Audie Murphy Bio-Epic Coming to the Big Screen

audiesdad

Active member
For those of you who do not know there is a new bio epic movie on Audie in the works.
The rights to Don Graham's book, "No Name on the Bullet" has been bought by two Hollywood producers, Arthur E. Friedman ("Beyond the Sea") and Steven Jay Rubin.
It will be sort of a "The Aviator" and "Beyond the Sea" type movie which will take place from Audie's childhood through his death.
There are suppossed to be at least three different actors portaying Murphy at various stages in his life. No names on who is being cast, although Cillian Murphy, suppossedly a distant cousin of Audie who got great reviews for the movie "Red Eye" a couple of years ago and who has an amazing resemblence to Audie has been bantied about.
His Son, Terry, is advising. It is interesting that Terry is advising as Graham's book did not paint a pretty picture of Murphy post-war, and was not well received by the Murphy family.
Stay tuned for further details. I would assume the project is at least two years from completion.
 
As long as it remains true to the facts and spirit of what Lt. Murphy did and doesn't get Hollywierd stupid I'm for it.

But To hell and back will always be my favorite....Audie deploys with me..in the form of a DVD.
 
As long as it remains true to the facts and spirit of what Lt. Murphy did and doesn't get Hollywierd stupid I'm for it.

But To hell and back will always be my favorite....Audie deploys with me..in the form of a DVD.

Glad to know there is another Marine besides myself who admires Murphy!
Have you seen the Petition link posted on the Forum?
Also, posted a You Tube video you may want to check out!
Semper Fi!
 
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Read his biography.

It said after the war,if he came into a bar,it hushed up.
Because everyone knew that little fker could kick the shytt out of any three Texans in the joint.
 
It said after the war,if he came into a bar,it hushed up.
Because everyone knew that little fker could kick the shytt out of any three Texans in the joint.
Yes, Murphy had a short fuse and there are many accounts of his kicking hell out of people that got out of control, both during the war, and as a civilian.

Probably the best encounter that was very public was this account shortly after he returned from the war. It appeared in the Dallas Newspaper on 11 December, 1946 with the following headline:

"War Hero Handy With His Fist, Hijacker Discovers"

"130-Pound Hero Fells 190-Pound Holdup Suspect"

DALLAS MORNING NEWS

DALLAS (Tex.) Dec. 11. (AP) — Little
Audie Murphy, who is World War II’s most
decorated soldier, won another battle
singlehanded this afternoon when he subdued
a 6-foot 2-inch, 190-pounder who apparently
attempted to steal his automobile.
The freckled kid from Farmersville, Tex., told
the Dallas Morning News he knocked out the
25-year-old man in a rural filling station near
here after a furious 10-minute battle.
Murphy weighs 130 pounds and stands 5
feet 7 inches tall.
State Highway Patrolmen Everett Brandon
and F. H. Jensen, who talked with the News by
telephone, said they arrested the man and
lodged him in the McKinney Jail. No complaint
was filed immediately.
Tells of Holdup
The 20-year-old Texas hero, who won the
Congressional Medal of Honor and every
other U.S. combat medal in World War II, related
he was driving alone when he saw a large
man limping along the highway.
“It was raining like the devil and I thought
I would do the fellow a favor,” Audie related.
“I picked him up and we drove about a mile.
“Suddenly this guy jammed something into
my ribs, slapped me across the mouth and said:
“‘I’m the boss now. If you won’t talk, this
.45 will. I can use this car.’
“I admitted that he was pretty much the
boss at that point and we drove about four
more miles. He told me to pull into a roadside
gasoline station and stop. I did and he took
the keys and instructed me to slide along the
seat and get out on his side of the car.”
Decides on Fight
Audie said the man’s left hand, hidden under
an old army blouse, was still jammed into
his ribs when he decided to make a fight for it.
He grabbed the man’s hand, discovered he
had no gun after all, struck him a blow that
tumbled him from the car and on to the filling
station drive.
Murphy jumped squarely on the erstwhile
tough guy and started swinging.
“We fought all over the place for about 10
minutes,” Audie said. “He was a pretty big
fellow, all right. I finally got him, though.”
J. M. Peters, owner of the gasoline station,
ran into the drive and ordered both men off
the premises before he knew the background,
Patrolman Brandon added.
Calls in Police
Audie rushed to another gasoline station a
mile north to telephone the State police and
upon his return found that his attacker had
recovered and gone to the home of Mrs. Park
Grissom, a few hundred yards distant.
The man was scuffling with Mrs. Grissom
and demanding fresh clothing to replace his
bloody and torn garments when Murphy and
the patrolmen overpowered him again.

Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News
and Associated Press

Thanks,
Dave
 
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With a firearm, no reports of his hand to hand skills.

There are many instances of Audie and his "hand to hand" skills, particularly post-war.
This is from an interview with the actor Jack Elam of Western movie film fame.
Here he comments about Murphy:

"He wasn’t afraid of anybody. One time we were up in Idyllwild on some
show. It’d have to be "RIDE CLEAR OF DIABLO", I guess.
Audie was the star of the picture so he had his own car,
and he said, “Jack, ride in with me tonight.”`Cause I had to ride in a station wagon with three other guys.
So he said, “Come on with me, Jack.” Anyway, we came down off the hill from Idyllwild and we hit Hemet, a little town at thefoot of the hills. Because it was a western, I had a week’s growth of beard and the long hair, which today would be short. Anyway, we stopped at a bar for
a drink.
Audie didn’t drink. But I said “Gimme a straight shot of Cutty Sark.”
And Audie ordered a straight shot of Cutty Sark and a Coke chaser. We were sitting at the bar and that way he could just slip me his drink.
It would look like he was drinking so he didn’t have to explain to the bartender, “I only want a Coke.”
Anyway, some guy came down from a table at the end and walked behind
me. And I had this hair, you know. And the guy got ahold of the back of
my hair and squeezed it and said, “You need a haircut, buddy.”
And he touched the back of my head. And Audie spun around and hit him and never said a friggin’ word.
Just hit him. And he went flat. And the guy was with two other guys at a
table down at the other end of the room. And the guys got up and they looked at Audie — and you know Audie was short — and these guys
were big guys. He just looked at `em. Not a word. They picked their friend up— he was kind of coming together —and they left the bar.
We figured we might be meeting them after we finished my drinks, on the way to the car.
But there was no sign of `em. They were gone. I mean, they knew they don’t mess with Audie Murphy at that point. They could tell.
He had that attitude about him of “Don’t tread on me.”


Thanks,
Dave
 
Here is a photo of the guy Murphy took on in the carjack attempt.
He stands 6'2 and 190 compared to Murphy's 5'7 130.
When looking at the photo notice the carjackers muddy clothing and Murphy's relatively clean suit except for a small water mark on his coat sleeve. The only sign of Murphy's fight is his muddy shoes, whereas the carjacker also has a busted up mug. He was ID'd as John Thomas Daniels, a local thug.
Lastly, I find it interesting that he had a .45 which Murphy took away from him, and then kicked his ass.
AudieandBadGuy1.jpg
 
Glad to know there is another Marine besides myself who admires Murphy!
Have you seen the Petition link posted on the Forum?
Also, posted a You Tube video you may want to check out!
Semper Fi!

Had an Uncle in the 3rd ID in WWII who knew or knew of Murphy...had an autographed picture of Murphy in the living room...might have been from a reunion I don't know.

Anyway read To Hell and Back in 6th Grade saw the movie and was inspired by Lt MurpHy's selflessness and valor and knew I was going into the service.

So mark down another Jarhead that is in your corner.

Actually it was the photo in your avatar....Freaky wierd kinda.
 
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With a firearm, no reports of his hand to hand skills.

Excuse me for askin...but in the hell does H2H have to do with anything? Valor is valor is valor.....so what the hell was the point of that statement? Really? Why? The guy had nuts of freakin steel...he clanked when he walked. So what does H2H have to do with it?
 
I second that 03USMC and fom my previous documented post, one interview and one from the Dallas News complete with photo, Murph could handle himself H2H I am sure!
 
I actually saw Audie Murphy in an NCO Club in Germany in the late 60’s, I heard he bought drinks until the club closed. I absolutely don’t want to take anything away from him, but he may not have been “The Most Decorated WWII” serviceman, Google T/Sgt Llewellyn Chilson as one example.

"Ask any man of this century (20th) what he has done to make his life worthwhile - the best will say I’ve served (in the military)." JFK
 
Its definatley an interesting story, and he must have been quite a remarkable man for his time.
But, to do him justice the film needs to be a "warts and all story" and not a trumpet blarring flag waving production of demi god status.
 
I actually saw Audie Murphy in an NCO Club in Germany in the late 60’s, I heard he bought drinks until the club closed. I absolutely don’t want to take anything away from him, but he may not have been “The Most Decorated WWII” serviceman, Google T/Sgt Llewellyn Chilson as one example.

"Ask any man of this century (20th) what he has done to make his life worthwhile - the best will say I’ve served (in the military)." JFK

Thanks and I appreciate the response. Here is something that I composed a couple of years ago when Wiki kept referring to Murphy as "one of the most decorated of WW2".
Following my composition, Wiki now refers to him as "the most decorated soldier of WW2."

Here is the text and I hope it helps clarify the matter or at least put it into perspective. It was originally intended to counter the claim of the Matt Urban supporters but could equally refer to Chilson, another great soldier of WW2 but certainly not the most decorated.

Matt Urban is not the most decorated soldier of WW2.
Urban did not receive the French Legion of Honor or the American Distinguished Service Cross. Please know that my attempt here is NOT to denigrate the military achievements of Colonel Urban or to insult his family. There's no doubt that in having the Medal of Honor, Colonel Urban was a hero, and, indeed, America should remember all her heroes and the price they paid. There are so many recipients more decorated and higher decorated than Colonel Urban. He simply does not belong in the classifications his proponents or the media assign him. He is NOT the “Most Decorated Soldier of WWII”, nor is he the “Most Decorated in American History” — or any variation of the above.

Audie is quantitatively and qualitatively more highly decorated than Colonel Matt Urban, who has 29 awards; his service medals and their appropriate devices are NOT for bravery. Audie has 34 awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross, our second highest medal for valor, which Colonel Urban lacks. Audie also has the higher French award: the Legion of Honor (Chevalier). Audie’s Marksman and Expert Badges are not military awards, per se; they are qualification badges, and therefore not included in the tally.

Here are Audie’s OFFICAL AWARDS per the U.S. Army and sent to me a number of years ago:

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY OFFICE OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL AND THE ADJUTANT GENERAL CENTER WASINGTON, D.C. 20314 7SEP 1979
REPLY TO ATTENTION OF:


SUBJECT: MAJ AUDIE MURPHY - Authorization for Awards and Decoration
LIST OF AWARDS


Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star with First Oak Leaf Cluster Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device and First Oak Leaf Cluster Purple Heart with Second Oak Leaf Cluster Good Conduct Medal Distinguished Unit Emblem with First Oak Leaf Cluster American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine Campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp Armed Forces Reserve Medal Combat Infantryman Badge Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar French Fourragere in Colors of the Croix de Guerre French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star French Croix de Guerre with Palm Medal of Liberated France Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm

Now to draw a better comparision here is a listing of Murphy-v-Urban medals. The numbers in the parenthesis are the cumulative totals of each:

The totals for Colonel Urban are as follows:
Medal of Honor (1)
Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster (3)
Legion of Merit (4)
Bronze Star with “V” Device and two oak leaf clusters (7)
Purple Heart with one Silver and one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (14)
Presidential Unit Emblem (15)
American Defense Service Medal (16)
American Campaign Medal (17)
European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Silver and one Bronze Service Star. (18)
World War II Victory Medal (19)
Combat Infantry Badge (20)
Belgium Fourragere (21)
French Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star (22)

The totals for Audie Murphy are as follows:
Medal of Honor (1)
Distinguished Service Cross (2)
Silver Star Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster (4)
Legion of Merit (5)
Bronze Star Medal w/ “V” Device and one Oak Leaf Cluster (7)
Purple Heart with two Oak leaf Clusters (10)
Good Conduct Medal (11)
Distinguished Unit Emblem with one Oak Leaf Cluster (13)
American Campaign Medal (14)
European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Silver Star, Four Bronze Stars (representing 9 campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (denoting an assault landing at Sicily and Southern France) (15)
World War Two Victory Medal (16)
World War Two Occupation Medal with “Germany Clasp” (17)
Combat Infantry Badge (18)
French Fourragere in colors of the Croix de Guerre (18)
French Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier (19)
French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star (20)
French Croix de Guerre with Palm (21)
Medal of Liberated France (22)
Belgium Croix de Guerre 1940 w/Palm (23)

I have not counted in the culmulative totals the devices on the Campaign Medals, nor did I count things such as Qualification Badges
for either person.

Army spokeswoman Martha Rudd commented that, “The military does not rank soldiers by numbers or types of medals awarded.”
Someone recently mentioned to me that there would NEVER be another Audie Murphy and I believe this to be partially correct.
When Audie received his Medal of Honor on June 2, 1945, he became the most decorated soldier of WWII.
I know of no WWII infantryman more decorated and there is definitely none more celebrated.
World War II was a supported war. America knew she must prevent expansion of the Nazi empire. She also realized that she must take action to further prevent massacre and tyranny, such as Germany’s resolve to eradication the Jewish people. Thus, through the carnage of war, Audie Murphy, the hero, was born.
Vietnam and Korea were not popular wars, but there were many heroes, far more - and highly - decorated than Audie, who came forth and displayed their mettle. But they lacked the notoriety, fame, and news coverage that accompanied Audie’s heroic deeds, and followed him throughout the remainder of his life. In that sense, there will never be another Audie Murphy.
The one individual who is the "Highest and Most" from the Vietnam War is Colonel Robert Lewis Howard. Colonel Howard had, including the Medal of Honor and other valor and non-valor awards, plus all the appropriate devices, a total of 89 awards. This listing includes 2 Distinguished Service Crosses; 4 Legions of Merit and 8 Purple Hearts.
Eddie Rickenbacker, WWI, who had the Medal of Honor and SEVEN Distinguished Service Crosses. Originally he had eight, but one was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 1930. He has the quality but not the quantity.
Regulations now restrict and allow for only one Medal of Honor. If one excludes the 19 DOUBLE Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil through World War I, then the title of "Most and Highest Decorated Soldier in American History" belongs to General Douglas MacArthur. He has the most medaled chest of any combatant in American history with a total of 114 awards. This includes the Medal of Honor, 3 Distinguished Service Crosses and 7 Silver Stars. Yes, many of his awards were because he was General of The Army but our top THREE valor awards cannot be ignored.
Oftentimes, the layperson assumes "Most" means "Highest" and this is not correct. Highest, as the word coveys, is a qualitative reference. With regards to US military decorations, this includes the Congressional Medal of Honor. The use of "Most" is a quantitative reference. In this respect, excluding General MacArthur, Colonel David Hackworth, USA (Ret.) has the numbers. Counting all his medals, valor and non-valor, and all the appropriate devices, he has 89! However, he lacks the Medal of Honor.
There are those who attempt to control titles and conclusions by altering the criteria. For example, limiting it to the top three valor awards (Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star); the time frame (i.e., WWII, Korea, Vietnam); branch of service; or deciding whether foreign awards should be included in the criteria, and then, what values they equate to in the American awards. Part of the difficulty in limiting it to a specific war is the fact than many recipients served in two or more wars.

Murphy detested the title "Most Decorated Soldier" and felt it belonged to no one.

Murphy did not ask for that title, the U.S. Army at the time and Life Magazine bestowed it upon him and it has stuck for 65 years.

As to Chilson specifically, lacking the Medal of Honor and the French Legion of Honor definantly puts him out of the category of "Most Decorated", although he was one hell of a soldier.


That being said, when one compares Audie Murphy to Matt Urban or any other soldier of WWII, Audie Murphy continues to reign as the "Most-Decorated Soldier of World War II".

Thanks,
Dave
 
Lt. Murphy was a good man and it's a shame that he was taken from this world at an early age. As a Floridian I am proud of that Texan..... God Bless him. As a Soldier I am proud to have served in the same branch as he did. May Lt. Murphy rest in peace and may he know that there are those in the service of our great nation fighting the good fight and upholding his ideals of freedom and righteousness.
 
O.K., Audie is at the top and deservedly so. But Chilson should have been awarded the MOH and probably would have if he didn’t have the habit of going AWOL when not in combat.
 
Maynard Harrison "Snuffy"Smith has got to be my favorite. Any guy that has to pulled off KP so they can hang the Medal on him is true hero.
 
It seems that now (here the USA) “Hero” is used to describe anyone in uniform (Military, Police, Firemen) - I think the word is used too loosely. Not to demean anyone, but I served 25 years in uniform and I know I’m not a “Hero”, not as I understand the meaning of the word.
Men like Audie Murphy, Llywellyn Chilson, Matt Urban, and thousands of others, then and now, are Heroes!
 
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