|
Audie Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was a highly decorated American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient who turned actor. He portrayed himself in the film ''''To Hell and Back'''', the account of his World War II experiences. During the 1950s and 1960s he was cast primarily in westerns. While often the hero, he proved his ability to portray a cold-blooded hired gun in ''No Name on the Bullet''. A notable exception to the westerns was ''The Quiet American'' in which he co-starred with Michael Redgrave. Murphy made over 40 feature films and often worked with directors more than once. Jesse Hibbs who directed ''To Hell and Back'' worked with the star on six films, only half of which were westerns. When promoting his 1949 book ''To Hell and Back'' he appeared on the radio version of ''This Is Your Life''. To promote the 1955 film of the same name, he appeared on Ed Sullivan's ''Toast of the Town''. He was a celebrity guest on television shows such as ''What's My Line?'' and appeared in a handful of television dramas. Murphy's only television series ''Whispering Smith'' had a brief run in 1961. For his cooperation in appearing in the United States Army's ''Broken Bridge'' episode of ''The Big Picture'' television series he was awarded the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal. ==Early career== Murphy became a national celebrity following his World War II military service when ''Life'' magazine proclaimed him America's "most decorated soldier" in its 16 July 1945 issue cover story. That magazine cover brought him to the attention of veteran actor James Cagney who invited him to Hollywood. When Murphy arrived in California after his military discharge, Cagney cancelled the hotel reservations he'd made for Murphy and instead took him into his own home, "I got the shock of my life. Audie was very thin. His complexion was bluish-gray." Commenting years later on his first impression, Cagney said, "(was ) in such a nervous condition that I was afraid he might jump out of a window. I took him home and gave him my bed." He spent three weeks as a guest of Cagney and then returned to Texas before finally agreeing to an offer from brothers James and William Cagney of $150 a week as a contract player with their production company. The Cagneys gave Murphy personal attention on acting techniques. He also took lessons at the Actors' Lab on Sunset Boulevard. Murphy studied voice techniques, learned judo, and trained with choreographer John Boyle, Cagney's dance coach for ''Yankee Doodle Dandy''. A 1947 disagreement with William Cagney ended his association with the brothers without having been cast in a film production. He moved into Terry Hunt's Athletic Club and survived on his Army pension of $113 a month. In 1948 he became acquainted with writer David "Spec" McClure who got him a $500 bit part in ''Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven''. He began dating actress Wanda Hendrix in 1946. Her agent got Murphy a bit part in the 1948 Alan Ladd film ''Beyond Glory'' directed by John Farrow. Murphy and Hendrix married in 1949 and divorced in 1951. His 1949 film ''Bad Boy'' gave him his first leading role. Murphy became acquainted in Texas with Interstate Theatre executive James "Skipper" Cherry, who was best man at Murphy's 1951 marriage to Pamela Archer and the namesake of the couple's second son. Murphy's association with Cherry brought him to the attention of Texas independent producer Paul Short. With financing from Texas theater owners and the children's charitable organization Variety Clubs International, Short cast Murphy in ''Bad Boy'' to help promote the charity's work with troubled children. Murphy performed well in the screen test, but Steve Broidy, president of the project's production company Allied Artists did not want to cast someone in a major role with so little acting experience. Cherry, Short, and the theater owners refused to finance the film unless Murphy played the lead. The 1933 Thames Williamson novel ''The Woods Colt'' caught Murphy's attention during this period of his career. He secured the rights to the story in the 1950s, and Marion Hargrove was hired to write the script. The film was never made. Universal Studios signed Murphy to a seven-year studio contract at $2,500 a week. His first film for them in 1950 was as Billy the Kid in ''The Kid from Texas''. He wrapped up that year making ''Sierra'' starring his wife Wanda Hendrix, and ''Kansas Raiders'' as outlaw Jesse James. He and director Budd Boetticher become acquainted through Terry Hunt's Athletic Club where Murphy would request to be his boxing partner. Murphy appeared in the 1951 title role of Boetticher's first western''The Cimarron Kid''. The only film Murphy made in 1952 was ''Duel At Silver Creek'' with director Don Siegel. Murphy would team with Siegel one more time in 1958 for ''The Gun Runners''. He only worked one time with director Frederick de Cordova, who later became producer of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Murphy and de Cordova made ''Column South'' in 1953. George Marshall directed Murphy in the 1954 ''Destry'', based on a character created by author Max Brand. Two previous versions, one in 1932 with Tom Mix and one in 1939 with Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich, were both titled ''Destry Rides Again''. The only screenplay John Meredyth Lucas ever did for a Murphy film was the 1953 ''Tumbleweed'', an adaptation of the Kenneth Perkins novel ''Three Were Renegades'' . Murphy played Jim Harvey, whose horse Tumbleweed displayed a talent for getting the hero out of any scrape. Director Nathan Juran oversaw ''Tumbleweed'', as well as ''Gunsmoke'' and ''Drums Across the River''. As Murphy's film career began to progress, so did his efforts to improve his skills. He continually practiced his fast draw with a gun. He took both private and classroom acting lessons from Estelle Harman, and honed his diction by reciting dialogue from William Shakespeare and William Saroyan. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Film career of Audie Murphy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|