# George C. Scott, Patton, Ann Coulter **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 8, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040 "2003-11-08T05:14:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/1 "2003-11-08T05:14:38Z")
Did George C. Scott do his best to make Patton look bad in the film _Patton_? Did Scott turn down his Oscar because the film and Patton ended up being liked by people, when he wanted it to make Patton look bad? This is the view put out by Ann Coulter. She says the filmakers wanted Patton to look bad, but since it was accurate people loved Patton so liberals no longer make accurate films. > [@](#): > > COULTER: That is precisely my point, because it was made accurately. > But it was made, the people making it were intending to make Patton look bad. > MATTHEWS: Who did that? > COULTER: That is why George C. Scott turned down his Academy Award for playing Patton. > [@](#): > > CORN: Why did he take the role? Why did he take the role, Ann, if he didn’t want to do it? > COULTER: Why do you think he turned down the award, Chris? You never looked that up? It never occurred to you? “I wonder why George C. Scott didn’t accept his award.” > MATTHEWS: Because he said he wasn’t going to a meat parade, because he didn’t believe in award ceremonies because they’re all about women wearing no clothes and showing off their bodies… > COULTER: By portraying Patton as negatively as possible, but by doing it accurately the American people loved it. So does Coulter have it right? ---
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/2 "2003-11-08T05:16:45Z")
> **[MSNBC News - Breaking News and News Today | Latest News](https://www.msnbc.com/)** > > MSNBC breaking news and the latest news for today. Get daily news from local news reporters and world news updates with live audio & video from our team. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/3 "2003-11-08T05:17:47Z")
Coulter is an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/4 "2003-11-08T05:19:32Z")
Ann Coulter has nothing right. I don’t have a cite, but Patton’s family was happy Goerge C. Scott’s portrayal. ---
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/5 "2003-11-08T05:23:59Z")
Was Franklin J. Schaffner even a liberal/leftist? ---
**Author:** ![fushj00mang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@fushj00mang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fushj00mang)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/6 "2003-11-08T05:38:08Z")
Ditto to Mr. Babbington’s assertion. A quote from the History Channel’s “Movies in Time” when dealing with “Patton:” (from George S. Patton III) “As I watched the movie with my father, he started crying. Thats when I knew that he [Scott] had done an extrodanary job; he [Scott] was just like my grandfather” Anyone think that Coultier is actually a closet Communist, or is it just me? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/7 "2003-11-08T05:39:35Z")
Coulter’s nuts. Scott is on record as to why he didn’t accept that award. He doesn’t feel that it’s appropriate for actors to pat each other on the back and give each other awards. Sounds good to me. And Scott is a good enough actor that I think George S. Patton came out exactly the way he intended him to be. It was a fantastic performance in a fantastic movie. ---
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/8 "2003-11-08T05:40:18Z")
But Coulter is saying it was accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/9 "2003-11-08T05:43:33Z")
Ann Coulter is wrong. _Patton_ was not the first role for which George C. Scott earned as Oscar nomination. Had he won the award for _The Hustler_ in 1961, he would have turned it down. As others have said, Scott’s refusal of the award for _Patton_ was merely a testament to his distaste for competition among actors. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/10 "2003-11-08T05:45:57Z")
Ann Coulter At The Movies. Just what the world needed. Scott’s portrayal of Patton was nuanced and contradictory, just like a real human being. That was the point of the performance, and that’s why it was good. Scott didn’t accept the Oscar because, “Bob” love him, he was a pretentious artist-type. Ugh. I’m glad to see even conseratives are sick of her. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/11 "2003-11-08T05:46:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hydrocortisone \* > \*\*But Coulter is saying it was accurate. \*\* ANN COULTER… **THE VOICE OF AUTHORITY** ---
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/12 "2003-11-08T05:54:49Z")
Did Scott ever say how he felt about Patton (the man)? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/13 "2003-11-08T06:02:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* > \*\*Coulter is an idiot. \*\* DTC: Just wanted to take a rare opportunity of agreeing with you.🙂 Although _ad hominem_ attacks generally make bad debating, when an idividual is so often wrong and so thoroughly partisan, there is no reason to believe anything that person says. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/14 "2003-11-08T06:04:12Z")
Scott’s disdain for the Oscars was well publicized years before he was nominated for _Patton_. Like most of Coulter’s drivel, she is simply inventing nonsense. Schaffner has some credits that _could_ indicate a “liberal” attitude–episodes of _Playhouse 90_ and _The Defenders_–but he also directed _The Warlord_. The screenplay was based on two works, Ladislas Farago’s biography, Patton: Ordeal and Triumph and Omar Bradley’s autobiography, A Soldier’s Story and was written by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North–with not a soldier-hating (or even Patton-hating) member in the bunch. Coulter is simply a self-promoting liar. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/15 "2003-11-08T06:21:15Z")
Coulter is a total nutball…why would you even ask this question? lol, this is the most convoluted conspiricy theory I’ve seen in a while…gave me the best laugh of the night! My god though…I’ve NEVER seen such a consensus on this board. lol 😃 Reguards, XT ---
**Author:** ![RecklessA1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@RecklessA1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RecklessA1)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/16 "2003-11-08T07:56:25Z")
I see Ann Coulter from time to time on Fox News;which,by the way,should be regarded as pure entertainment and not as a serious news-channel.I am sorry to say this woman has nothing going for her,she’s obviously an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/17 "2003-11-08T08:02:09Z")
People believing Ann Coulter makes the baby Jeebus cry. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/18 "2003-11-08T08:03:27Z")
Allow me to quote Carlo D’Este, on pages 1-2 of his biography \*Patton: A Genius for War: > [@](#): > > Although the architects of this powerful film strove diligently to reveal Patton as he really was, there were inevitable distortions. Nor was it possible fully to portray his complex character in a film devoted solely to his World War II exploits. Moreover, _Patton_ was based on the bestselling memoir of another famous general, Omar N. Bradley, who served as the film’s chief military adviser. It was ironical that Bradley received a considerable sum of money, including a percentage of the gross receipts, for his professional consultation on a film about a comrade-in-arms he despised and never understood. > > What invariably emerges in the film is the portrayal of a brash, swashbuckling, controversial warrior. Yet, as one critic noted, if the film glorified Omar Bradley, not Patton. Thus, for nearly half of the fifty years since his death in 1995, the primary focus of our collective knowledge of Patton are, largely, a popular film and the opinions of a general who detested him but who owed him a giant debt for his support during the final months of World War II. Add to this the fact that the image the real Patton presented to the world was a many-layered facade, and there exists ample justification for the question, Who was George S. Patton? And I’d swear that somewhere in this damned book, Carlo D’Este admits that the film is an actual _citation_ of sorts, because the creators of the film actually sought out people who served with him and used some of their interviews in the film, thus making parts of the film a viable secondary source. Unfortunately, D’Este uses hundreds of endnotes, just like [Al Franken does](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=216646&highlight=coulter+AND+endnotes), so I can’t find the damned citation for the citation. ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/19 "2003-11-08T15:13:35Z")
Liberals poisoned my well. ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040/20 "2003-11-08T15:26:59Z")
Maybe Ann Coulter is trying to make people dislike Ann Coulter by doing such a good job portraying her. Unfortunately everybody likes her… hmmmmn, that doesn’t work. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-c-scott-patton-ann-coulter/212040.md?page=2)