Bette Davis, John Garfield and the Hollywood Canteen

On December 7, 1941, as World War II was raging in Europe, the Imperial Japanese Navy led a surprise military strike against the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Beginning at 7:48 a.m. local time, the attack was carried out by 353 Japanese planes, launching in two waves from six aircraft carriers. All eight U.S. Navy battleships stationed at the base were damaged, with four sunk. All but USS Arizona, which exploded beyond repair after being hit by four armor-piercing bombs, were later raised, and six were returned to service for the remainder of the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. In addition, 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,430 Americans were killed and 1,178 were wounded.

 

The attack on Pearl Harbor came as a profound shock to the American people and led President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to declare war on the Empire of Japan, on December 8. Three days later, both Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Japan's allies, reciprocated with a declaration of war against the United States, bringing the country fully into World War II.

 

The burning wreckage of the USS Arizona following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

After the United States actively entered World War II, thousands of Hollywood studio employees joined the various branches of the armed forces, sacrificing their careers to serve their country.

John Garfield was one of the many stars who tried to enlist, but he was rendered «unfit for duty» due to a heart condition caused by a childhood bout with rheumatic fever. Frustrated, he turned his energies to the war effort at home. He became interested in the idea of setting up a West Coast counterpart to the Stage Door Canteen, which had opened in New York City in March 1942 as a club offering free food and entertainment for American servicemen. One day, over lunch at the Warner Bros. commissary, Garfield approached fellow studio contract player Bette Davis, with whom he had recently appeared in William Dieterle's Juarez (1939), and told her about his concept of a Canteen to be run solely by members of the Hollywood film community. When he asked Davis to become the Canteen's chairwoman, she enthusiastically accepted.

 

John Garfield and Bette Davis founded the Hollywood Canteen in 1942.

 

As President and Vice-President of the Hollywood Canteen, Davis and Garfield set out to get the support of every guild and union affiliated with Hollywood's entertainment industry. 

 

In June 1942, they arranged a meeting with several people who were committed to getting the Canteen operating. They began by appointing a Board of Directors and electing a slate of officers, selected from representatives of the 42 guilds and unions who had lent their support. Classical pianist Carroll Hollister and American Federation of Musicians executive J. K. «Spike» Wallace joined Garfield as Vice-Presidents, film art director Al Ybarra became Treasurer, and Jean Lewin, an active member of the Screen Office Employees Guild, became Secretary. Davis also enlisted the help of Jules Stein, the powerful founder and head of Music Corporation of America (MCA), which represented the actress as her theatrical agency. As a man who dreaded making public appearances, Stein initially refused to participate, but Davis eventually persuaded him to work as the Canteen's business manager. Years later, she said, «Without Jules Stein, there would never have been a Hollywood Canteen.»

 

(L to R) Forrest Cooper, Jules Stein, Al Ybarra, Bette Davis and John Garfield planning the construction of the Hollywood Canteen. It was officially established as a nonprofit organization on August 24, 1942.

 

After weeks of searching for a building where they could establish the Canteen, Davis and Garfield found an old livery stable at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard, which had housed a series of ill-fated nightclubs before closing down in 1937. They leased it for $100 a month for the duration of the war, plus six months, and rallied 14 guilds and unions to donate the labor and materials to renovate the building. A large group of Hollywood's craftsmen, including carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters and set decorators, volunteered their services, and scores of materials such as lumber, nails, paint, electrical wire, concrete and plumbing fixtures were given freely. All was used to build a new stage, a large service counter, a kitchen facility, a lighting control room, a lobby and a few offices. Cary Grant also gave a piano of his own, while studio head Jack Warner shipped in linoleum. The food, beverages (no alcohol allowed) and cigarettes were to be donated by Southern California distributors.

 

Volunteers painting the exterior of the Hollywood Canteen before the grand opening (September 1942).

Because the Canteen would be run by people with nine-to-five jobs, its hours would be from 7 p.m. to midnight, in two shifts, Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday, from 2 to 8 p.m. It was figured that approximately 300 volunteers would be needed nightly. These would include junior and senior hostesses, busboys, kitchen help, doormen, cloakroom clerks, stage staff, band members and celebrities who would serve sandwiches and coffee, as well as provide entertainment. The Canteen's officers and directors agreed that the volunteers should be solely from the entertainment industry, although anyone affiliated with the Hollywood studios and related guilds and unions would also be welcomed. The Canteen was to be used exclusively by enlisted soldiers and sailors of the United States and Allied nations, as well as women in all branches of service. A serviceman's uniform would be his ticket of admission and everything there would be completely free of charge.

 

The grand opening of the Hollywood Canteen (October 3, 1942).

 

The Hollywood Canteen opened on October 3, 1942, with a glorious gala show hosted by Eddie Cantor that featured musical performances by the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Rudy Vallee's Coast Guard Band, and comic interludes provided by the popular duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Although Bette Davis had been on medical bed rest for exhaustion all week, following the completion of filming Watch on the Rhine (1943), she was present on opening night to give a speech thanking everyone from all the unions and guilds for their hard work and contributions.

 

Garfield noted that by the end of 1942, the Canteen was serving approximately 5,000 servicemen each night on weekends, and 20,000 throughout the rest of each week. Since the place was always filled to the brim, servicemen were asked to stay only an hour on the premises, so as to make room for others waiting outside. Significantly, the Canteen was not segregated; even though segregation still occurred elsewhere, including in the USO, with separate clubs for white and Negro soldiers, the Hollywood Canteen permitted integrated socialization and mixed dancing.

Marlene Dietrich serving food at the Hollywood Canteen (c. 1942).

Almost all of Hollywood's greatest stars volunteered their time at the Canteen. Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Greer Garson, Betty Grable, Hedy Lamarr and Olivia de Havilland served coffee, cakes and sandwiches, and took turns dancing with the servicemen. Fred MacMurray, Basil Rathbone, and even Garfield himself, worked as busboys, while Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Joe E. Brown, whose son was killed during pilot training shortly after the Canteen's opening, provided entertainment. Other celebrities who donated their services at the Canteen included Joan Fontaine, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, Shirley Temple, Gary Cooper, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Only Greta Garbo and Charlie Chaplin remained inexplicably «aloof» from the proceedings at Cahuenga Boulevard.

 

Ginger Rogers and Fred MacMurray signing autographs at the Hollywood Canteen.

The popularity of the Hollywood Canteen inspired Warner Bros. to produce a film of the same name. The studio constructed an exact replica of the Canteen on one of its sound stages and gathered the talents of 62 stars to play themselves in a story loosely scripted by Delmer Daves, who also served as director. The point of the film was to show the Canteen in operation and showcase the Warners «stock company» as they might be performing there on any given night.

 

The plot of Hollywood Canteen (1944) is virtually non-existent. Two wounded soldiers, Corporal «Slim» Green (Robert Hutton) and his friend, Sergeant «Brooklyn» Nolan (Dane Clark), are sent stateside to recuperate before being reassigned to active duty in the South Pacific. Upon arriving in California, they visit the Hollywood Canteen, where it is announced that Slim is their one-millionth guest. The prize is a fun-filled weekend that includes a date with his dream girl, actress Joan Leslie. In turn, Brooklyn gets the chance to dance with Joan Crawford, who had recently signed with Warner Bros. after deciding to end her contract with MGM. 

 

Joan Leslie and Robert Hutton in Hollywood Canteen (1944).

Throughout the film, Davis and Garfield give talks on the history of the Canteen, and many of the celebrities take time out from their hospitality services to entertain the soldiers who came to see them. For instance, Jack Carson and Jane Wyman perform «What Are You Doin' the Rest of Your Life» with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra; Roy Rogers and Trigger offer their rendition of «Don't Fence Me In»; the Andrew Sisters sing «Getting Corn For My Country»; and Jack Benny and classical violinist Joseph Szigeti perform a comic fiddling duel.

 

Hollywood Canteen premiered at the Strand Theatre in New York City on December 15, 1944, receiving a general release at the end of that month. Although the film opened to mixed critical reviews, its all-star cast and wartime appeal made it the fifth highest-grossing picture of the year, taking $4.1 million at the box office. Warner Bros. donated 40 percent of the film's profits to the real Hollywood Canteen, as well as the Stage Door Canteen in New York. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Sound Recording.

 

Jack Carson, Jane Wyman, John Garfield and Bette Davis in Hollywood Canteen (1944).

When President Harry Truman made the announcement on August 14, 1945 that the war was over, Hollywood, like the rest of America, exploded with excitement. More than 3,000 servicemen flooded into the Canteen and spilled out into the streets of Hollywood in an enormous public celebration. 

 

Soon after World War II ended, the Canteen closed its doors. The farewell show took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1945, and starred Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Jerry Colonna. Bandleader Kay Kyser and Bette Davis led the attendees in a performance of «Auld Lang Syne» in commemoration of the past three years of service. By this time, the Canteen had entertained an estimated three million servicemen, averaging 100,000 soldiers and sailors a month.

 

Spencer Tracy serving the Thanksgiving turkey at the Hollywood Canteen (November 1942).

 

The Hollywood Canteen was truly an important part of the war effort. By allowing servicemen the opportunity to socialize with their favorite stars, the Canteen made them forget, even just for a night, the grim reality that awaited them overseas. In later years, Bette Davis said, «There are few accomplishments in my life that I am sincerely proud of. The Hollywood Canteen is one of them.»

 

 

[Originally posted in Back to Golden Days: Hollywood at War: The Hollywood Canteen] 

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SOURCES:
Chandler, Charlotte. The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, A Personal Biography. Simon & Schuster, 2006.

Charyn, Jerome. Movieland: Hollywood and the Great American Dream Culture. New York University Press, 1996.

Starr, Kevin. Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940-1950. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Zollo, Paul. Hollywood Remembered: An Oral History of Its Golden Age. Taylor Trade Publishing, 2002.