Not Sissy Actors but REAL MEN

[scotrace]

Uncork the testosterone.

We do a lot of talking about people from the Golden Era and before, mostly in the context of film representations. We often credit our screen heroes with being REAL MEN when their off-screen reality was something quite different. Of course, there were some Screen "Man's Men" who were the real deal. Gable, Bogart (though have you seen the photos of him as a tennis-playing swell?), Tracy.
But who were the REAL MEN of the last two centuries? Who gave our screen Manly Men their compass for what a Real Man, a Man's Man, should be? I'm talking real life, not cinematic fiction. Real Men, not actors who got a facial scrub and exfoliation on the way to the makeup trailer.

I submit:
Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton.

He found the source of the Nile river. (Speke be damned!), translated the Kama Sutra and the Arabian Knights. He caught the long spear of an African native in his face and lived to tell the tale with a glorious scar. Author, poet, explorer, lover, passionately talented, woefully flawed, Sir Richard was a REAL MAN.

Ernest Hemingway.

Author, adventurer, hard-drinking lover of women, hunter, sailor. Also woefully flawed. Hemingway was a REAL MAN.

Theodore Roosevelt

Wrote the still-difinitive history of the Naval War of 1812. Was a real cowboy in the Dakota Badlands where he rode cow ponies like a champ and brought in a Bad Guy. He took the Panama Canal Zone and "let the Congress Debate," whipped the Japanese and the Russians into shape (and won the Nobel prize for it). Devoted father, loyal husband, teetotaler, boxer. He invented his own vocabulary of swearing without cursing, and could spend days in the saddle. He read several books a day, wrote several of his own (one dictated while shaving) and explored the River of Doubt. Theodore Roosevelt was a REAL MAN.

Your thoughts?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Hmmmmm.

Nope. I won't delve into the psychology of this one.

pip pip

bk

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I always liked the title of one of Sinatra's biographies: The Lost Art of Living. There seemed to be more than just a public image in those days.

 

[Pilgrim]

I submit: Robert Anson Heinlein.

The dean of science fiction authors; the most honored SF writer of the previous century.

An Annapolis graduate who was denied a career in naval service due to tuberculosis and a late-discovered heart defect. A fierce, stout, consistent advocate of personal liberties and civil liberties as well as the need for a robust government and military - and he understood that civil liberties were not incompatible with the state's need for security.

He delighted in puncturing stuffed shirts; practiced what he preached (up to and including designing his own home in Colorado Springs in the early 50's, complete with bomb shelter), and was a consistent voice for thoughtful examination of principle in life and government.

Of all the authors I have read, Heinlein is one of those I most greatly respect. He was a man of astounding thought and conviction.

The website www.kirjasto.sci.fi/heinlein.htm says:

"Heinlein produced during his career fifty novels and collections of short stories. Heinlein admired highly motivated men of action - like Howard Hawks in his movies - and attacked religious hypocrisy and corporate power games. His later works, in which his right-wing views mixed with fast-moving stories and fascination with with the paranormal, earned him the reputation of being a militarist, even a "fascist". However, a number of his book gained cult status among members of the counterculture."

A slightly edited list of his short stories and novels:

THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON, 1950
FARMER IN THE SKY, 1950
WALDO AND MAGIC, INC., 1950
THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH, 1951
UNIVERSE / ORPHANS OF THE SKY, 1951
THE PUPPET MASTERS, 1951
THE ROLLING STONES / SPACE FAMILY STONE, 1952
REVOLT IN 2100, 1953
STARMAN JONES, 1953
ASSINGMENT IN ETERNITY, 1953
THE STAR BEAST, 1954
TUNNEL IN THE SKY, 1955
DOUBLE STAR, 1956 (Hugo Award)
TIME FOR THE STARS, 1956
CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY, 1957
METHUSELAH'S CHILDREN, 1958
HAVE SPACE SUIT, WILL TRAVEL, 1958
STARSHIP TROOPERS, 1959 (Hugo Award)
THE MENACE FROM EARTH, 1959
STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, 1961 (Hugo Award)
PODKAYNE OF MARS, 1963
GLORY ROAD, 1963
THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, 1966 (Hugo Award)
THE PAST THROUGH TOMORROW, 1967
I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, 1970
TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE, 1973
THE NOTEBOOKS OF LAZARUS LONG, 1978
DESTINATION MOON, 1979
TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE; EXPANDED UNIVERSE, 1980
THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, 1980
EXPANDED UNIVERSE, 1980
FRIDAY, 1982
JOB: A COMEDY OF JUSTICE, 1984
THE CAT WHO WALKS THROUGH WALLS: A COMEDY OF MANNERS, 1985
TO SAIL BEYOND THE SUNSET, 1987

 

[Feraud]

Hmmmmm.

Nope. I won't delve into the psychology of this one.

pip pip

bk

No psychology necessary. Men should have manly role models!

Burton, Hemingway, and Roosevelt are a great start.
I will add to the list and submit the name of Josiah Harlan. The real "Man Who Would Be King".

Alvin C. York is another one. A WWI hero who attacked a German machine gun nest. He killed many enemies and took over a hundred prisoners. His pacifism, bravery, and modesty are manly traits if there ever were any.

 

[Pilgrim]

Alvin York was a gentle man who was an unlikely warrior in combat. He's surely worth a vote.

 

[Paisley]

The men of my family have some orneriness, but aren't completely macho. They can all cook, most of them have some taste, and they aren't intimidated by strong women. I submit these men:

Uncle Loren. He was a lineman for Pacific Gas & Electric for many years. When protestors stood in the way of construction of the Diablo nuke plant, he told his men to roll the heavy equipment forward. (The protestors got out of the way.) He loved to deep sea fish, too, and in fact, preferred women boat captains. He said they'd go where the fish were, not just give up if they didn't find any.

My brother Bob. A very hard worker; he can fix almost anything. He used to have his own marble & granite business. When one customer hemmed and hawed about paying for the refinishing Bob did on his floor, Bob threatened to pour muratic acid on his floor. He left with a check. Now, he dotes on his 2-pound poodle.

My grandfather Harry. He was in the cavalry when they were on horseback; he was later a blacksmith and and a homesteader in Wyoming. He was also on the school board, although he had an 8th-grade education. In fact, he married a teacher who was much more educated than he. The only orneriness I've heard of is how blunt he was; maybe it was his German ancestry.

My father. He was an amateur bull rider; he worked as a welder. When he was a kid, he'd take off for days on horseback. I like to play practical jokes, but I've never, ever been able to play one on him--he's too canny. He's also a lover of roses--he grows dozens of them.

 

[scotrace]

Great additions all

And York was Most Decorated of WWI, as well.

 

[VintageJess]

Audie Murphy

Don't get no more real than this:

Audie Leon Murphy (June 20, 1924 - May 28, 1971) was an American soldier in World War II, and later a successful actor. In 27 months of combat action, he became the most decorated soldier in the history of the U.S. Army. Murphy received the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valor, along with 32 additional medals awarded for bravery and service. In the later part of his life, he went on to have a successful movie career, including the extremely popular To Hell and Back. He died in an airplane crash in May, 1971.


Jessica

 

[Veronica Parra]

I nominate Karol Józef Wojtyła, also known as Ioannes Paulus PP. II (Pope John Paul II).

Some of his "manly man" qualities:


Karol was athletic, with a lifelong passion for hiking, skiing, backpacking, and kayaking. He enjoyed playing soccer as a goalie and took daredevil swims in a flooded Swaka River.

During the Nazi occupation Karol clandestinely pursued both his studies and his acting while working as a stonecutter to support himself and to hold the work permit he needed to avoid deportation or imprisonment. Karol Wojtyla was active in the UNIA, a Christian democratic underground organization. B'nai B'rith and other authorities have testified that he helped Jews find refuge from the Nazis.

During his reign, the pope traveled extensively, visiting over 100 countries, more than any of his predecessors. He was said to have canonized more people than all popes before him put together (though early records are incomplete).

 

[magneto]

Interesting thread...

I nominate Karol J??zef Wojtyła

...seconded. Of course Theodore Roosevelt (I spent practically a whole day visiting his house in New York)...and T.E. Lawrence.

 

[scotrace]

There are skirts in my Manly thread. :-O

...seconded. Of course Theodore Roosevelt (I spent practically a whole day visiting his house in New York)...and T.E. Lawrence.

I want to go to the Oyster Bay house very very very very much.
There's a 2'X4' engraving of TR in my living room.

 

[Feraud]

lol lol in response to the "skirts" comment!

 

[Paisley]

How about some men from today?

About a year ago, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal about a sergeant who lost his hand performing his duties in Iraq. He could have gone on disability and collected a pension. Instead, he got into the best shape of his life and learned how to do everything he had done before with a prosthetic hand. He was an inspiration to to his fellow patients.

And let us not forget the firemen who rushed into the WTC on 9/11 or the airplane passengers who overpowered their highjackers over Pennsylvania.

I think that girly men get more press, though, because they are the exception--man bites dog, in other words. Regular men are masculine men.

 

[scotrace]

The POPE?

My respect for Pope John Paul II is limitless. A saint, yes. One of the greatest men of our time or any time, yes. But I don't think the Pope can be easily fit into our list of Manly Men. I'm looking for dashing, heroic men of the supreme pirate/cowboy/soldier/brilliant/cigar chomping/kiss the girls type. Some literary giants fit. Some actors fit. Some sports figures (maybe).

I would add Pope John Paul II to the list of the greatest men and women of all. Lincoln, Ghandi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller...

To put him here diminishes him.

 

[scotrace]

yay!

About a year ago, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal about a sergeant who lost his hand performing his duties in Iraq. He could have gone on disability and collected a pension. Instead, he got into the best shape of his life and learned how to do everything he had done before with a prosthetic hand. He was an inspiration to to his fellow patients.

And let us not forget the firemen who rushed into the WTC on 9/11 or the airplane passengers who overpowered their highjackers over Pennsylvania.

I think that girly men get more press, though, because they are the exception--man bites dog, in other words. Regular men are masculine men.

Yes YES YES!!! The brave, gutsy, heroic men of 9-11! As well as those brave early pilots who went up into near certain death in a craft made mainly of paper!

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Annie Oakley

I'm looking for dashing, heroic men of the supreme pirate/cowboy/soldier/brilliant/cigar chomping/kiss the girls type. Some literary giants fit. Some actors fit. Some sports figures (maybe).

Well, she's not a man, but she's no sissy either and fits your bill in some cases.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/oakley/

 

[scotrace]

Nope

Sorry Chickeedoo. The one no-budging rule here is that we can only include persons with XY sex chromosomes.

 

[Baggers]

The men of my family have some orneriness, but aren't completely macho. They can all cook, most of them have some taste, and they aren't intimidated by strong women. I submit these men:

Uncle Loren. He was a lineman for Pacific Gas & Electric for many years. When protestors stood in the way of construction of the Diablo nuke plant, he told his men to roll the heavy equipment forward. (The protestors got out of the way.) He loved to deep sea fish, too, and in fact, preferred women boat captains. He said they'd go where the fish were, not just give up if they didn't find any.

My brother Bob. A very hard worker; he can fix almost anything. He used to have his own marble & granite business. When one customer hemmed and hawed about paying for the refinishing Bob did on his floor, Bob threatened to pour muratic acid on his floor. He left with a check. Now, he dotes on his 2-pound poodle.

My grandfather Harry. He was in the cavalry when they were on horseback; he was later a blacksmith and and a homesteader in Wyoming. He was also on the school board, although he had an 8th-grade education. In fact, he married a teacher who was much more educated than he. The only orneriness I've heard of is how blunt he was; maybe it was his German ancestry.

My father. He was an amateur bull rider; he worked as a welder. When he was a kid, he'd take off for days on horseback. I like to play practical jokes, but I've never, ever been able to play one on him--he's too canny. He's also a lover of roses--he grows dozens of them.

Paisley, my hat's off to you for nominating members of your own family. There's just something special in the fact that you chose people you know personally. Your father, grandfather, brother, and uncle should all feel proud.

Cheers!

 

[Feraud]

I think the skirts comment and reading T.E. Lawrence gave me the giggles. Oh whatever!

A sports figure: Pat Tillman. Gave up a career in sports to join the Rangers. Killed in action. What is manly about Tillman is he gave up a career in sports (potentially huge salary) to do what he thought was the right thing.