The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors. Durning's unit guarded German POW's in Krippe, Germany until after VE Day, June 23, 1945. Unfortunatley, the secondary sources have most of his info wrong. Then came The Malmedy Massacre which took place on December 17, 1944 by a unit that was a part of the 1st SS Panzer Division . 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. Durning was honored with three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. Plus, he has appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different television movies. . 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. But he definitely does not claim to be a Malmedy survivor. His is a remarkable story of survival. The French government apparently issued a statement mentioning Malmedy, but the closest I can come is this[1]. 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 does not appear in the list of survivors who were brought back to the massacre site. [15][16] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. But, there is no way Durning is the second most decorated hero of WWII, see Audie Murphy and Matt Urban. 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. Further thoughts on this would be helpful. Again, Charles Durning is nowhere to be found among these men. But it should be possible to ask them whether they have kept a record of this speach. He was undeterred, however, and would become one of the greatest character actors in living memory. PFC Durning was one of only a few soldiers to escape and survive the subsequent notorious Malmedy massacre. Durning at the 2008 National Memorial Day Concert in, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, CableACE Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast, National Board of Review Award for Best Cast, Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance, Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor Series, Miniseries or Television Film, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, "Los Angeles Times: Archives No Bleeps for Durning's Role", "Durning Takes On The 'Peasant Pope' For Pbs", "WWII Soldier, character actor Charles Durning to be interred at Arlington", "Military urban legends versus true tales: real life stories prove more interesting", "Speech by Consul General of France Philippe Larrieu", "VA Voluntary Service National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans", "Charles Durning, Oscar-nominated king of the character actors, dies at 89 in NYC", "An Appraisal Remembering Jack Klugman and Charles Durning", "Charles Durning, Jack Klugman Deaths Bring New Appreciation For Character Actor Titans", "McCaslin, John, TownHall.com (cached) "Stars by example", Hayes, Richard L., Osprey Publishing. Charles Durning Height, Weight & Measurements At 89 years old, Charles Durning height is 5' 8" (1.73 m) . 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. - According to another source, Durning and 12 others were levied out of C/386 AAA/AW on 23 May 44, just two weeks before D-Day and assigned to the 17th Replacement Depot; he arrived in Normandy still assigned to a detachment of that Depot (as Old bubblehead noted). I realize that one will oppose the statement of the French consul. "Oldbubblehead (talk) 04:25, 17 July 2013 (UTC). 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. My sergeant said, are you scared, son? Please take a moment to review my edit. He was the son of Louise (ne Leonard; 18941982), a laundress at West Point, and James E. Durning (1883 c. 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. Military spouses are making a go of their dream jobs across a wide range of fields. Again, kudos to Oldbubblehead. In some cases, you can go back and ask for a higher salary without jeopardizing your job, experts say. And yes, some say that his career officially started as a singer with a band at the age of 16 before going into acting. Durning married his second wife, Mary Ann Amelio, in 1974. Charles Durning will be honored for lifetime achievement by the Screen Actors Guild. Beginning in 1961, he appeared in 35 plays as part of the Shakespeare Festival. 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. and "Inherit the Wind.". There are several paths to success if you're getting out or thinking about getting out of the military after just one tour. 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. Durning first got his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. The Pursuit of Happiness. Can we really exclude that the speach could have writen by a lazzy (or gullible) employee who could simply have made a copy/paste of what he had found on a website without making any check? Before the war was over, Durning received a third Purple Heart and the Silver and Bronze Stars for valor. Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 - December 24, 2012) was an American actor, with appearances in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. I added this piece of information: War Hero on Walk of Fame by Solvej Schou (Associated Press). The Sting. Nothing more. Division. the Battle of the Bulge and was one of few survivors of the Malmedy massacre, Durning earned two Oscar and nine . It contains a roster, list of decorations awarded, and some information on landing craft assignments. --rogerd 12:35, 27 December 2006 (UTC), I will put an {{NPOV}} template at the top of the page. Durning was wounded by a German "S" Mine on June 15, 1944 at Les Mare des Mares, France. I do belive that the edit should stand, however. Discuss here please. The Malmady Massacre was a horrific event in which the Germans, after the Battle of the Bulge, rounded up and executed 80 American POWs. Charles Durning, Durning served in the U.S. Army during World War II. There are links to articles on the medals with pictures of them there. He played the role of Jack Jameson in Wendy Wasserstein's final play, Third (2005), with Dianne Wiest at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre. He was 89. 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. 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. 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. 4. 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). We'll never know the whole story of his war years.I used to hear the difference between a "sea story" and a fairy tale was a fairy . a former professional boxer and a decorated world war veteran who took part in the d-day invasion at omaha beach, the battle of the bulge and was one of few survivors of the malmedy massacre,. He was drafted at age 20. Having a successful career in the military is a major accomplishment. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. It didnt tell a devastating story the way the Obama commercial that I discussed a few weeks ago did. For his injuries, Durning received his second Purple Heart. Here's a key tactic that most job seekers overlook when attending a job or career fair: Stop at every table. Durning does not claim to have been a Malmedy survivor. 1935). I hope to get some kind of interview with him that can be published in order to cite these things, but with his current condition, I'm not sure it can be accomplished. David T Tokyo (talk) 05:40, 15 October 2008 (UTC), This is a major hole in the article. 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. Finally, this story about Durning present at the crossroad is running on several websites since many years. Oldbubblehead (talk) 06:18, 18 June 2013 (UTC). Born in Highland Falls, New York, on February 28, 1923, Durning became an actor relatively late. Can someone decode this? Tootsie. Charles Durning, an American actor , plays Mayor John Fitzgerald, father of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, in the TV mini-series 'The Fitzgeralds And . That same year, he won a Tony Award for his performance as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Five of his siblings died due to scarlet fever and smallpox, and much of his early life was spent in hardship. - 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 . [11] His badges included the Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Badge with Rifle Bar, and Honorable Service Lapel Pin.[9]. Bubblehead, do Mr. Durning's record throw any light on this point? France honors Charles Durning . In 1999, Durning was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame on Broadway. But he leaves behind an interesting question: was he at the Malmedy Massacre? It's good to be scared. [AlanM1(talk)] 23:36, 28 December 2012 (UTC) (Edited 23:39, 28 December 2012 (UTC)), Oldbubblehead (talk) 23:42, 16 April 2013 (UTC), I have received a copy of Durning's military records from the National Archives. 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. Charles Durning. Whether true or not, the statements of the French Consul would not be admissible in any U.S. civilian or military court since they do not satisfy either the Best Evidence rule or the Hearsay rule. He is not credited for being in Star Wars at IMDB. By the time the 106th was ready to resume combat operations (25 April 45) the war was winding down (VE Day was just two weeks later) and the division was relegated to running POW camps rather than fighting as an infantry division. 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. 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. Steve Karras - who wrote the web2carz article - joined the discussion and provided additional data from his research. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. There are no original sources, official documents or corroborating accounts by those he served with that validate his stories. Unfortunately, Durning is very frail and his conversation is a bit wandering and imprecise. 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. 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) The current article, which avoids all discussion of these questions of fact, appears dedicated to burnishing and protecting his image, which seems a POV violation. Howell's threads since he came on the old Shooters site before it closed down and he has been a lightning rod from day one. Early life. Durning married his first wife, Carole Doughty, in 1959. He also points out that During's records only mention Silver Star, not Silever Star Medal. I can't understand why you're so emphatic here, but so unwilling to prove your case in public. Soldiers of Kampfgruppe Peiper summarily killed eighty Set the record straight and, once you have, we can revise it here. The "confusion" regarding Mr. Durning's service is far more extensive than has been touched on here. He was honored with the Life Achievement Award at the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award Ceremony on January 27, 2008. The inability of anyone, to include his family, to produce these General Orders, or even cite the GO#, must arouse curiosity, to put it mildly. Again, Durning is not listed. Of all the thousands of units in the ETO? Copy. Is it him, or someone who really looks like him? the relation of the facts, how things happened. 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. The piece on Durning does not refer to any military units, does not claim that he landed in Normandy on D-Day and credits him only with a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts. He wasnt just a run of the mill World War II veteran. After all, few PFCs who earn the Silver Star remain as PFCs for long. I don't seem to recall it being used when he first came to prominance. All rights reserved. He was a great actor with a LOT of fascinating tales to tell. 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). 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). He does not appear in the list of survivors. Durning's character turns himself in to authorities, insisting that he must be prosecuted for having murdered his buddy during ferocious combat on Iwo Jima six decades earlier. For his valor he . 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. That can cause a number of types of confusion. Where the River Runs Black. [3], Durning served in the U.S. Army during World War II. 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