Evening star., 1942-11-29
Miss Holidays Feet Hurt, but It Is Delicious Pain
And That's What All the Girls Have FoundW
Help Entertain Fighting Men at HOLLYWOOD Canteen
By Kate Holiday.
HOLLYWOOD.


HOLLYWOOD.
Every Thursday night at 9 o'clock,
my feet hurt.
No. it isn't a recurring tropical
disease. But on Thursday nights at
8 I finish three hours of dancing
with the soldiers at the Hollywood
canteen. And, at that point, I dis
engage myself gently from the uni
formed arms around me and totter
of to find footbath.
II you don't think medication is
necessary. you are decidedly off the
beam. For the canteen has enter
tained as many as 3,70O fighting
men In one night. The boys come
in droves. They fight to get in.
They stand outside for hours and
wait their turns. And when they
are inside the sacred portals :!
Have you ever seen a soldier fresh
from three months in the California
desert jitterbug? Ladies and gen.
tlemen, you amt lived! I, I might
say modestly, have not only seen
but have danced with the guy.
Nonetheless. despite the protes-
tations of aching arches, the can
teen Is truly wonderful idea. It's
worth every twinge.
To get this spot going, Hollywood
went all out. No one held back. Not
only every union in the town con-
tributed, but every star, every bit
player, even the guy who runs the
parking lot next door. (His place
was roped off for dancing opening
night) 1t was - and is pretty
terrific.
Bette Started 1t.
1t began few months ago when
the musicians union brought the
success of the New York stage door
canteen to the attention of Bette
Davis and John Garfield Miss Davis,
you know, is rather energetic
young woman She doesn't waste
any time. Neither does Mr.. Gar
field. In a few days the plan for
a canteen in Hollywood was
launched.
An abandoned night club was
chosen as the site for the festivities
This was donated for the duration
by its owner. Then, the studio
plumbers, painters, prop men, elec-
tricians, and other workers came in
on their own hooks, volunteered
both time and materials and
changed the ancient barn into a
club where the boys could have fun.
No one was paid to do this. No one
was even asked to do it. The men
just came, saw, and worked their
heads off.
After them came the artists.
They covered the walls with car
toons. Richard Whorf, who wields
a mean brush, did murals on the
walls of the gents room. He ar
rived too late to decorate a public
expanse and he wanted to do some
thing. That was the only space
left.
Staff Recruited.
Meanwhile. Miss Davis recruited
staff of willing women to run the
canteen. These, in turn. formed
teams to get hosteSses, bus boys,
kitchen workers, and people to man
the snack bar. The stars came in,
either as helpers or as entertainers,
and the nightly shows now are liter
ally worth their weight in platinum.
One night, for instance. Bob Hope,
Dinah Shore, Virginia OBrien. and
Jerry Colonna frightened up the
place. For free-if you wore a uni
form!
In order to get some change on
which to begin operations, the pro-
ceeds of the premiere of Columbia s
The Talk of the Town and the
subsequent party at Ciro's were
donated to the cause. This yielded
somewhere in the neighborhood of
$1,000 and provided a sinking fund
for emergencies. It also provided
the VhereWithall for the nightly
outlay of food.
The canteen opens each night at
to mob Of fun-hungry lads. For
20 minutes of every hour the snack
bar functions for free sandwiches.
coffee, soft drinks. cigarettes and the
autographs of the beauties manning
1t. There are at least 30 or 40 host
esses for the kids to dance with
CHATS me, chumD, message serv-
Ice, and show every hour and
half. The spirit which prevails is,
~