reynolds is hardly an authority on military history, so what he says about Charles Durning's war record is very trivial, even if the editor could find a reference. While working as an usher in a burlesque theatre, he was hired to replace a drunken actor on stage. [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. [8] After being wounded by a German anti-personnel mine in the Bocage, he spent six months recovering. and "Inherit the Wind.". Crazy humans. On TV, Durning had a recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as the Barone family's long-suffering parish priest, Father Hubley. Soldiers of Kampfgruppe Peiper summarily killed eighty Also, the alleged false statement was the Durning was the 2nd most decorated soldier of WWII, which Monkeyzpop disputes. Zodiac. Durning, 84, will receive the award for fostering the "finest ideals . firefighter Member 12,730 Location: Syracuse, NY #4 Posted February 14, 2016 He did his service hink441 Member 5,410 Location: Virginia #5 Posted February 14, 2016 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. Share on Facebook; Mr. ", The Charles Durning Collection is held at the Academy Film Archive. That same year, he won a Tony Award for his performance as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. And he was one of the few survivors of the infamous Malmedy massacre of American POWs. Hollywood is such a crazy thing. 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. 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. Can anyone track what year was the first claim that Mr Durning claimed to be a Ranger? On that basis everything ever quoted is potentially false - a ridiculous proposition. I've posted on this in the Military History WikiProject in the hope that maybe some better sourcing can be found. All rights reserved. Plus, he has appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different television movies. 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. I wonder whether it might be able to get some rock solid sources on this. The Cat! 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. . As a teen, Durning displayed the tenacious nature that would later earmark many of his . He was 89. But, there is no way Durning is the second most decorated hero of WWII, see Audie Murphy and Matt Urban. He talked about how cold it was that day in the snow as they were hiding behind the trees. He also points out that During's records only mention Silver Star, not Silever Star Medal. He cut his teeth in Shakespearean productions staged by Joe Papp and, in 1972, won a Drama Desk award for his performance in That Championship Season on Broadway. Tue 25 Dec 2012 10.24 EST. Durning participated in various functions to honor American veterans, including serving as Chairman of the U.S. National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. Kampfgruppe Peiper immediately began firing upon Battery B, sending the Americans into a panic. 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. His three brothers James (Roger) (1915-2000), Clifford (1916-1994),and Gerald Durning (born 1926), and his sister Frances (born 1919) survived to . But some quick Google searches, including this database of citations: http://www.homeofheroes.com/members/04_SS/2_WWII/indexes/army/Army-D.html does not contain the name Charles Durning. [5]. Durning was reassigned to the 398th Infantry Regiment with the 100th Infantry Division, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. This seems even to have publicly said by the French consul in LA during an official ceremony that took place a few years ago. The Wikipedia discussion argues that because there is no documentation, and more importantly, because so many accounts of what happened at Malmady are embellished and inaccurate, that he should not be cited as a survivor of the incident. 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. He was part of the landing forces at Normandy during the initial invasion of France by Allied forces. Today's #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Charles Durning, who served as an infantryman during World War II and later became a prolific actor. Drafted at age 21, he was first assigned as a rifleman with the 398th Infantry Regiment, and later served overseas with the 3rd Army Support troops and the 386th Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion. Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, the . 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. Was Charles Durning at the Malmedy massacre? Durning is the only survivor of a unit that landed on Omaha Beach that June 6 in 1944. 159th Regiment. Charles Durning, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 89 Columbia Pictures, via Getty Images . Finally, this story about Durning present at the crossroad is running on several websites since many years. I really think that this aspect of the massacre is well documented and available to every historian. He holds the Silver Star for valor and three Purple Hearts for wounds he suffered. For his numerous roles on television, he earned nine Emmy Award nominations. Division. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:43, 22 February 2009 (UTC). Not only has no text been provided from this document, but it sounds like the entire thing was cribbed from this very article. The Cat!" This message was posted before February 2018. I'm afraid that's where your argument runs out of steam. Tootsie. 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). He noted that 1) It appears Durning did not leave the replacement system till March 44 (well after Malmedy); 2) Durning was nominally assigned to the 159th Inf Regt, then transferred to the 398th Inf Regt when the former was shipped stateside in the Fall of 45; 3)Although he was nominally assigned to those infantry regiments, he actually was on temporary duty with the 20th Special Services Bn (an entertainment unit); and 5) Mr. Karras says he knows for a fact that Arlington has cut a new headstone for Durning which omits the Bronze Star medal and two of his supposed Purple Hearts. Durning's memorable roles included the Oscar-winning The Sting (1973) and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon (1975), along with the . Tough Guys. Other film roles include Henry Larson, the benevolent father of Holly Hunter's character in Home for the Holidays (1995) and Waring Hudsucker in The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). The policy of not returning recovered from wounds soldiers to their original units was not a hard fast rule. More memorably, I had a great day hanging out talking World War II with him. He landed at D-Day, was in the Battle of the Bulge, and was part of the Malmady Massacre. William J. Stepp - 12/23/2009 . He told me he was fond of my father because he was, in his opinion, one of only a handful that he felt was actually telling the truth most of the rest had either intentionally or unintentionally blown their stories up over the years into hugely embellished tales that contradicted each other and played loose with the facts. Born in Highland Falls, N.Y., adjacent to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where his mother was a laundress for the cadets and his father a Soldier, Durning was the fourth of 10 children.. He was 89. 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 . His birthplace is Highland Falls, New York. Veteran character actor Charles Durning died yesterday in his Manhattan home. 98.255.89.22 (talk) 09:00, 6 July 2013 (UTC), Oldbubblehead. "Oldbubblehead (talk) 04:25, 17 July 2013 (UTC). Search instead in Creative? For example, tankers were returned to armored units, specialist troops (rangers, paratroops, etc.) Also, we got Paul Newman to do the voiceover which was fun I directed him over the phone but he did his performance at the end of a recording session for the animated feature, Cars, and he was very old by then so most people didnt even recognize his voice (which was a lesson to me in voice talent). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). It was an awesome day. In 1980, he won critical acclaim for his performance as Norman Thayer, Jr. in Los Angeles's Ahmanson Theater's production of On Golden Pond opposite Julie Harris. Charles Durning, who overcame poverty, battlefield trauma and nagging self-doubt to become an acclaimed character actor, whether on stage as Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" or in film as. In 1979, he played Doc Hopper, a man who owns a frog leg restaurant and the main antagonist in The Muppet Movie. Oldbubblehead (talk) 06:18, 18 June 2013 (UTC). It had much to do with the nature of the wounds, and the length and location of hospitalization. He was taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge and was one of a few survivors of the attack on American POWs at Malmedy, Belgium. According to Wikipedia, 43 men escaped. Sad news arrived on Christmas Day with word that longtime character actor Charles Durning . Beginning in 1961, he appeared in 35 plays as part of the Shakespeare Festival. Charles Durning Born: 28-Feb - 1923 Birthplace: Highland Falls, NY Died: 24-Dec - 2012 Location of death: New York City Cause of death: unspecified Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor Nationality: United States Executive summary: The Muppet Movie Military service: US Army (Ranger, WWII) Where the River Runs Black. Discuss here please. Working through Hollywood contacts we heard that veteran character actor Charles Durning was a keen Democrat (even though his wife was a staunch Republican and literally tried to keep him from associating with us). Breakheart Pass. 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? Having a successful career in the military is a major accomplishment. But second, last year I met with Gavan Daws who wrote the definitive book on Japanese Prisoners of War. There tends to be a correlation between the quality of character actors and how big of a character they are themselves. Durning, 84, will receive the award for fostering the "finest ideals . In Tootsie, he played a suitor to Dustin Hoffman's cross-dressing lead character. Born: 28-Feb-1923 Birthplace: Highland Falls, NY Died: 24-Dec-2012 Location of death: New York City Cause of death: unspecified. 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. They were fighting at Bitche, France, 200+ kilometers from Malmedy at the time of the Massacre. Those who did not escape, including medical personnel, quickly surrendered to the SS troopers and after being searched and relieved . 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