The Hollywood Canteen: Where the Greatest Generation Danced with the Most Beautiful Girls in the World
About this audiobook
The Hollywood Canteen was the jewel in the crown of World War II Hollywood. From 1942 to 1945, over three million servicemen came through its doors on their way to fight in the Pacific—some never to return. There, in a converted barn in the heart of Hollywood, soldiers were fed, entertained by, and danced with some of the biggest stars in the world. The Canteen was free to all servicemen or women, regardless of race, inviting them to jive to the music of Kay Kyser and Harry James, laugh at Bob Hope’s jokes, be handed sandwiches by Rita Hayworth, or dance with Hedy Lamarr. Knowing they were so appreciated, the soldiers were armed with the kinds of hope and encouragement that would help them win a war. The Hollywood Canteen: Where the Greatest Generation Danced with the Most Beautiful Girls in the World is the only complete history of the Canteen.
About the author
Lisa Mitchell has been a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and DGA magazine. She wrote the Hollywood chapter in The Hollywood Bowl: Tales of Summer Nights, cowrote two award-winning short films, and wrote and produced nationally syndicated television programs. A former actress, she specializes in writing and lecturing about Hollywood’s Golden Age, and has appeared in several television documentaries discussing the subject.
Bruce Torrence is the owner of one of the world’s largest archives of Hollywood historic images, HollywoodPhotographs.com. Included in the archive is the most extensive collection of Canteen photos and memorabilia. A respected authority on Hollywood history, Torrence has written numerous articles and papers on Hollywood and shares his unique knowledge of his native town in interviews and lectures.
Nat Segaloff covered the motion picture business for the Boston Herald, CBS Radio, and Group W. He has also been a studio publicist, college teacher, playwright, and author. In 1996 he formed the multimedia production company Alien Voices® with actors Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie and produced five bestselling, fully dramatized audio plays.
