# Moral Outrage--Baldwin as Doolittle? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 16, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004 "2001-06-16T04:14:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/21 "2001-06-16T17:28:18Z")
Or actors who play Nazis, for that matter – there are a lot of quotes from Kenneth Branagh (who played Reinhard Heydrich in _Conspiracy_) on that particular experience [here](http://www.branaghcompendium.com/conspiracy.html). Most relevant quote: “There’s a spiritual revulsion against playing him. You don’t want to be saying the things he was saying, or be part of his psyche. I found it got under the skin in an invasive way.” But as far as the OP goes, I can’t think of any conservative actors who played liberal historical figures, but my knowledge of movies is hardly encyclopedic and I’m sure you could come up with some. I do, however, agree with dropzone re: liberalism and patriotism. (Oh, and Baldwin was pretty crappy as Doolittle, but I don’t think that has anything to do with his personal politics… ;)) ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/22 "2001-06-16T18:15:17Z")
I wasn’t surprised by the letter referenced in the OP as much as I was by the _Enquirer’s_ decision to run not one, but _two_ letters from a fractionally-more-liberal-than-Strom-Thurmond perspective today. The last letter was a fucking riot, too… we all know how the _Enquirer_ secretly seeks to advance the “socialist agenda” in its news coverage… har… ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/23 "2001-06-16T18:50:51Z")
Vanessa Redgrave (an outspoken critic of many Israeli policies and a supporter of the Palestinian movement) played the part of Fania Fenelon in the autobiographical made-for-TV movie _Playing for Time (The Musicians of Auschwitz)_ and was roundly criticized by various Jewish support groups. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/24 "2001-06-16T19:19:38Z")
ob, I know it’s not your point of view, but how are we to know that Baldwin doesn’t respect Doolittle. Just because we can assume that they have different political views, I don’t think we can say that there is no respect. I personally respect Baldwin, Heston, Vidal and Dennis Hopper. I agree/disagree with viewpoints that everyone of them espouses. Sir ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/25 "2001-06-16T19:27:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by pesch \* > > \*\* > > Sounds like a stupid letter from a stupid couple. Why should we be surprised? They’re from Cincinnati. > > > > Fuckwits. > > > > \*\* > > Jesus, man! Don’t you know the **only** town in Ohio you can dis and get away with is Cleveland (aka “The Mistake on the Lake”)? > \*\* Now don’t you go dissing my home region, neither! Cincy’s been getting spanked regularly ever since they busted the curator of the Mapplethorpe exhibit. The latest news is that the owner of the city’s art movie house – you know, the place that’s supposed to stand up to the city bluenoses – edited scenes from “The Center of the World.” This was done despite there being no controversy over the showing, nor did the dick-less theater owner tell the customers what he was doing. And when it came out, he refused to come out and take the heat for it. (The info, BTW, came from reports on the [http://www.obscurestore.com](http://www.obscurestore.com) site. Every town has its share of dickless wonders, but with Mapplethorpe, Marge Schott, the Chiquita controversy, Cincy’s getting a nationwide rep for it. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/26 "2001-06-16T19:28:15Z")
Re: Alec Baldwin in _Pearl Harbor_– When I saw him with that hat on all I could think of was his guest appearance on _Saturday Night Live_, and the skit he did with Adam Sandler… _“Hello, canteen boy…”_ It was hard to take that part of the movie seriously after that. ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/27 "2001-06-16T21:06:33Z")
Re: A conservative actor in a liberal part Well, there is that human-rights-fighting, anti-nuke astronaut in “Planet of the Apes” as portrayed by NRA President Charlton Heston. And the sexually liberated sex kitten in “10” as protrayed by Republican fund-raiser Bo Derek Hmmm. Gots to be more. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/28 "2001-06-16T21:44:19Z")
I know I’m taking up bandwidth, but had to say thanks to all you good folks. I’m always amazed at the sheer intelligence volume here, even after hanging around for 8 or 9 months. Also, have to bitch about something. Granted, I don’t “hang out” in the Pit, and of my 430-odd posts, perhaps 15 of them have been in reply to Pit subjects. But, GODDAMMIT, after a fellow posts a Pit thread, isn’t he supposed to be rated by the judges for rant scale, etc. And ain’t you guys supposed to say that I drink goat jism, etc. Let’s get with the program! Fuckwits (hey, this is fun)! I’ll even try for a smiley-- 🙂 – someday, I’ll learn to do that Jimmy Carter-bucktooth smiley. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/29 "2001-06-17T07:58:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neptune\_1984 \* > \*\*Anthony Hopkins played Adolph Hitler in the TV movie _The Bunker_ in 1981. He won an Emmy for it, too. That’s the only one I can think of off the top of my head, though. \*\* Speaking of Anthony Hopkins, he was in town (Asheville, NC) for some of the shooting of Hannibal. AH sightings abounded. “I saw Anthony Hopkins eating at Melanie’s” “I was at the Laughing Seed and Anthony Hopkins was sitting ten feet from me.” “My friend who works at Max and Rosie’s says that Anthony Hopkins has gotten lunch there three times this week.” The interesting thing is that the restaurants he was spotted at were all vegetarian restaurants. Hannibal the Cannibal a possible vegetarian. I’m morally outraged! ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/30 "2001-06-17T08:02:33Z")
Um, let me try: 3.7 on the rant, Rhosis. Kinda eased into it with the compliment at the beginning. Not really considered good form in the pit. Oh, almost forgot. Milquetoast. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/31 "2001-06-18T02:06:00Z")
**Sir Rhosis** wrote: > [@](#): > > Just because we can assume that [Baldwin and Doolittle] have different political views… What the fuck? Why can we assume that? Does anyone here know what Doolittle’s political views were? News flash: Though Americans in general and military personnel in particular might lean toward the conservative side these days, the opposite was true in 1941. Conservatives of the day tended to be anti-war and isolationist. Meanwhile, we had a liberal Democrat for a commander-in-chief, and (as **dropzone** pointed out) it was the left wing that led the way in fighting the Nazis in Europe. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Doolitle was a lefty. This notion that only conservatives love their country enough to fight for it is really infuriating. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/32 "2001-06-18T02:11:31Z")
Oh yeah, and it strikes me that personality-wise, Baldwin and Doolittle might be pretty similar. Doolittle was pugnacious? Well now, Baldwin doesn’t exactly shy away from a scrap, does he? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/33 "2001-06-18T02:17:33Z")
spoke, Well put–I am as guilty as the next in drawing false conclusions, though you did draw my quote from a line where I was making the point that folks should not say that Baldwin doesn’t respect Doolittle. I would hazard a guess that he does. I hope I was making a good point, despite my ill-chosen conclusion. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/34 "2001-06-18T02:44:38Z")
Yeah, I probably did take your remark out of context, but this whole notion that “Doolittle was in the military and therefore must have been a conservative” really gets my dander up. Sorry if I misread you. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/35 "2001-06-18T16:33:31Z")
Out of curiosity, I poked around to see whether I could find out anything about Doolittle’s party affiliation. I can’t find anything explicit. However, I did find that Doolittle was appointed an assistant to the Air Force Chief of Staff during the Truman administration, and was later appointed to a Pesidential advisory board by John F. Kennedy. I do not find any indication that he performed any similar functions under Republican administrations. Not conclusive, but those tidbits suggest that Doolittle’s leanings were Democratic. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/36 "2001-06-18T16:58:25Z")
I also did some searching, and other than finding that Gen. Doolittle actively lobbied for money for airpower, didn’t see any sign that he was involved in any causes. ---
**Author:** ![cleosia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@cleosia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleosia)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/37 "2001-06-18T17:10:17Z")
> [@](#): > > There were a lot of actors, and others, who didn’t serve in WWII. It didn’t make them draft dodgers though. No, but they didn’t make a major living out of playing war heroes either. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/38 "2001-06-19T13:43:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sir Rhosis \* > **I personally respect Baldwin, Heston, Vidal and Dennis Hopper. I agree/disagree with viewpoints that everyone of them espouses.** My mom HATES Charlton Heston, just because of his views. I tell her that’s stupid and that I think Heston is cool, even though I don’t agree with him either. He’s just so bad he’s good. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/39 "2001-06-20T01:35:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by obfusciatrist \* > **how would we react today to John Wayne playing Genghis Khan, which he did in 1956 (in _The Conqueror_). The argument could be made that the actor is just playing someone (racially) unlike themselves but that kind of stretching is not allowable any more.** Oh, I don’t know. [Linda Hunt](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Hunt,+Linda) won an Oscar for playing an Asian man in _The Year of Living Dangerously_ (1982). Then there’s [Jenette Goldstein](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Goldstein,+Jenette), a natural redhead, playing Private Vasquez in _Aliens_ (1986). (Goldstein played the unnamed Irish mother who drowns with her children in _Titanic_.) The makeup artists did just as good a job turning her into a Latina as they did creating the Aliens! OTOH, a big fuss was made when [Jonathan Pryce](http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Pryce,+Jonathan) was cast in “Miss Saigon” in 1990, so maybe cross-racial casting is over. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2001, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004/40 "2001-06-20T03:25:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jab1 \* > **Then there’s [Jenette Goldstein](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Goldstein,+Jenette), a natural redhead, playing Private Vasquez in _Aliens_ (1986)** Yeah! I was just watching that tonight and noticed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moral-outrage-baldwin-as-doolittle/69004.md?page=3)