Audie Murphy...after returning from WWII, Audie appeared on the cover of Life magazine in 1945 as the most decorated soldier. James Cagney saw the cover and contacted Audie, bringing him to Hollywood in 1946 and getting him actors training...however, he never worked for the Cagneys production company. While living in Hollywood and training for an acting career, Audie worked with writer Spec McClure and in 1949, published his autobiography To Hell and Back recounting his WWII service leading up to his receiving the Medal of Honor. 1949 was also the year he started his film career, first in two bit roles and then starring in Bad Boy a very good film about a juvenile delinquent with a sensitive performance by Audie. He was signed to a seven year contract with Universal and worked steadily through 1967. His films were mainly westerns with a few notable exceptions. The Red Badge of Courage by John Huston is considered a butchered masterpiece, beautiful cinematography and another good performance by Audie but the studio re-edited the film and destroyed all unused footage. In 1955, Audie played himself in the adaptation of his autobiography To Hell and Back - the highest grossing Universal film at that time. And The Quiet American which didnt stay true to its source material, the book by Graham Greene but was still highly regarded including many who consider it to contain Audies best acting. In the western genre, I believe No Name on the Bullet is not only Audies best western but it is also an excellent film. Sadly, Audie suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (called Battle Fatigue or Shell Shock at the time) with symptoms including insomnia, depression, sudden violent outbursts, gambling and sleeping pill addictions. He spoke openly about his battle with the disorder. He died aged 45 in 1971 when the private plane in which he was a passenger crashed.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:14:42 +0000
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