Gals

Quotes, tales and more about brazen GALS – the brave, brilliant, sometimes goofy, and always beautifully original stars, authors, artists, leaders. . .

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Brazen Hussy HISTORY : How Josephine Baker Helped win WWII!

“All my life, I have maintained that the people of the world can learn to live together in peace if they are not brought up in prejudice.” -- Josephine Baker, my Great Great Aunt , was born on June 3, 1906.

OkokokOK, I made the part up about her being my aunt – her real name wasn’t even Baker – but I’ve adored her since the minute I first read about this brave, funny, talented, glamorous, generous woman. . .

Brazen Hussy HISTORY

Brazen Hussy HISTORY: Fearless Nazi Fighter Marlene Dietrich

She was gorgeous, sexy, talented, adored – but Marlene Dietrich was also out and out fearless. And she proved it in WWII.

She got out of Germany as Nazis were growing in power and proudly became a US citizen in 1939. And when the US entered WWII, Marlene Dietrich showed her incredibly fearless bravery. She didn't only entertain the troops from a distance, she got down and dirty, cajoling her way to the front lines on occasion to not just entertain but to give hope and care to soldiers. What a woman!

Brazen Hussy HISTORY: The Hollywood Canteen for US Soldiers

On October 3, 1942, the Hollywood Canteen opened at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in LA. And this was no was new coffee shop or restaurant, darlings. It was a concerted effort by many of the classic stars of Hollywood to help US soldiers.

The project was created and driven by Bette Davis and John Garfield, along with Jules Stein (president of Music Corporation of America), to help US servicemen – usually just before they shipped out to fight in WWII, and many would never return home.

The goal? Food, dancing, entertainment, laughs, - offered up by some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. You might see Betty Grable washing dishes or Marlene Dietrich flipping burgers. Humphrey Bogart might serve you dinner. And the young soldiers danced the night away with beautiful stars they’d only seen before as figures on the silver screen.

It wasn’t a publicity stunt for the movie folks, either. And it involved far more than big-name stars to pull off the Hollywood Canteen.

Over three thousand actors (from famous to bit players), grips, dancers, directors, wardrobe designers, hair stylist, writers, agents, stand-ins, secretaries, set designers and painters, sound engineers, camera operators and every other category of folks working in the movie world of that time volunteered to help out at the canteen.

Based on the already established Stage Door Canteen in New York, where Broadway stars and others working in theater entertained troops, the Hollywood canteen was a huge and sometimes zany success

From a 1942 article in Hollywood Chapters magazine, written by Ben Hartford, who described a night at the Canteen where he talked with Miss Davis and helped her entertain the troops: "To be sure, we formed a line for the conga half an hour ago and I got tripped up by Ronald Colman and Bonita Granville. But no one notices.”

“Bette laughs just like you are supposed to, with plenty of energy…. If you're standing in front of a few thousand soldiers, the least you can do is make them laugh."