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Lew Ayres: Hollywood's Conscientious Objector PDF

264 Pages·2012·3.078 MB·English
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Lew Ayres Hollywood legends series Carl rollyson, general editor This page intentionally left blank Lew Ay r e s Hollywood’s ConsCientious objeCtor Lesley L. Coffin Foreword by Marya E. Gates University Press of Mississippi • Jackson www.upress.state.ms.us The University Press of Mississippi is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Copyright © 2012 by University Press of Mississippi All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America First printing 2012 ∞ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Coffin, Lesley L. Lew Ayres : Hollywood’s conscientious objector / Lesley L. Coffin ; foreword by Marya E. Gates. p. cm. — (Hollywood legends series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61703-637-8 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-61703-638-5 (ebook) 1. Ayres, Lew, 1908–1996. 2. Actors—United States—Biography. 3. World War, 1939–1945—Conscientious objectors—United States—Biography. I. Title. PN2287.A95C64 2012 791.43’028’0924—dc23 [B] 2012011625 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available To Cecelia Purcell, my grandmother I find that I understand people far better from reading what great men, who have spent their lives studying the human race, have found out about them and from reading my own reactions to things. Lew Ayres, 1938 This page intentionally left blank Contents Prologue ix Foreword xi Preface and Acknowledgments xv ChApter 1. Grandma’s Boy 3 ChApter 2. Young Musician in Search of a Movie 8 ChApter 3. The Kind of Role that Casts a Shadow 17 ChApter 4. A New Kind of Star 25 ChApter 5. Romantic Comedy 43 ChApter 6. At the Helm 53 ChApter 7. A Short Stay on Poverty Row 59 ChApter 8. “The Comeback King of 1938” 66 ChApter 9. Introducing Dr. Kildare 72 ChApter 10. A Doctor, A Comic 84 ChApter 11. Echoes of War 90 ChApter 12. Lew Ayres, Conscientious Objector 97 ChApter 13. A Camp in Oregon 102 ChApter 14. “Like a Bomb Was Dropped” 105 ChApter 15. Public Debate 116 ChApter 16. Basic Training 120 ChApter 17. In Search of Something 124 ChApter 18. A Hero Returns to Hollywood 134 ChApter 19. The Comeback of 1946 140 ChApter 20. Awards and Affairs 146 ChApter 21. The Return of Dr. Kildare 151 viii Contents ChApter 22. Magnificent Obsession 155 ChApter 23. A Man of Honor and Faith 160 ChApter 24. The Older Gentleman 165 ChApter 25. Altars of the World 169 ChApter 26. As Time Goes By 175 ChApter 27. Reaching for the Butterfly 181 Appendix 186 Notes 194 Filmography 214 Selected Bibliography 236 Index 237 proLogue On April 3, 1942, Americans awoke to learn that in the midst of World War II, a Hollywood star had declared himself a conscientious objector and had been ordered to a conscientious objector camp in Oregon. Actor Lew Ayres was best known for his performances as the titular character in the MGM film series Dr. Kildare. The press even referred to him by his alter ego’s name. It was an irony lost on no one that he had first been famous for the antiwar film All Quiet on the Western Front. Newspapers across the country ran stories, saying that it was the ex- perience of making this film that led him to oppose all forms of violence and particularly war. Others assumed that the role of Dr. Kildare had gone to his head and he was suffering from a case of mistaken identity, mistaking himself for the good-hearted doctor who lived by the Hippo- cratic Oath, “First do no harm.” In truth, it was a decision Ayres made with very little connection to his career as an actor and without any concern for his professional life. He was simply choosing to truly live by his moral views after years of quiet self-discovery. Always inquisitive, Lew’s film career had afforded him the opportu- nity to pursue a multitude of interests, including science, music, art, re- ligion, and philosophy. Through these studies, Lew developed an “intel- lectual” interest in religion that, though he did not identify with a single organized religion, evolved into a deeply personal view of God’s will. By 1940, only a small group of friends were aware of his spiritual beliefs. However, as war loomed, Lew came to terms with the fact that he could not participate in the impending violence. It was his decision and he was willing to live with the consequences. ix

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