Unbelievably Macho Tales Of James Garner From His Heyday
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- The Henry Ford
- flickr
- CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0
Garner Took A Bullet To The Backside And Shrapnel To The Face
Before becoming an actor, James Garner was drafted into the Korean conflict, where he served in the 24th Infantry Division of the United States Army. In the five months he served, he was wounded twice. On his second day in the country, he was hit by a shard of shrapnel in his hand and the side of his face while bringing up the rear in a patrol party.
The second incident occurred under friendly fire. Garner's unit was under fire from Chinese forces when US planes came in to break up the Chinese position. Because Jim's group was not wearing identification, the planes began firing to break up the "troop concentration." Garner was hit in the derriere and jumped in a foxhole for cover. When he got out of the foxhole, he fell off a cliff, dislocating his shoulder and roughing up his already bad knees.
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He Took Private Jeet Kune Do Lessons From Bruce Lee
In the movie Marlowe, Garner played Raymond Chandler's iconic private detective Philip Marlowe. The villain of the movie was a martial arts expert with ties to the mob, played by none other than Bruce Lee.
Although this movie was a box-office blunder, it did give Bruce Lee his first major acting gig in Hollywood and an opportunity to start training Garner in Jeet Kune Do. Thanks to the training provided by Lee, Garner often performed many of his own stunts, which added texture to his roles.
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- NBC Television
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
He Almost Got His Insurance Canceled From Doing His Own Stunts
Garner often did his own stunts during the series The Rockford Files. On season breaks, Garner had to have either one or both knees operated on due to the fact that he didn't have much recovery time between filmings. The strain was so intense for him that his doctor recommended that he stop performing stunts.
During the filming of Grand Prix, a representative from the insurance company Lloyds of London saw that Garner was doing his own stunts and attempted to cancel his insurance for the duration of the filming. Fortunately, his business manager was able to make sure that his personal insurance wasn't also canceled.
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He Was A Race Car Driver In His Free Time
Garner was a massive racing fan who often got behind the wheel himself when he wasn't acting.
The Oscar winner drove pace cars at the 59th Indianapolis 500, the 61st Indianapolis 500, and the 69th Indianapolis 500.
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- Warner Brothers Studio
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
He Stopped Charles Bronson From Skipping Out Of A Poker Debt
While playing poker one night at Garner's house, Charles Bronson attempted to withdraw a bet. Garner, who was often very outspoken, called Bronson out on it even though Garner wasn't playing that hand.
A dispute broke out, though it never got to the point of throwing fists. In the end, Bronson paid the winner, but swore that he'd never work with Garner again. Although the two ran into each other several times throughout their lives, there still seemed to be a bit of tension between them.
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Garner Was The First Oklahoman Drafted Into The Korean Conflict
As a result of being drafted in the Korean conflict, James Garner was the first Oklahoman to serve in the effort.
Garner had dropped out of high school and lied about his age to join the Merchant Marines. After his service, he went back to school, but soon dropped out again to take a job as a bathing suit model. While he never graduated high school, Garner was able to complete the GED during his time in the armed forces.
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He Handled Pain Like A Boss
Because he did many of his own stunts, Garner was often hurt on the job. He had several knee operations but still continued to perform his own stunts.
Garner was hospitalized due to a bleeding ulcer during the 1979-80 filming of The Rockford Files. In 1988, he had a quintuple bypass operation, and in 2000, Garner had both knees replaced.
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- The Epoch Times
- Wikipedia
- Public Domain
Garner Was Awarded Two Purple Hearts
During his time in the armed forces he was hurt twice, but received a Purple Heart for only his first injury. Because of a clerical error, Garner did not receive his second Purple Heart until 32 years after his service. The US Army decided to rectify this error after seeing Garner on ABC's Good Morning America.
A true man of honor, Garner graciously told the crowd during his acceptance speech in the 1983 Purple Heart Ceremony, "It's better to receive this now than posthumously."
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- YorkieBoy
- flickr
- CC-BY-NC 2.0
There Is A Reason He Only Punches With His Left Hand
Garner accused Glen Larson - a prolific television producer known for Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Magnum P.I., and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, to name a few - of taking scripts without permission. Larson had visited the set of The Rockford Files when Garner confronted him for plagiarizing the scripts for his own use. Garner called Larson a crook and punched him in the face.
When asked about the incident, Garner said that he had only punched Larson with his left fist. When asked why the left, Garner said, "If I’d hit with my right, I would have [ended] him.”
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- Macfadden Publications
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
He Married His Wife After Only 14 Days
A true romantic, James met his wife Lois Clarke in 1956 at a rally for presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson. Following that chance meeting, they were inseparable for the next 14 days. Their brief courtship quickly transpired into a wedding at the Beverly Hills Courthouse.
Garner's family was originally against the marriage given their different backgrounds, her being Jewish and him a Methodist. However, Garner, like a boss, believed that what others "saw as weaknesses, we saw as strengths." The couple remained steadfast during their 58 years of marriage.
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His Big Break Was A Good Parking Space
Los Angeles agent/producer Paul Gregory gave Garner his very first acting gig . Garner, who was working at a gas station at the time, returned to Los Angeles after serving in the armed forces, and came across a billboard advertising Gregory's services. On a whim, he decided to go to the office and talk to Gregory, whom he knew from his high school days.
As Garner grabbed a parking space, he was immediately noticed by his old friend and was signed to a stage role.
In his memoir The Garner Files , Garner wrote , "The only reason I’m an actor is that a lady pulled out of a parking space in front of a producer’s office.”
Garner landed a nonspeaking part in a Broadway production of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial by Herman Wouk starring Henry Fonda, John Hodiak, and Lloyd Nolan. He learned acting on the set by running lines with the stars and watching them perform.
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He Cared About Energy Conservation
Major industrial countries in the 1970s faced an energy crisis and a long-term decline in petroleum production. As a result, the Office of Energy Conservation created a series of public service announcements to encourage Americans to be more mindful of their fuel consumption and the impact it has on the environment.
James Garner became an official spokesperson for the Office of Energy Conservation, creating TV and radio PSAs. Campaigns were aimed to convince citizens to not be "fuelish" and instead carpool or find other ways to reduce energy consumption.
