The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-19
THE PRIVATE PAPERS OF A
CUB REPORTER

CUB kEPOkTEk
Your correspondent Is one-fin-
gering this colyum on the Chief
two days out of Pasadena We
have been to Hollywood on assign
ment for the big Navy Relief Show
to be held at Madison Square Gar
den. March 10th ;. We return with
glad news. Tyrone Power will help
emcee the show and serve in special
ly written sketches :. Bette Davis
has been promised, and Spencer
Tracy personally declared he will
appear. There are many other top
flight stars for the show, including
Betty Cradle, the Ritz Brothers, Abb
bolt & Costello, Constance Bennett,
ct al-but the announcements will
come from those handling the press
angle There will be so much
entertainment-that if the program
begins Tuesday night at $3.50, it will
positively end tine following Sunday
at 7:45 We pause in Chicago
to arrange a deal with firm will
ing to sponsor the broadcasting of
the show If it clicks, Navy Re-
lief gets another $4,000.
In the M GIN executive dining
room of the new Administration
Building Ga memorial to Irving Thai
berg) your reporter met the H'wood
Victory Committee This group
Of Actors, Managers, Producers,
Technicians representing the allied
branches of the Cinema Industry
direct the free shows for Army,
Navy, Marines, etc. If this
committee turns you down-thats
the end of the argument -. But 1t
rarely refuses Before we were
called on to address this group
there were talks by Army and Navy
COMMUNICATIVE brought the gra-
titude and appreciation OF their re-
spective superiors for all the free
talent given in the name of morale
Then a man read list of peo-
pie who have appeared and will APP
pear all over the nation at various
camps and naval bases i. This
reading consumed thirty-five min
ates :. We felt little embarrassed
getting up to ask for more.
Claudette Colbert was among the
Victory Committee audience-Gary
Cooper, too aCharles Boyer, Ron
aid Colman, Jimmy Cagney, Cary
Grant, Spencer Trey, John Garfield,
Jack Benny, and so many others
you've met on the screen. When
we finished our talk (explaining the
Navy Relief Society all of them
came over later to say, 'The Navy
can have anything we have" :. We
prefaced our remarks with mes
sage from a Government spokes-
man, who instructed us to tell
Hollywood what the Government
expected from it. "We don't want
Clark Gable in any Army Air Corps"
said the spokesman. eve want Clark
to stay on the screen-Where he can
do this country more good"
We told Hollywood this story
about Coventry anud how some
laughter saved its people from de-
spair after the Nazis devastated it
for three days and as many nights
=. The people of Coventry were
ripe for any rabble-rouser or Govt
overthrower They had buried
their dead, they had gone without
milk for their children-Without food
and without shelter /. i. To them
life seemed at an end A few
days after the bombings someone
dug up movie from Hollywood :. :.
1t was shown TO the people from
Coventry and other nearby towns
day and night for week "a
hours a day It was so funny
it made them laugh for 80 minutes
or at least took their minds from
their personal misery :. The star
was Bob Hope :. The picture was
Caught in the Draft"
"And that is why" said the gov
eminent spokesman, 1--WE don't want
Hope or people like HMM such
times-to serve behind a machine
gun or bayonet. They do more good
behind movie microphone or in
front of camera. Clark Gable, we
think, is one of the peoples daily
habits and we don't want orob
the people Of their steady habits
all at once. That's the one thing
we have copied from Goebbels'
propaganda ministry. And the main
reason we held up your request for
active duty was the same. We didn't
want to stop you from colyuming
and broadcasfing because we didn't
want to stop the habit of those
Americans who listen to you merely
for the joy they get-in disagreeing
with whatever you have to say"
We wish readers would clip the
remarks above concerning the great
work contributed by the Hollywood
industry to the war effort-and send
hem to their senators and congress-
men at Washington. Just to re-
mind the critical ones-with all the
world stage-the only part Holly
wood wants to play is the role of a
loyal American citizen.