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ť Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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ť Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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ť Topic: Comdr. Kelly sued over 'They Were Expendable'
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=2576

Has anyone seen this newspaper clipping?
If John Wayne wanted to portray me alongside of Donna Reed ... I would not have objected.
[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Nathaniel%20Smith/NavalOfficer150.jpg[/image]

Peggy Greenwalt wasn't very happy either.
[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Nathaniel%20Smith/PeggyGreenwalt.png[/image]

natsmith

Posted By: Nathaniel Smith | Posted on: Apr 25, 2012 - 1:49pm
Total Posts: 211 | Joined: Jan 19, 2008 - 6:55am

Both Kelly and Greenwalt should have been flattered, if you ask me.

Obviously, they didn't ask me (I wasn't even born yet!).

Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Apr 25, 2012 - 2:46pm
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am

I would be willing to bet that Kelly's suit had to do with the romantic angle also...........

Will

Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Apr 25, 2012 - 5:57pm
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm

Do you remember the part in the movie that LT Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) had resigned from the squadron because he wanted to be assigned to someplace that was not a "dead end" job? He wanted to be assigned to a destroyer I think I remember he said in the movie. He was pretty insolent to LT Brickley and came off like a little baby, only to withdraw his request upon the attack of Manila. From what I heard, in real life, Kelly was extremely insulted they portyrayed him as anything but a complete professional sailor and officer. I also heard he was the poster boy for "by the book" and squared away. I can understand that he was not very thrilled with the way the screenwriters chose to portray his character. I think to make things worse, newspaper articles at the time and the book by WL White said it was all true!

I saw also the Nurse was upset because she was way too busy treating wounded to mess around with a romantic fling and also sued Warner Brothers and won a significant amount of money as well. She had met and married a survivor of the Bataan Death March.

I think it is strange how the movies like to portray war heroes different than they were in real life. Why do they feel the need to show something different than the real thing? This was also true of LT Gen Jimmy Doolittle. Evidently he never cursed and was straight and narrow, but Alec Baldwin portrayed him very inaccurately in the movie "Pearl Harbor" I call it revisionist history. Jerry

Jerry Gilmartin

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Apr 25, 2012 - 11:54pm
Total Posts: 1473 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

"Never let the facts get in the way of a good story" - Frank Dobie

Even if truth is stranger than fiction, the truth will have to be bent for budgetary, production, managerial and other concerns. And, let us not forget, the target demographics...obiviously men will go see a war movie, but if it doesn't have a love story, women won't go see the movie! GASP!

Pearl Harbor suffered the same problem...inject a love story so it can be a couples movie. Barf...

Grandson of James J Stanton
RON 15 PT 209 and RON 23 PT 243
Check out: www.pistolpackinmama.net

Posted By: newsnerd99 | Posted on: Apr 26, 2012 - 12:57am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

I am a bit confused as to how they can portray anyone without first obtaining permission. I would think if someone were going to portray their life story, the production company doing the film would first have to obtain that person's permission, then at least have the person read the script. I have a document that is signed by Kennedy, in 1957, giving permission to use his name and likeness in the movie PT-109. He was involved with this movie as well. Didn't Commander Bulkeley, Kelly, and others have to do the same thing. In fact, I will E mail Bulkeley's daughter Joan to ask this very question.............

Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Apr 26, 2012 - 1:43am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am

You are correct, you have to sign a release to have your name used and/or get compensated. I asked VADM Bulkeley about the name change in the movie. Bulkeley had told me that as an active duty serviceman, you couldn't get compensated (paid) to use your name in a film that depict what you did. He said Kelly wanted to get paid, but since he couldn't, he wouldn't sign a release. That was the reason they had to change the names of the characters. He also said that John wayne was the perfect choice to portray Kelly. He didn't comment on Montgomery portraying him.

How much of it is true, don't know.

Charlie

Posted By: 29navy | Posted on: Apr 26, 2012 - 4:14am
Total Posts: 600 | Joined: Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm

Thinking it over, I guess I can somewhat understand Kelly and Greenwalt's points in their dislike of their portrayals onscreen.

Hollywood tried to get a filmed biography of Colonel Matt Winn, of Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs fame -- my Great-Grandfather on my Mother's side -- made for years, but were always turned down by the family, because they knew his life story would end up heavily fictionalized, particularly since he was widowed for many years, and they figured Hollywood would inject a lot of fictional female companionship into the script.

Character actors Guy Kibbee and, I believe, Charles Coburn (with Kibbee being the closest in physical appearance) were considered for the role of Colonel Matt in the proposed "bio-pic," but even after the Colonel passed away, his two oldest daughters (my Great-Aunts Clare and Helen) always turned the movie people down.

Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Apr 29, 2012 - 6:22am
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am