Page 91 - Mastheads Aug-Dec 1944

THE MASTHEAD, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1944 PAGE 5
a Bob Hope, Langford,
BOB HOPE, "Gls PIN-UP BOY;' BROADCASTS FROM T. I.
~ Colonna and Skinny

Ennis' Band At T. I.
When the good ship "Pep-
sodent" docked at the pier of
Theatre No. 2, ·Tuesday eve-
ning, October 24, heavily
laden with a Hollywood-im-
ported cargo of stage, screen
and radio stars headed by
Bob Hope, "Gis Pin-Up Boy",
many Treasure Island bluejackets
swarmed the gangplank which led
from the talent-loaded ship into the
spacious Treasure ·rsland theatre
to witness the coast-to-coast broad-
cast of the Bob Hop Radio pro-
gram, sponsored by the Pepsodent
Company.
It was a red-letter date in the
book of experience for the Island ,
bluejackets who are attached to the
station's Pre 0,Embarkation Center,
Hospital and Receiving Ship, for
they were singled out to receive
the signal honor as guests of one
of the most popular radio programs
on the air today.
Appearing with the Bob Hope
staP-twinkled troupe of film fa-
vorites who recently returned from
overseas where they entertained
some of America's "fighting sons
of freedom" were pert and ador-
able Frances Langford, songstress,
actress and author of "Purple
Heart Diary"; Vera Vague, the
popular comedienne; Caryol Smith;
Jerry Colonna; Jack Mather and
Maestro "Skinny" Ennis and his
orchestra.
The broadcast got underway at
1900 and_ moved along smoothly
throughout the program.
BOB (I LOVE A JOKE) HOPE, headlining a cast of Hollywood film especially for the boys, to satisfy their sight hunger-that is, a gown, This was one of the best radio
greats, rec,ently broadcast his Pepsodent-sponsored radio program which she says "will adequately cov,er my anatomy," curvaceous programs ever staged at this the-
fr,om the stage of Theatre N,o. 2 before a jammed-to-the-rafters audi- Frances Langford (top inset) thrilled the bluejackets with her vocal atre and the enlisted personnel had
torium of bluejackets from the Pre-Embarkation Center, Hospita_l and rendition ,of "You Made Me Love You." The photographer caught little, if any, need for the imagina-
Receiving Ship. The "Gls Pin-Up Boy" created a laugh-sensation as Jerry Col,onna, lower left, in a vocal finale of the ;''dough boys" song-
the gag-master of cer,emonies who is shown (top, upper left) teaming "On the Road to Mandalay." Other photos show Vera Vague, l,ower tion to convey the physical environ-
with the great comedienne Vera Vague in a comedy repartee. Funny- inset, and maestro "Skinny" Ennis and band in the background, lower ment of the acts, for the stage•-
man Jerry Colo,nna (top, upper right) exchanges jokes with Hope, who right, while Hope, Langford, Cary,ol Smith, Vague and Colonna get craftsmen did a 4.0 job handling the
almost forg,ot to duck when he defined a WAVE as being "an old salt set for their comedy skit-one which proved very entertaining to the sound-effect apparatuses, creating
with a new shak,er." Beautifully gowned in an evening dress designed thousan,ds of bluejackets in the audi,ence.
the setting, locality, and situation
for the characters involved in the
NAVY SURGEON GIVES ACCOUNT short comedy skits.
Two visiting celebrities of the en-
OF TWO YEARS IN SOUTH PACIFIC tertainment world-Ens. Dennis
Day and band leader Claude Thorn-
"Few at the battlefront complain: When the going is hard
hill- were guests of Bob Hope be-
they consider how much better it is to fight the enemy far fore departing for the South Pa-
from home ... They thank God that their homes have not cific theatre of warfare where they
been wrecked, their loved ones mistreated and starved ... " are slated to appear with a tal-
That statement is made by a man who for 28 years as a prison ented troupe of stage, screen and
radio stars for the entertainment ·
medical director saw "men at their worst." Today, just back
of the service men and women in
from more than tw~ years' duty as a naval surgeon in the that area.
South Pacific he is qualified to After completing the broadcast
speak on "men at their best" first-hand look at the toll and de- at Theatre No. 2, Bob Hope, author
struction of war. His ship was in of the current best-seller- "! Never
-the fighting men of the the Kwajaleins during the battles
Left Home"- and his troupe ap-
United States. for Roi and Namur; it was at Eni- peared at Theatre No. 1 to enter-
He is Commander Leo L. Stanley, wetok, Saipan· and Guam. tain another capacity crowd of
Medical Gorps, U. S. Naval Re- It arrived at Saipan on D-Day bluejackets from the Pre-Embarka-
serve. For 28 years he was medical plus two. tion, Hospital, Receiving Ship, and
director of the world's largest "We could see our troops fan out the desirous personnel who found
prison, California state prison at and advance and the tanks lumber standing room after the seats had
San Quentin. He is a resident of up the ridge across , the island. been taken.
San Rafael. Once, an immense Japanese am- The stars were well received by
"I have seen men at their worst," munition dump was struck," he re- the audience and they put on ,one of
he said today at the Treasure Is- called. "There was an explosion the best shows ever presented at
land naval hospital where he was which rocked our ship and sent a SQUEEZED between France and Germany, Belgium has frequently this naval base.
assigned two weeks ago upon his been ,overrun by their contending armies. Among its famous battle
cloud of smoke thousands of feet Helds ar,e Waterloo of the Napole,onic wars, Lieg,e and Ypres of the
return to the mainland. "And now in the air. Japanese planes flew first W,orld War, and M,ons, where battles were fought in both world
for more than two years I have over but were brought down with a c-onflicts. Just across the Belgian border, in Germany, lies Aachen, Travel Time Not
where Yank troops bettered th,e Germans in one of the most decisive
trail of black srn_oke, while at the fights in the presnt war.
same time a smoke screen was laid Counted in Leave
down to protect our ships from at-
tacks by air." numbers make a · suicide attack on Ward 'A/ Dispensary 1 For Men Overseas
established American positions.
But ,even as the battle raged The hospital ship made a trip out
Travel time will not be counted
around them, Commander Stanley with wounded and then returned to Open To Authorized in the leave which may be granted
and his colleagues had little time
Guam, by which time, Commander to enlisted personnel upon their re-
to pay much attention to anything Stanley related, "the island had Visitors Daily turn from combat or overseas duty,
but their work.
been secured except for scattered according to a recent Bureau of
Those with proper passes may
"We were busy indeed with the pockets of Japs hidden in caves and Naval Personnel Circular Letter.
visit Ward "A" Dispensary No. 1
casualties which were brought out numerous snipers ... " The Bureau states that those who
to us in landing boats and "ducks,"· There were some lighter mo- daily from l400 to 16 00. No visitors have served one year or more out-
those amphibious craft which travel ments during his South Pacific tour will be allowed in Wards "B" and side the continental limits of the
equally well on land and water," he of duty. Once, after hearing a "C" containing patients with com- United States may b~ granted 30
said. lengthy discussion on submarine municable diseases. days leave.
In two days the hospital ship detection, Commander S t an 1 e y In the case of visitors who are If service outside the_ continental
was filled with wounded. The vessel spotted an object in the water that unable to conform to these regula- limits has been less than one year,
picked her way 'through enemy-in- looked suspiciously like a periscope. tions due to working hours or who leave may be granted at the rate of
fested waters tp discharge the pa- "I was a bit taken back when in- have arrived from places some dis- two and one-half days for each
seen men at their best, men who tients in hospitals on Guadalcanal vestigation revealed it to be a limb tance from Treasure Island, special month of service or fraction there-
are bearing hardships, facing and Tulagi. sticking out from a water-soaked permission may be obtained from of. All such leave is counted ex-
danger, contending with mud, heat, At Guam, personnel aboard the log," he laughed. the Senior Medical Officer, the Of- elusive of travel time.
hunger and thirst, and, in many hospital ship "had ringside seats The former medical director has Dates of departure from and re-
instances, making the supreme for the battle, that is, when we had been placed in charge of the of- fleer in charge or the Medical Of- turn to the continental_ United
sacrifice." time away from our patients," ficers' section of the Treasure Is- fleer of the Day to visit patients States are used for determining the
As a surgeon aboard a naval Commander Stanley explained. land Hospital during his tour of during other than authorized visit- amount of leave to which personnel
hospital ship, the Californian had a He saw frenzied Japs in great duty here. ing hours. are entitled.