Posted on 06/21/2018 10:21:02 PM PDT by eastforker
"Honesty is the single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product."
Ed McMahon was born in Detroit, Michigan, but he was raised in Lowell, Massachusetts. As he grew up, his booming, resonant voice became the centerpiece of his career as an entertainer and would serve him as a Marine. When he graduated high school, his dream was to become a pilot for the Marine Corps. In the early 1940's, would-be pilots were required to have at least two years of college under their belts, so McMahon enrolled with Boston College.
Soon after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, the college requirement for pilots was dropped. McMahon immediately enlisted and entered flight training in Dallas, Texas. Afterwards he completed fighter training in Pensacola and obtained his carrier landing qualification. While he was still in flight school, McMahon became an instructor, a role in which his ability to project came in handy. His flight instructor status lasted for two years until he was given orders to report to the Pacific Fleet. However, before he entered combat, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which ended the war, and facilitated the cancelation of his orders.
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
Thanks for posting.
Thinking about all the old guard, maybe post one a day of great Americans.
I was at a business in San Francisco when I met a young Asian lady with an obviously Chinese first name and the last name McMahon. I assumed she was married, and said “I expect that was not your name when you were born.” She said “Oh, no. I was adopted”. I thought about mentioning that the only McMahons I knew of were JIm McMahon of the Chicago Bears and Ed McMahon, but didn’t do so.
It turns out she is Ed McMahon’s adopted granddaughter.
That is a great idea.
Jimmy Stewart was yesterdays post.
Or at least one a week.
Missed it. I will find it. Thanks again.
I will post them to the night shift, too many snowflakes in the day crowd.
Thank you for posting this.
Thanks for sharing that.
So many have passed on. Most would never talk about their war experiences, probably bad memories they would prefer to remain buried. One of my oldest cousins was a paratrooper in the Pacific about the time I was born.
The only war story he ever related was one that was a fortuitous, happy experience. He had parachuted over an island and heard screams above him as he was drifting down. He never knew how he reacted quickly enough to catch the soldier whose chute had failed, but they held onto each other until they landed. For years and years he always got a Christmas card from the guy.
As a kid, I was intrigued by the Japanese rifle he brought back as a souvenir. Compared to a German Mauser, what a piece of junk!
I found this interesting in Wikipedia:
“On August 14, 2008, real estate mogul Donald Trump announced that he would purchase McMahon’s home from Countrywide Financial and lease it to McMahon, so the home would not be foreclosed. McMahon agreed instead to a deal with a private buyer for his hilltop home, said Howard Bragman, McMahon’s former spokesman. Bragman declined to name the buyer or the selling price, but he said it is not Trump. Michael Cohen, special counsel to Trump:
“ For Mr. Trump, this acquisition was not business-related, but, as he has stated, was meant to help out an American icon. If another buyer should emerge who will create the benefit Mr. Trump sought for Ed McMahon, then he is clearly pleased. ”
In early September, after the second buyer’s offer fell through, Trump renewed his offer to purchase the home.”
“It turns out she is Ed McMahon’s adopted granddaughter.”
“Aint” America Great!
I miss Ed and Johnny.
Surely this Carson Show episode with traitor Jane Fonda had to bug Ed...
“The Fonda episode was especially fascinating for what Carson did. Fonda was there to promote her movie Julia, but Carson’s intro was about something else: “Here’s a gal I admire highly,” he said “as a person who has taken a stand on issues that at times were unpopular… called a radical.
It’s a funny thing, how people who were called radical at the time are now considered people who were right on.”
No current host would introduce such controversial topics before a guest had even taken her seat.
(It also demonstrates how the political pendulum swings back and forth — and back again: Fonda, excoriated in conservative circles in the late-’60s/early-’70s as “Hanoi Jane” for her anti-Vietnam War stance, was being treated by a very Establishment figure like Carson as a principled person.”
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/johnny-carson-tonight-show-antenna-tv-163304490.html
Is great to hear about the greatest generation. How the stood up and was counted when we needed them!
I find it very interesting that Ed was born in Detroit. I grew up there, and it would be nice to know exactly where he was born. Also, Charles Lindbergh was born in Detroit. I will research to see how many other famous people were born in my city.
Walked into a near empty Vegas casino back in the 90s in the middle of the afternoon to grab a beer at the bar & as I sat down I noticed Ed McMahon & Dick Clark were sitting at the table behind me chatting.
I raised my beer to salute them & turned around to mind my own business. Pretty cool to see these 2 icons from the entertainment era up close.
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