On Memorial Day Turner Classic Movies ran 1968’s “Where Eagles Dare”, with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood as “Leftenant Schaffer” who “…wears the shoulder flashes of the American Ranger Division…that speaks for itself.” The supporting cast is pretty damn good. Especially (and I admit to unapologetic bias) Ingrid Pitt (Heidi):
and Mary Ure (Mary):
They play a couple of hard core gals supporting the British mission.
In real life, Ingrid and her mother had been imprisoned at Stutthof Concentration Camp during the war.
Predictably, I fell in love with Mary. Again. This is explained by the title of another film in which she had no part: There’s Something About Mary.
Ingrid died of congestive heart failure on 23 November 2010, two days after her 73rd birthday.
Mary was found dead from an overdose of alcohol and barbiturates in London at 42, two months before my West Point class’ graduation in June of 1975.
OK, then. With a broken yet full heart and feeling somewhat misty, time to head out and decide where I’ll be eating dinner tonight.
~ Dempsey 🌵
Chalk Dust 