Hollywood to the Wars

The sudden fact of war caught Hollywood with its make-up off. Before the first blackout of Los Angeles, the citadel of cinemadom camouflaged its feelings with a vigorous regurgitation of gags. The blackout somehow changed things; everybody wanted to do something to help.

Some results:

> Studios were besieged with requests from top executives, $50-a-week writers, et al, for contract releases permitting them to enlist or enroll as civilian volunteers.

> Beating the rest of the movie colony to the punch, Actors Gary Grant and Edward G. Robinson each forked out $100,0000 for war charities.

> Paramount pressagents put out the story that one of their up-&-coming stock girls, Manhattan Model Blanche Grady, had formed a club: The Knit Wits.

> Flamboyant Victor McLaglen galloped his gaudy light-horse troop to a Los Angeles jail to sign up for something.

> Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was faced with a title change for its forthcoming musical, I'll Take Manila.

> 20th Century-Fox stopped production on Pearl Harbor Pearl, got Secret Agent of Japan ready for instant production.

> Studios abandoned outdoor night shots, went on a rigid 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. shooting schedule to get people home before blackout time.

> Republic, home of the Western picture, began rewriting Westerns in production to eliminate all possible-gunfire. Reason: civilian authorities wanted the studio's Wild West arsenal. Future Westerns will be made with prop armament.

> A U.S. Army searchlight battery set up living quarters in the animation building of Walt Disney's studio (adjoining the Lockheed Aircraft plant), flirted with pretty girls from the inking & painting division at lunchtime.

> While Hollywood parents pondered shipping youngsters & oldsters to the interior, a wag volunteered: "I understand they're starting a California Society in Iowa."

> The Hollywood Reporter, trade organ, turned up with a Page 1 item: "First American victory over Japanese was won by the Paramount baseball team Sunday when it defeated the LA Nippons, all-Jap team, 6-to-3. No one was aware of the war until the third inning....F.B.I, men allowed the game to finish...then rounded up Jap contingent...."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.