The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-16
Your War; With Ernie Pyle

hollywood sure do go for a soft
flossy beard. The only tragedy
was when one soldiers beard
caught fire one day, and he got
pretty badly burned. I don't know
whether he got Purple Heart for
that or not
The six main soldier characters
in the picture were played by pro-
fessional actors. But the run-of-the-
mill soldiers were played by real
soldiers. AS we expected, a couple
OF the real soldiers turned out TO
be ''finds'' as actors. By the time
you see the picture, practically all
the soldiers in it Will be fighting
overseas.
spent week in Hollywood
nosing into the picture in October,
another week in December, and
Hollywood people were dropping
off every plane, train and stage
coach that passed through Albu-
querque all the time I was home.
We had Hollywood writer's, di-
rectors, actors, producers, pho
tographers and research experts
by the dozen at our house. The
only thing Hollywood didn't send
over to Albuquerque in search of
enlightenment and advice was
beautiful girls, and l guess they
don't need advice.
I still dom, know whether it
will be good picture or not
but 1 think it will. Certainly there
are some magnificent scenes in
it, and certainly it pulls no punches
in showing the mud and misery
and fear of an infantryman's life.
If it isn't a good picture, it will
not be for lack of good intentions.
They have worked year and
half on it, and spent over mil
lion dollars. They've shaved to
avoid "Hollywooding'' it. They've
sought, and listened to advice
from men who know what war is.
They've had a least one veteran
correspondent there all the
time. The Army has kept never
less than three overseas veterans
of combat out there constantly. AS
I left Hollywood one of these vet
Grams said Il think it's going to
be a good picture At least 1 think
it will be the most authentic war
picture ever made
My own part in it is very minor,
as it should. be, for this is
a picture about the Infantry, not
about me. My part is played by
Capt. Burgess Meredith
The makeup men shaved his
head and wrinkled face and made
him up so we'll that he's even
uglier than I am, poor fellow.
The picture was directed by
'Wild Bill Wellman. one of Ho1-
lywood's top men, Wellman is a
picturesque director. Wild with en-
thusiasm, and everything he sees
is either the greatest thing he ever
saw in his life, or the worst thing.
Thank goodness, he thinks this pic
ture comes in the former cate
CORY.
The picture was produced by |
Lester CoWan, an independent,
through United Artists. If its
lousy picture, poor Lester will have
to face the wrath of about two
million irate soldiers. If it isn't
a lousy picture, then he can float
on air for years.
An almost anonymous person
whose hand bore strongly on the
picture is an old Indiana school
friend of mine named Paige Cav
Being one OF my closest
friends, he quit whatever he was
doing last spring ans went to work
for Lester CoWan, largely to in
sure. as Lester puts it, that "Cowan
didn't louise Pyle up"
But as time went on Cavanaugh's
innate good sense began to make
am impression around Hollywood.
and in the end they have leaned
heavily on his judgement. Cavan-
augh, being a farmer at heart, |