How Did Bette Davis Help Bring About The Hollywood Canteen?

The Hollywood Canteen was successful in entertaining the troops, and entertainers were also satisfied knowing that they could bring a sense of happiness to the servicemen and women, even for a while. The location had a capacity of 2,000 people, and the Hollywood Canteen was packed each night, according to the National WW2 Museum. However, it didn’t come without its share of problems, one of which was racial prejudice. As reported by Backlots, some white servicemen left the venue after seeing that there was no segregation. Bette Davis, who served as the president for the Hollywood Canteen, refused to perform in front of segregated audiences and said, “The blacks got the same bullets as the whites did, and should have the same treatment.”

The Hollywood Canteen was also the inspiration for the Warner Bros. movie of the same name that was released in 1944. It was loosely based on Sgt. Carl Bell, who was the millionth service member who walked through the doors of the stable. He was escorted by actress Marlene Dietrich, was kissed by Betty Grable, and had a meeting with Lana Turner. Per the AFI Catalog, the film donated 40% of its sales to the Hollywood Canteen, and it was nominated for three categories at the Academy Awards.