Two World War II veterans, both Ventura County residents, stay active
By Michael Picarella pic@theacorn.com

Gene Marks

World War II veterans are dying at a rate of more than 1,000 a day, according to recent studies. While some veterans can get depressed about that statistic, others remain positive and stay active.

Eighty-nine year-old Hal Geer of Simi Valley, a former U.S. Army major who served as a combat photographer in World War II shooting nearly 90 missions for newsreels, helped organize each of the last 15 Memorial Day events at Pierce Bros. Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village. He speaks on cruise ships as part of an enrichment lecture program. How does he do it at 89?

“You’ve got to do all things in moderation and you’ve got to choose your parents wisely,” Geer said. One of his relatives, he said, lived until he was 104. “That’s what I mean by picking your parents wisely.”

Geer is a retired Warner Bros. cartoon man. He was also a key member behind 25 feature films, including “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and Disney’s “Peter Pan,” more than 500 television shows, including “Route 66,” 400 commercials and 100 short subjects, including many favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons. He ran the Warner Bros. cartoon department between 1967 and 1970 and was a major innovator in the technical processes of cartoon and live action photography.

In 1985, Geer helped organize the Bugs Bunny star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored, along with cartoon directors Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones, and the master of cartoon voices, Mel Blanc.

In 1987, Geer retired. “I had the best job in the world,” he said. His storytelling capabilities are a particular source of pride for Geer. In WWII, many photographers were technical experts, but they couldn’t tell stories, he said. Geer’s strong sense of narration served him well throughout his career.

He still uses his storytelling skills. He’s spent the last 15 years as a speaker on cruise ships.

“They call them enhancement lectures,” Geer said. “After I retired, I went on a couple of cruises and I listened to one of the guys talking and I said, ‘I can do that and I can do better than he’s doing.’ So I talked my way into the job.”

Geer and his wife take about four cruises a year. There was a time when they took seven cruises per year, but that turned into work, Geer said.

Geer is a member of the International Combat Camera Association, a group of combat cameramen who buy historical cameras and put them in museums.

Gene Marks, 82, of Thousand Oaks served in the Army Air Corps in the same unit with Geer. Marks was a soundman, however, and he worked on many army training films.

“I was in the first motion picture unit of the Army Air Force,” Marks said. “We were stationed at the old Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, which euphemistically was nicknamed Fort Roach.”

Marks would receive footage shot by Geer and other cameramen overseas and edit the sound.

Marks’ unit, aside from making training films, made documentaries, one of which received much audience and critical acclaim. The movie “The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress” led to the 1990 film “Memphis Belle,” starring Matthew Modine and Eric Stoltz. “The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress” won several awards.

Following his service in the armed forces, Marks worked a 35year career at Warner Bros. as a special effects editor and music editor. He worked on such films as “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Blazing Saddles,” “The Exorcist,” “My Fair Lady” and “Rebel Without a Cause.”

Additionally, Marks worked as an editor on Pink Panther and Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Marks retired from Warner Bros. in 1990. He did some postproduction freelance work for the next five years, then called it quits.

Like Geer, Marks keeps himself very busy during retirement.

“I work as a volunteer docent at the museum on the Warner Bros. lot,” Marks said. “And my wife and I are volunteer ushers at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and the Conejo Players Theater. It’s just fun. It’s something worthwhile to do with our time.”

Marks credits his energy to being a “young 83-year-old” who stays active.

“I don’t want to sit around the house all day,” Marks said. “Even though I worked in the entertainment business, I hardly ever turn the TV on.” Marks said he’s more likely to turn on his computer to work—and play.

Marks has been active with the UCLA Alumni of Ventura County, the Macintosh Computer Users Group and the New West Symphony League. He also enjoys crossword puzzles every day, which, he said, keeps his mind sharp.

Both Marks and Geer are enjoying life. But having served in World War II, they can see problems with today’s society, more specifically today’s America.

“Both World Wars, I and II, were supposed to be the wars to end all wars,” Marks said. “Obviously they didn’t, as witnessed by so much of the global fighting that’s taken place since the end of World War II. Each new generation forgets what pain and suffering is caused by our petty grievances over the belief that war is the answer to our differences.”

Geer added that people who don’t know history are destined to relive it.“Every generation seems to not be wise enough to realize that,” Geer said.

Referring to America’s current conflict in the Middle East, Geer said, “Look at their history. Look at it for 4,000 years, and you’ll know we have no business going over there.”

Regardless, life goes on, and Geer and Marks are making the most of it. And they promise to keep making the most of it.