Ollie: “So the next night I headed off to the Canteen by myself… There was a long line of servicemen waiting to get in… it struck me just how young most of us were, and how, -eager and rambunctious, we weren’t much different from a bunch of high schoolers on a field trip, goofing off, making dumb comments, and not having a care in the world…”
Text from the website of the National World War II Museum New Orleans:
“On October 3, 1942, the Hollywood Canteen opened its doors in a former livery stable at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles. Modeled after, and affiliated with, the Stage Door Canteens founded by the American Theatre Wing, the Hollywood Canteen became a haven for servicemen—a place where they could enjoy entertainment and dancing free of worry or charge. Young military guests to the canteen were often very far away from home, lonely, and starved for entertainment. The canteen provided a welcome respite from the pressures of a world war.
“The Hollywood Canteen, like others, was staffed completely by volunteers. But in Hollywood, the volunteers were often famous celebrities. Servicemen could dance with Betty Grable, be served a sandwich by Shirley Temple, and watch a performance by Carmen Miranda. Roy Rogers even rode his horse, Trigger, right onto the stage for some prancing tricks. The canteen provided an outlet for stars anxious to contribute to the war effort in the best ways they knew how—their trade as entertainers. Many Americans who had the pleasure of experiencing a night at the Hollywood Canteen never forgot the famous individuals they had the chance to meet. Those famous canteen staffers long remembered serving the servicemen who were sacrificing much more than their time in the fight for democracy.
“Actors Bette Davis and John Garfield were the driving forces behind the establishment of the canteen, and Davis became its president. She was at the peak of her career in the early 1940s, and went on to earn 10 Academy Award nominations. On opening night, the Hollywood Canteen raised $10,000 by charging the civilian public $100 each for bleacher seats to watch as star volunteers paraded in. Davis recalled it was so crowded that she had to climb through a window to enter.”
To see more photographs of the Canteen, check out the fabulous collection on the website Historic Hollywood Photographs.
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