Following the attack on Pearl Harbor a group of elite Hollywood actors and businessmen including Bette Davis, John Garfield, Jack Warner, Cary Grant and Jules Styne converted an old nightclub into the Hollywood Canteen. Many Hollywood stars quickly volunteered to entertain U.S. service members. Davis promised that every night there would be a few Hollywood stars for visiting soldiers to meet.
Davis said of the Hollywood Canteen, “There are few accomplishments in my life that I am sincerely proud of. The Hollywood Canteen is one of them." In 1980 she was awarded the U.S. Department of Defense’s highest civilian award, the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, for her work with the Hollywood Canteen.
The Hollywood Canteen was opened to all U.S. service members and service members of allied countries in all branches of the military. Service members—men and women—only had to wear their uniforms to be admitted.
Various guilds and unions within the entertainment industry donated labor and money for the building renovations while the Canteen was staffed by entertainment industry volunteers.
By the time the Hollywood Canteen opened its doors, more than 3,000 movie stars, actors, directors, producers, grips, dancers, musicians, singers, writers, technicians, wardrobe attendants, hair stylists, agents, stand-ins, publicists, secretaries and more had registered as volunteers.
Movie stars volunteered to wait on tables, cook and clean up. On September 15, 1943 Sgt. Carl Bell was the one millionth guest and received a kiss from actress and dancer Betty Grable.
In 1944, Warner Bros. made a star-studded film about the Hollywood Canteen, called “Hollywood Canteen.” Stars like Bette Davis, Jack Benny and the Andrews Sisters played themselves. The film received three Academy Award nominations.
The Canteen closed its doors at the end of World War II in 1945. At the time the Canteen, it had hosted almost three million servicemen.
More than 5o years after its closing, on May 5, 2001, the Hollywood Canteen re-opened at a new location on Santa Monica Boulevard within a few miles from its original location. The grand opening was a star-studded event with stars like Paris Hilton and Marilyn Manson ushering in a new era for the Hollywood Canteen. Keeping in touch with its roots, the Hollywood Canteen is adorned pictures Betty Davis' original make-up trailer and an art deco interior.
Today there are more than 225 photographs of the original Hollywood Canteen.
