[MartinTurnbull]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

This is not a lot of information about that USO, but it’s from someone who was there.

I’ve read a lot of things concerning Hollywood and the Canteens and such during WWII over the years. I remember reading about a canteen in the Beverly Hills Hotel somewhere once and wondered about that, but never looked into it any further. I recalled that it was on a blog where a woman who had found boxes of letters her father had written had posted one he’d written about when he arrived in Southern California.

(I love that the internet has provided a place for people to share these kinds of personal letters, stories and such that otherwise would have remained with the families or lost entirely. Pictures, from the WWII era, say, that may have been only seen by a dozen people for decades are now posted online and available to be seen by millions!)

Anyway, I thought I’d try to find that link again if it wasn’t going to be too time consuming and I happened to find it quickly!

Here is part of some correspondence mentioning this USO, from a letter dated Jan. 9, 1943 and written by a man who was known as “Lad”. Link follows.

"Wednesday morning it was nearly noon and I went to the Y and cleaned up and then went into LA for lunch. I wandered around a little but it is too big to get very far on foot so I went back to the car and was just driving aimlessly toward camp went four soldiers asked me if I was going to Hollywood. I had not thought of that, so I said “Sure” and off we went.

At the USO there I talked with some of the hostesses and found out what I could about the town and then decided to go out to the Beverly Hills Hotel where there was another USO. I tried to get someone to go out with me and show me some of the prettier places and views, but was unsuccessful.

I went back to Hollywood to the Hollywood canteen and stayed there the rest of the night dancing and snacking (new word here in LA and vicinity) until the place closed at 12. With a fellow I met there, I went to the Palladium and did some more dancing to Tommy Dorsey, he really is very good.

That night I drove way up above the Beverly Hills residence section and again spent the night in the car. The view was gorgeous and I spent quite some time just sitting in the sun and looking. Then back to the Beverly Hills Hotel USO to clean up and eat. I spent the early afternoon there reading and talking with various women and soldiers and then went back to Hollywood and saw “Random Harvest” which I enjoyed just as much as the book.

Then I went back to the Hollywood canteen until 12 and then to Florentine Gardens for more dancing. After a cup of coffee at about 2:30 I drove back to Arcadia. I had to report here on Friday but at that hour of the morning there was nothing doing so I slept, again in the car."

http://greatestgenerationlessons.wor...beverly-hills/

Thanks for all that - and you too GaylordWilshire - I wasn't having any luck. And I love the note that "snacking" was a new word. I'd have thought it went back earlier than WWII