World War II was a tough time for many people around the world, including those in Hollywood. While the war raged on, many famous stars from the silver screen took on new roles. They didn’t just act in movies; they worked hard to support the war effort and boost the morale of soldiers and civilians alike.
Entertaining the Troops
One of the most important things that Hollywood stars did during the war was entertain the troops. Many actors and actresses traveled to military bases to perform shows for the soldiers. They put on musical performances, comedy skits, and other types of entertainment. These shows helped remind the soldiers of home and provided a much-needed break from the stress of war.
Bob Hope was one of the most famous entertainers during this time. He traveled to many front lines to lift spirits with his comedy. Hope’s annual Christmas tours became legendary. He would bring laughter to soldiers far from home, helping them feel connected to their lives back in the United States.
War Bond Drives
Hollywood stars also played a big role in selling war bonds. War bonds were a way for citizens to lend money to the government to help fund the war. Stars like James Cagney and Bette Davis participated in bond drives. They encouraged people to buy bonds by attending rallies and making public appearances. Their fame helped draw large crowds, making these events successful..
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These bond drives raised millions of dollars. It was crucial for funding military equipment, supplies, and other needs for the troops. The stars’ involvement made people feel proud and eager to help.
Supporting the Red Cross
Many stars also supported the American Red Cross. The Red Cross provided medical care, food, and comfort to soldiers. Stars like Rita Hayworth and Clark Gable volunteered their time and resources. They helped raise money and awareness for the organization. This support was vital in improving the lives of both soldiers and their families.
Stars organized fundraising events and donated personal items for auctions. Their efforts helped bring in funds that were used to assist those affected by the war.
Joining the Military
Some Hollywood stars even joined the military. They wanted to serve their country directly. For instance, actor Jimmy Stewart enlisted in the Army Air Forces. He became a bomber pilot and flew combat missions in Europe. Stewart’s bravery inspired many, and he showed that even stars were willing to fight for freedom.
Other stars, like Audie Murphy, served in the military and later became famous for their heroic actions. Murphy was one of the most decorated soldiers of the war. He went on to have a successful acting career after the war, often playing himself in movies about his experiences.
Producing War Films
Hollywood also produced many films about the war. These movies aimed to inform and inspire the public. Stars like John Wayne and Gary Cooper appeared in films that showed the bravery of soldiers. These movies helped people understand the sacrifices being made by the military.
The films highlighted themes of heroism and patriotism. They often portrayed the struggles of soldiers and their families. This helped boost morale on the home front and kept the spirit of support alive.
During the war, Hollywood stars promoted unity and patriotism. They used their influence to encourage Americans to come together. They spoke out against discrimination and urged people to support the war effort. Stars like Lena Horne fought against racial prejudice and helped to break down barriers.
#1 Merle Oberon, movie star, and Alfred G. Vanderbilt raise a din by beating pans at an aluminum-collection breakfast at the stork club in New York, July 23, 1941. The price of admission was a piece of aluminum ware.
#2 Bunny Waters, 6-foot movie actress, provides a shapely background for a war stamp being put on by Helen OÂHara in Hollywood, California on July 6, 1943, to encourage the drive for $130,000,000 in stamps to build the aircraft carrier Shangri-La.
#3 First Lieut. Clark Gable, former movie actor now an aerial gunner in the Army Air Forces, wears a double shoulder sling of .50 caliber machine gun bullets in taking off on a practice firing mission at Tyndall Field in Panama City, Florida on Jan. 20, 1943.
#4 Actress Rita Hayworth participates in the scrap metal recycling campaign by donating her car’s bumper in response to the call for bumpers and other non-essential metal car parts for the war effort in Hollywood. Hayworth has also been selling war bonds.
#5 Hedy Lamarr autographs the cement court at the United Service Organizations (USO) Hollywood Canteen as servicemen surround the movie actress, Dec. 13, 1942.
#6 Dressed in the uniform of a technical sergeant of the U.S. Army Air Forces which he joined, Gene Autry, cowboy movie actor, found himself as popular with a pair of glamorous actresses as he is with the kids of the nation when he appeared at a benefit party staged by film actress Marion Davies, Aug. 9, 1942. With him are Rita Hayworth, left, and Dorothy Lamour.
#7 An honor guard of soldiers and Army and Navy officers greeted the ‘Victory Caravan’ of movie stars when they arrived at Union Station in Washington, April 29, 1942, for their first appearance on a tour for Army and Navy relief funds.
Left to right are: Joan Bennett, producer Mark Sandrich, Charlotte Greenwood, in back, Rear Admiral Arthur J. Hepburn, Chief of the Navy Bureau of Public Relations, Claudette Colbert, Pat O’Brien, Joan Blondell, and Lt. Col. William Mason Wright, Jr., chief of the photographic section of the Army’s Bureau of Public Relations.
#8 William Randolph Hearst is seen at a Military Ball in Hollywood, Ca. on April 15, 1942. Seated at the table in his row from left to right are: Marion Davies, in uniform, first medical battallion of California State Guard; actor George Montgomery; Hedy Lamarr; Hearst; Rita Hayworth.
#9 Writers and movie stars gather at New York’s Stork Club, March 8, 1942, as they prepare for a World War II Navy Relief Show, two days away, at Madison Square Garden.
#10 Lt. James Stewart, former film star and now in the U.S. Army Air Corps, steps from the transcontinental “Mercury” of American Airlines at LaGuardia Field, New York, after a flight from the west coast, February 20, 1942.
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#13 Pvt. Mickey Rooney attends a Hollywood movie premiere with his mother, Nell Pankey, on Aug. 17, 1944. The actor is back in Hollywood after completing three months of basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas.
#14 Capt. Glenn Miller, who has come to Britain with the American band of the Supreme Allied Command, gave Londoners a treat by appearing with his band at a gala premiere of the new Bing Crosby Film, ÂGoing My Way, at a West End Movie Theater in London, August 5, 1944.
#15 Lieutenant Henry Fonda, former Hollywood movie star, relaxes in a South Pacific area, July 10, 1944 where he is now on active duty on the staff of Vice Adm. J.H. Hoover, U.S. Navy commander of the forward area, Central Pacific. Fonda joined the navy as an ordinary seaman.
#16 Major Jimmy Stewart talks over the final details of a mission with flyers about to take off, from left to right: Sgt. Keith M. Dibble of Rixford, Pa.; first Lt. Roger Counselman of Meadville, Pa.; Stewart; Sgt. Joseph T. Fiorentino of Philadelphia, Pa.; and second Lt. A.E. Lensky of Monessen, Pa., April 19, 1944, in England during World War II.
#17 Mrs. Alleta Sullivan, left, mother of the five Sullivan brothers who lost their lives in the sinking of the cruiser USS Juneau, works alongside actress Marlene Dietrich as they serve servicemen in the United Service Organizations (USO) Hollywood Canteen, Ca., Feb. 9, 1944.
#18 Eleanor Roosevelt holds a bouquet of roses as she stands with Sabu, the ÂElephant Boy of movie fame, and now a soldier attached to Fort Meade, Md., at the president’s birthday ball celebration at a USO post in the YMCS in Washington on Jan. 29, 1944.
#19 Joe E. Brown, the wide-mouthed movie comedian, drives a bargain with a Chinese street merchant as American soldiers and Chinese youngsters look on, during his tour of China, Jan. 10, 1944.
#20 Lt. Gen. Jacob L. Devers, commander of U.S. forces in the European theater of operations, decorates Lt. Col. Frank Capra, former movie irector in Hollywood, now in the Signal Corps with the Legion of Merit Award, Nov. 29, 1943.
#21 Capt. Clark Gable, erstwhile film actor, faced the press in the Pentagon in Washington, Oct. 27, 1943. Gable flew operational missions over Europe in B-17s to obtain combat film footage to be used for training purposes, and has just returned to the U.S.
#22 Charles Chaplin Jr., son of the movie comedian, at army induction station in Los Angeles on Oct. 1, 1943, where he reported for his physical examination.
#23 Movie actress Marlene Dietrich greets veterans on the Monticello after the ship docked in New York City on July 20, 1945 in World War II.
#24 For the first time in her long movie career, Shirley Temple gets kissed in grown-up fashion by Jerry Shane, an ex-Marine from Grand Rapids, Mich., who plays a bit part in the movie called “Kiss and Tell,” Jan. 19, 1945.
#25 Volunteer salesman Gary Cooper takes time out from work in a new movie to chalk up the highest record for selling Defense Bonds at the Defense House in Pershing Square in Los Angeles, California on Feb. 8, 1942, after making a stirring 15-minute speech, the longest of his public career.
#26 Mrs. Morton S. Stern (left) gets a salute from Claire Trevor after the movie actress had been inducted in the American womenÂs voluntary service in New York, Dec. 18, 1941.
#27 Lieut. E.L. Reid, personnel officer of the west coast training center at Moffett Field, California, right, swears in Jimmy Stewart, former movie star, as a second lieutenant in the Air Corps on Jan. 1, 1941. Stewart, who was one of HollywoodÂs most popular actors before he was inducted into the Army in 1941, was a corporal.
#28 This talk about the new Dietrich is a lot of hooey, says a lady who ought to know – Marlene Dietrich herself, whoÂs been staging a comeback in film fans favor.
#29 Well known film star, Sabu, Staff Sergeant Sabu Dastagir, now serving as an aerial gunner attached to the 13th U.S. Air Force on active service in the Pacific, gets a laugh from Bob Dyer, radio comedian, as Sabu rehearses for a radio show, while on leave in Sydney, New South Wales on Feb. 27, 1945.
#30 Sgt. John Greenstreet, the son of film actor, Sydney Greenstreet, handling bombs at the 20th Bomber Command in India on Feb. 6, 1945, where he is armament inspector.
#31 Film actress Ann Sheridan holds a knife used by the Gurkhas, Indian jungle fighters, she brought back from her 60,000 mile USO camp show tour of the Mediterranean theater of operations, India, China and Burma, in New York on Sept. 8, 1944.
#32 Lieutenant Colonel David Niven, British film star, now with SHAEF, seen in his tent somewhere in Normandy, France on July 5, 1944.
#33 Film star Jimmy Stewart celebrates his promotion to major by leading his bomber group in a great raid on Frankfurt, Germany on Jan. 29, 1944.
#34 Service men keep Greer Garson, film star, pushing the autograph pencil at Orson Welles big music show in Hollywood, Los Angeles, free to men in uniform, on August 9, 1943.
#35 Jan Bennett, film star, proves herself something of a magician in conjuring up service men who want autographs at Orson Welles’ Mercury Wonder Show’ in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on August 9, 1943.
#36 Soldiers cheered when Rita Hayworth, film star, was found again in a trunk, after Orson Welles, director-magician, had tied her in ropes and caused her to vanish on August 9, 1943 in Hollywood.
#37 Adolphe Menjou, the famous film star, is seen making friends with three A.T.S. girls and A.W.A.A. girls at his first troop concert in this country June 14, 1943.
#38 Adolphe Menjou, film star, made his first public appearance since his arrival in England.
When he visited Trafalgar Square in London, England June 12, 1943 and addressed a huge crowd from the bridge of a model tanker. He was mobbed by the crowds when making a tour of he exhibits in connection with the salvage drive. Adolphe Menjou inspecting a sea mine, one of the exhibits on display in connection with the salvage drives.
