More from the Hollywood Canteen

About 15 years ago, I did a post on the Hollywood Canteen. With a few new photos added to my collection, it seemed like a good time to do an update! The photo above shows Shirley Temple arriving for her appearance at the Hollywood Canteen, July 14, 1943. How do I know the date? Thanks to Shirley expert supreme, the Rita Dubas, who not only gave me the date that was written on the back of a photo from her collection, but shared the photo itself/ Not sure who the guy next to Shirley is, but the guy behind her looks a bit like Ray Bolger!



Rita also sent me a link to a FANTASTIC site filled with photos and background info about the Canteen. Edited from the Historic Hollywood Photographs website:

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, actress Bette Davis approached fellow actor John Garfield and Dr. Jules Stein about starting a canteen for servicemen in Hollywood, similar to the Stage Door Canteen in New York. The three approached all the entertainment unions, guilds, movie studios and radio stations for support. They found a dilapidated barn located at 1451 N. Cahuenga Blvd and leased it for $100 a month for the duration of the war. Hollywood's motion picture craftsmen volunteered their services to do the renovation and transformed the place.

Below, from 1942 (L to R) Forrest Cooper, Jules Stein, Al Ybarra, Bette Davis & John Garfield planning the construction of the Hollywood Canteen



It was unanimously agreed that the Hollywood Canteen would be exclusively for enlisted servicemen, no officers allowed. The servicemen's uniform was his admission ticket. The only people allowed to volunteer were those who worked in some facet of the entertainment business. The Canteen had its grand opening on October 3rd, 1942 with Eddie Cantor as MC. The forecourt was filled with thousands of servicemen, dignitaries and civic leaders. All food, beverages, and cigarettes were free. Each night, two bands played to packed dance floors. Entertainers included Red Skelton, Spencer Tracy, Rosemary Clooney, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby. Hostesses included Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich, Paulette Goddard and Joan Crawford. When the war ended in 1945, fewer servicemen visited and the canteen closed by November. Over the course of its 3 year existence, the Hollywood Canteen had over 3 million servicemen come through its doors. It was truly Hollywood's finest home-front contribution to the war.

Below is a shot from opening night on October 3, 1942, with comedians Abbott and Costello at the microphone:



The medley below shows just how special the Canteen was, especially in light of today, this would NEVER occur. Top Hollywood celebrities like Hedy Lamarr, Marlene Dietrich, Betty Grable (with Sergeant Carl Bell, the millionth serviceman to visit), and Linda Darnell all served, danced, and socialized with the soldiers without pay or bodyguards. Let that sink in. Oh…and no social media.



Shirley puts her apron on to get down to business. The stars didn’t just show up — they WORKED!



From the How to Eat LA website comes an additional shot of Shirley from the same night, serving snacks to the servicemen:



And in case you think these celebrities were one-and-dones, no way; here’s Shirley performing again at the Canteen on a different night.



Rita informed me that the backdrop behind the band was styled after an 1890s vaudeville stage—the circular plaque above Shirley reads “Ennola Colber Hosiery Underwear.” Below is a detailed view of Shirley:



These previously posted images were from a collection I purchased, showing the exterior of the Canteen:





From the same batch, the soldier captured this view of Hollywood Boulevard featuring the NBC building:



Zooming in, you can also see the Palladium and the CBS building. The Palladium still stands.



This soldier relaxes at the cross streets of Sunset & Vine, just a few blocks from the Canteen:



The same soldier at Hollywood and Vine. You can see the Brown Derby sign in the background:



A detailed view of the United Nations War Relief ad:



The former site of the Canteen at Sunset and Cahueanga is now a parking garage and the CNN building. No plaque, no nothing to commemorate this historic location.



What are the sayings? They paved over paradise…time marches on…nothing lasts forever…well, you get the drift. Especially in Hollywood.

See more Hollywood photos at my main website.

Melissa on the West Coast, Pt. 3

The two hour drive from Palm Springs to Hollywood would have been easy-breezy, except for the loss of the passenger side window. In a classic case of “Driving Miss Lazy,” Melissa sat in the backseat with Willis to avoid the constant blast of hot air from said missing window. We left mid-morning; I noticed as we got closer to our destination that the temperature outside was slowly rising. By the time we got Los Angeles, it was over 90 degrees. It was safe to say that although it wasn’t voiced, nobody in the car was in a happy place. However, the show must go on, so we continued with our list of film location visits, with the first one being the “Mildred Pierce” (1945) house in Glendale, which was first covered here. Snap snap and it was back in the car to visit Rizzo and Danny who were talking about “sloppy seconds” at Frenchie’s house from “Grease” (1978).



I don’t know about sloppy, but we were definitely hot and sweaty by this point.



And yet… we carried on. Next stop: Jane Hudson’s house from “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”(1962):



While the exterior of the house was used for a number of scenes, the film crew also built a replica of it on the soundstage at Warner Brothers. Note in this publicity still you can see the door AND the interior of the set on the far right.



Temperatures continued to rise as patience plummeted, so I made an executive decision: time for lunch. Mauro Cafe at Fred Segal on Melrose Avenue was the perfect place to get cool in the shade, hydrate, and enjoy a delicious meal. This has to be one of my favorite spots in Hollywood; the staff is super friendly and the food is tasty.



The tart lemon slush is a favorite of mine.





My chicken parmesan sandwich hit the spot:



And yes, the carrot cake was every bit as decadent as it looked.



Once I dropped Melissa off at her hotel I headed toward the Chateau Marmont, where I finally felt like I could relax and breathe…until I realized I’d left my camera back at Mauro Cafe. Willis and I piled back in the car and quickly retrieved it. Yes, that caused a few moments of panic.



My room (39) was one I had never been in before and it was lovely.



Willis was happy to be at his home-away-from-home.



What a great view of the patio and Sunset Boulevard from my window:



Willis and I crashed and then went downstairs for a late dinner. There was a piano player! What a fantastic touch.



The roasted chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes were delish.



Yes, Willis had some of the chicken. How could you resist this face?!?



No, he didn’t get any of my Coconut Panna Cotta dessert.



We slept well that night. Almost too well; Willis was not happy when I tried to get him up for his morning walk.



I love strolling through the nearby West Hollywood neighborhoods, as there are so many cool historic homes and apartment buildings, like The Andalusia from 1926:





I want those garage doors!



The Mi Casa apartments on Havenhurst were used in the 1974 film “Chinatown.”



This is where Detective Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) snapped clandestine shots of Hollis Mulwray with a young woman he was supposedly having an affair with.



It’s a gated building, so I couldn’t get in to see the courtyard where the scene was filmed.



It’s the details that draw me in:



Afterwards,  it was time for my morning swim and for Willis to relax. Please, no pictures.



Next up: Sid Krofft at the Chateau!

See more photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Frank n' Shirley

I bought this photo awhile ago and was hoping to get more info on it before posting, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. What I do know: Frank DeVol is on the left, and Shirley is on the right, looking either frustrated or tired. Where they are and what they are doing is a complete mystery, as the two don’t seem to share any credits.

Frank DeVol was born in Moundsville, West Virginia, on September 20, 1911 and grew up in Canton, Ohio. His father had a pit orchestra at the local movie house. After high school, Frank attended Miami University (in Ohio) for six weeks. The parental units saw him as a lawyer; Frank saw himself as a musician. He was a member of the musicians’ union from the age of 14 and worked for his father in the theatre orchestra. His instruments were violin and saxophone at first (he and I have that in common!). After his brief college interlude, he joined Emerson Gill’s orchestra in Ohio and traveled the state. Later, he joined Horace Heidt’s band, also taking on the duty of doing their arrangements. In 1943, he settled in California and started his own band, appearing on KHJ radio and accompaniment to many radio shows.

Based on Shirley’s appearance in the photo, I am guessing it was taken during the time of her television show, “Shirley Temple’s Storybook” (1958). Perhaps they were in a recording studio together and just happened to cross paths.

At that time, DeVol had credits as Musical Director for “The Betty White Show” (2 episodes, 1958) and “The George Gobel Show” (4 episodes, 1958-1959). DeVol also broke into the movies and composed the score for 50 films. In addition, he composed the music for a number of television shows, such as “Family Affair” (1966), “My Three Sons” (1960), and most notably “The Brady Bunch” (1969). Yes. He wrote the theme song. Now try to get that one out of your head.



He also wrote the songs for the Bette Davis/Joan Crawford camp classic, “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" These two songs will linger in your brain, too.





As an actor, DeVol had small parts in “The Parent Trap” (1961, as Mr. Eaglewood) and various TV sitcoms such as “Get Smart,” “That Girl,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “My Favorite Martian,” and “Petticoat Junction.”

You can thank me later for the music playing in your brain the rest of the day.

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Charlotte in Color!

Following the success of “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” Joan Crawford and Bette Davis were to be reteamed in another campy horror film, “Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” This time, the two screen legends would be switching role types: Joan would play the evil backstabbing Miram and Bette the sympathetic heroine, Charlotte. Well, as much of a sympathetic heroine as Bette could play at this point in her career. As she did in “Baby Jane,” Bette went over the top in her performance, layering on the hysterics. Unfortunately, Crawford was replaced by Olivia DeHavilland, so we never got to see how the dynamic duo would have fared when the tables were turned. “Charlotte” was filmed in black and white, just like its predecessor. These two rare color shots of Bette Davis were taken on set of the film in June 1964.

Released in December 1964, the film garnered seven Oscar nominations but didn’t win in any of those categories. Would Joan have been nominated? That would surely have made her feud with Davis far worse! Here’s a previously posted shot of Joan with costar Joseph Cotten and director and producer Robert Aldrich during the time she was involved in the production:

See more vintage Movie and TV photos at my main website.

Joan Beats Bette

On November 6, 1950, Bette Davis finally joined the ranks of her colleagues by placing her hands in a wet cement block in the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. From the vintage November 8, 1950 publicity blurb:

Bette Davis, who already holds two Academy Awards, gets a new kind of recognition as her foot print is immortalized in the cemented forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Lending a hand are Marine sergeants Jack Spencer (left) and Bert Nave.

I found a shot of the block itself on the Movies of Course blog:

This vintage Hollywood News Reel shows footage from the “All About Eve” premiere as well as Bette returning the next day (at 1:33) for the cement block ceremony:

Down the street at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, they dimmed all the letters on their neon sign so that it read “Eve” for the premiere. Here’s my contemporary re-creation:

What I want to know is why it took 21 years for Bette to join screen-rival Joan Crawford at Grauman’s?

See more Grauman’s Chinese Theatre photos at my main website.