Hollywood at War ... The Hollywood Canteen

History of the Hollywood Canteen

John Garfield was feeling the need for a club for the servicemen who frequented Hollywood. He spoke with Bette Davis about this idea. With much interest she took the idea to a friend of hers. His name was Jules Stein.

It seemed that Davis had been represented by the Music Corporation of America since 1938. Stein was the president.

Bette Davis, "Jules Stein, up to this time, was seldom ever seen. Few people even knew what he looked like. He preferred to live this way. It was a big decision when he said he would head the financial committee. He would have to alter his way of life. Without his hard work, advice, and investments of our funds the Hollywood Canteen could not have been successful, to say nothing of the work of his wife, Doris, who I asked to be the head of the committee for the hostesses necessary for dancing partners for the servicemen. When the canteen was no longer needed after V-J Day, $500,000 remained in the canteen account. These monies were the result of Jules's ideas. A great source of revenue came from a film he urged Warner Bros. to make called Hollywood Canteen, a large percentage of which was allotted by Mr. Warner to the canteen itself. With the remaining monies a foundation was formed, and to this day contributions are made to worthy projects dealing with the armed forces."

The Canteen, a former livery stable and nightclub, the Old Barn, was located at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard, off Sunset. (Source)

Squadrons of the Eighth AAFC of WWII

Mighty 8th Museum
Squadrons of the Mighty 8th
379th BG Kimbolton
379th Bombers
The 379th Virtual Heavy Bomber Group
379th Missions
The 91st Heavy Bombardment Group
93rd Bomb Group
The 100th Heavy Bombardment Group
The 303rd Bomb Group(H)Heavy
The 352nd Fighter Group
The 352nd Fighter Group
361st Fighter Group
The 376th Bomb Group
The 381st Bomb Group (H) Heavy
392nd Bomb Group
445th Bomb Group
446th Bomb Group
448th Bomb Group
The 453rd Bomb Group
The 456th Heavy Bombardment Group
457th (Heavy) ("Wild Hare") Fireball Outfit/94th Wing 1st Div/748th Sq.
The 463rd Heavy Bombardement Group
The 466th Bombardment Group
The 486th Bomb Group
The 467th Bomb Group
The 486th Bombardment Group Memorial Association Website
489th Bomb Group
492nd Bomb Group
The 78th Fighter Group
The 94th Bomb Group
The 401st BG
WWII Stories

John Wayne is Back

You can't get more American than John Wayne. Read the article "John Wayne is Back" by Peggy Noonan. I love it!

Visit "Freedom Rock"

Every year, for the last five years, a talented artist, Ray (Bubba) Sorensen II, has done a Memorial Day tribute to our servicemen and servicewomen, both past and present, with a stirring tableau painted on a large granite boulder which stands next to Highway 25. The huge granite boulder came out of the nearby Schillberg Rock Quarry and it weighs approx. 56 ton (50.8Mg) and is 12 ft (3.7m) high.

For years this boulder was known as "the graffiti rock" and was decorated for high school rivalries, love interests, etc. Since the Memorial Day paintings began, the "rock" has remained with the annual tribute intact.

When Sorensen was 19, he saw 'Saving Private Ryan' and he felt that patriotism was at an all time low and was not being taught in our schools and this motivated him to paint the rock. People were always driving by to see what was painted on the rock. Sometimes there were bad things and other times is was good. He knew if he painted the rock a lot of people would see it.
Sorensen paints over the previous years mural with white paint and starts with a black canvas. He draws a sketch of his idea on paper and then draws the design by free hand onto the rock. This takes him anywhere from one to three weeks to paint. He gets his ideas from books, movies, previous artwork and images by other artists.

About This Blog

This blog is an addendum to my Mighty Eighth Site which has come to be a labor of love, dedication and respect and truly came about quite by accident. All because of "Uncle
Eddie

All my life, I have grown up hearing about my Great-Uncle Eddie, my great-grandfather's oungest brother, who was shot down on a return mission from Osnabruck, Germany on 12/22/43 (on his return trip to Kimbolton Air Force Base). The story that we always heard, was that he just "disappeared into the clouds." Our family never knew much more than that. Uncle Eddie's brothers, sisters, parents and the later generations were always left with the question of whether he could have been a POW and survived the crash, as his body has never been recovered. There has never been any closure. Uncle Eddie remains a large part of our family and in a manner of speaking, is forever young.

In the meantime, I have been writing essays for college scholarships and came across a scholarship which asked the question, "Why Should We Remember World War II?" Not
knowing how involved I would become I embraced the question. In researching, I came across a web site called: Finding and Telling Your Dads War Story On a lark, not really expecting to find anything, I found that uncle Eddie had a memorial grave in the Netherlands. On further research I found his unit, message boards, chats, associations, and some of the nicest bunch of people you could ever meet at the Heavy Bombers Website. (In regards to message boards, there are many people willing to help you by lending information on what they know, where to go to find the answers and who to ask for what. They are an excellent
resource.)

One blessing I would have to say is my new realization as to how close our country came to losing our freedom. I truly had no clue except for what I had read, seen on T.V., or seen at the movies. Sure I had read about Hitler, read about the concentration camps, knew about Pearl Harbor, but I did not know enough of the "behind the scenes history" to feel it so deeply.

I am so profoundly moved by my new knowledge and the great kindness and friendships I have made in my quest for finding "Great-Uncle Eddie," that I cannot get enough information for myself, nor can I preach enugh to the masses as to how wonderful the World War II men and women were. Both on the foreign fronts and homefront. There was so much patriotism, group efforts, pride, effort and love. For example, I never knew or learned in school that the "air masks" had to be worn above 10,000 feet in a B-17 -- or that they had to be removed every 5 minutes to knock off the slobber or nasal accumulations. I did not realize how thin the skin of a B-17 was or how cold it was (that you could not touch it with bare skin or you would adhere to it). These are things that both horrified and amazed me.

The biggest blessing: Out of the blue (and in a very short time period I might add), our family finally received closure. An eyewitness and survivor of the Osnabruck mission contacted me. According to his eye witness account, Uncle Eddie's plane took a shrapnel/explosion hit by a German Heinkel. Which answered questions we had wanted answered for over 50 years.

In going to the various campuses to interview for colleges it dawned on me that the men and women of World War II were mere teenagers and youths fighting for our country. That the young Junior at the college I was interviewing with was the same age (or actually older) than my Great -Uncle Eddie was when he was piloting a B-17 Flying Fortress. And this young
college man was older than my great uncle was when he died.

I could go on and on. But I won't. I want to relay the stories to everyone from the people who were there. Therefore, this site is intended as a "Living Memorial" and tribute to all of those who served. I feel it is best to let them speak and let me provide the forum.

I have tried to find other web sites and links that offer so much insight, knowledge and information. If you know of a website that should be put on this web page, please e-mail me with the link.

I would urge you, whether you are the actual WW II veteran, wife, child, grandchild, or other family member, to obtain their war stories, information and records. It will give you a deeper insight and a richer love for you fellow-man and country.