LEADER 03709nam 2200541 a 450 001 9910954587403321 005 20251117115850.0 010 $a0-8262-6411-5 035 $a(CKB)1000000000001966 035 $a(OCoLC)55663973 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10048211 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000135232 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11132402 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000135232 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10057174 035 $a(PQKB)10861535 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3570750 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3570750 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10048211 035 $a(BIP)11494294 035 $a(BIP)7834638 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000001966 100 $a20020603d2002 ub 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 14$aThe day I fired Alan Ladd and other World War II adventures /$fA.E. Hotchner 205 $a1st ed. 210 $aColumbia $cUniversity of Missouri Press$dc2002 215 $a1 online resource (143 p.) 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 08$a0-8262-1432-0 327 $aIntro -- Preface -- One -- Two -- Three -- Four -- Five -- Six -- Seven -- Eight -- Nine -- Ten -- Eleven -- Twelve -- Thirteen -- Fourteen -- Fifteen -- Sixteen -- Seventeen -- Eighteen -- Nineteen. 330 $aThis delightful memoir of A. E. Hotchner's World War II experiences explores a different side of the troubled war years. Hotchner, who grew up in St. Louis, was a rookie lawyer fresh out of Washington University Law School when the United States declared war. Like many others of his generation, he aspired to serve his country. He tried to enlist in the navy, first as a pilot and then as a deck officer, but he was rejected for faulty depth perception and flat feet, respectively. Drafted as a lowly GI into the air force branch of the army, he was accepted to bombardier school. But on the eve of his departure, he was ordered to write and perform in an air force musical comedy instead. He eventually went to Officer Candidate School and was assigned to the Anti-Submarine Command as a lieutenant adjutant, but just before his squadron's departure for North Africa he was detached and, despite knowing nothing about moviemaking, ordered to make a film that glorified the Anti-Submarine Command's role in combating U-boats. All through his four-year military career, despite his efforts to get into combat, fate and the military bureaucracy thwarted him. The author skillfully recounts the events of those years, describing the encounters he had with many unforgettable characters, including a footsore and sentimental Clark Gable and an inept Alan Ladd-best known as the star of Shane. Ladd, then a GI, did such a poor job reading the narration for Hotchner's film Atlantic Mission that Hotchner had to fire him. The author also describes his encounters with other well-known people, notably Tennessee Williams, with whom he attended a playwriting class at Washington University, and a wistful, vulnerable Dorothy Parker. Although much of Hotchner's memoir is lighthearted, it also provides a unique look at the impact of the war on everyday life in the United States. Hotchner's fast-paced prose makes this memoir an insightful pleasure to read. 606 $aWorld War, 1939-1945$vPersonal narratives, American 615 0$aWorld War, 1939-1945 676 $a940.54/4973/092 676 $aB 700 $aHotchner$b A. E$0324162 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910954587403321 996 $aThe day I fired Alan Ladd and other World War II adventures$94477599 997 $aUNINA