Evening star., 1943-05-30
By SheHah Graham.
HOLLYWOOD.

Dp OHSUuH LfUHQm.
HOLLYWOOD.
"Hurrah!" shrieked 5-year old
Ellen Powell, "mummys home from
the war; Joan Blondell, alias Mrs.
Dick Powell, alias the most glamor-
GUS mother in Hollywood" can now
add another title to her list. Meet
Miss Hollywood Victory Committee!
Since the war started, Joan has
made 80 trips to entertain the boys
in camps, sponsored by the HVC.
She has forgotten how many War
bond tours and Red Cross tours she
has undertaken before and since
Pearl Harbor. She was on the first
Victory Caravan with Boyer, Grant,
Colbert. De Havilland> when the
huge sum of S750000 900 was raised.
To sum up. Miss Blondell has
worked for Uncle Sam and the local
Victory Committee for seven of the
past II months And she has now
decided to make a picture CCry
Havoc') to get rest!
Joan's role in the flm-a pseudo
strlpteaser lis similar to the act
she puts on for the boys in camp
Il strip says Joan, but nothing
really comes off"
The act was written especially for
Joan by Frank RoWen. L was in
New York on December 7. 194l,
says Miss Blondell Write me
something quick. I told Frank. My
father and mother did the same
thing in the last war-entertained
the boys-and l could see the hand
writing on the wall. I'm just max
ing this one picture, then out I 90
again. l don't want to waste time
i'll Hollywood. After Id signed the
contract for Cry Havoc I was kind
OF depressed. 1t seemed wrong for
me to be here. And I wouldn't be.
but for wanting to see my children
and to get short rest"
In theory, the Hollywood Victory
Committee pays the expenses of the
film stars it sends to the boys But
it doesn't really add up to anything
because, according to Joan. You
eat with the boys in the mess halls.
and even then you don't eat be-
cause you're shaking hands all the
time and signing autographs. And
you sleep in huts. Nobody knows
how tired you can get. But you'd
Kill yourself for them, they're so
appreciative. They want to put on
a good show for you so they take
you for rides in jeeps. They let YOU
hre guns. 1 think I've fired more
guns than any soldier in the war.
I've dropped from parachutes. I've
chrlstened everything that could be
chrlStened and some that couldn't.
I've been in the nose of a plane
with nothing in front except air,
They've done what they call 'buzzed'
me-sWooping me down in a plane
almost taking the top of tree off.
Ihey've walked me in the morning
pv 'buzzlng' me-zooming in a plane
over my hut and sounding like an
earthquake. I've been up to NV
knees and my neck in rockies and
generals. And it's been wonderful" !"
The Escape Was Narrow.
On Joan's trip to Newfoundland,
She went by boat. 1t was blacked-
out all the way. Submarines were
known to be in the vicinity. But
Joan was lucky. She arrived safely,
and was allowed to fly back to this
country. When the ship made the
return journey it was torpedoed and
165 people were drowned. She was
So days in Newfoundland, where
some of the men had not seen
woman for 18 months.
When I got back I sent them all
the pictures I could find of legs,
arms and sweater art" Joan said
I'D stay up sometimes with them
until 4 in the morning. They just
want to talk. They're lonesome
they're lonesome for their mothers
and their girls. One of them told
me: We go through all the stages.
At first we're homesick, then we
don't care, then we get bitter, then
we settle down. and then all we want
is an American girl to talk to-"
One of the high spots on Joans
tours was when tough bunch of
Commands begged to watch her
put on her makeup. They we're es-
pecially interested in the false eye
lashes and very concerned about the
pain Joan must feel when taking
them off!
They took out strands of my hair
and put them into their wallets, >"
continued this hard-working girl.
"All my hankies were taken and
torn into small shreds and divided
among them. They even took my