Page 69 - Mastheads Jan-June 1945
P. 69
U.S. Naval Training and Distribution Center
T
VOL. IV- No. 3 TREASURE ISLAND, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. MARCH 3, 1945
Eleven Hollywood Stars in Show Here
Danny Kaye, Chico Marx, ·
T. I.' SUPPLY DEPARTMENT-, B ·t G . R bt New Theatre Schedule
on1 a ranv1 11 e, o . f .
GROWTH IN 4 YEARS STAGGERS IMAGINATION Armstrong Head Cast Alo TlesseMn C~n uSaon
t 1 . . ov1es
(Pictures on Page Four)
The inauguration of a new tim-e
The stars came out and shone on schedule for all three theatres on
Tuesday night, February 27- but Treasure Island will go into effect
they were pale in comparison with
tomonow, Sunday, March 4. The
the Hollywood constellation bright- new arrangement will definitely
ening that evening for Treasur-e advance the efficiency in theatre
Island sailors who jammed Theatre operation and will improve . the
No. 1 to capacity.
comfort of those attending by not
Danny Kaye, Bonita Granville, diverting the thoughts of the audi-
Chico Marx, and Robert Armstrong ence from the picture by a con-
headed the host of topflight enter- stant stream of "late arrivers"
tainers. They gave two perform- marching up and down the aisles in
ances, each running close to two search of seats.
hours. Starting Sunday with the evening
Master of ceremonies for the shows, two movies will be given
show was veteran actor Armstrong, nightly at each theatre, the first
who has played in more than 100 show starting at 17 45 and the
motion pictures and cunently ap- second at 1945. Theatre doors will
pears in "Belle of the Yukon." be opened fifteen minutes before
Cavorting behind, before, and starting time and will be closed
over th-e footlights, Danny Kaye immediately at the beginning of the
proved himself a master of all the picture, making it necessary for all
dialects of gibberish. The versatile those wishing to attend either
comedian of stage and screen in- movie to be on hand before the
dulged in a swift give-and-take of film starts rolling. At the end of
reparte-e with the audience and led the first show the theatres will be
it in mass singing of "Home on. the emptied of all occupants and filled
Range." again for the final show.
Bonita Granville stepped down Due to the lack of popularity
from the dramatic pedestal to re- there will no longer be a Saturday
late in song a romance she had with matinee at any Tr-easure Island
a bluejacket. Oft-repeated applause theatre, but all theatres on the Is-
set Treasure Island's seal of ap- land will run a matinee starting at
proval on her performance as a 1400 each Sunday afternoon. Here-
songster. tofore matinees have been given on
Sunday at Theatre No. 1.
IT FEEDS THEM-Through its Commissary branch, them and furnishing Island activities 11,000 differ- Decked out in his little green hat
Supply Department provides meals for many thous- ent items of general stores. Pictured above is part of and jacket and his famous Italian These new schedules will remain
ands of sailors on Treasure Island, besides clothing North Galley, largest of station's fo·ur mess halls. accent, Chico Marx sent his acro- in effect for movies only. An-
batic fingers clowning across the nouncements of .stag,e shows will be
made in advance, at which time
· From a humble beginning aboard Original activities of the Supply damage but the firemen did. They piano keyboard. There was not running schedul!ls will be given.
an historic Sacramento river boat Department consisted principally of picked a large hole in the mural! time for him to · give all the audi-
ence wanted.
where the office consisted of messing San Francisco's new sea- "Insurance_ of $50,000 was carried
"boards placed across saw horses" going reservists. on the art work. I had to take time Seen in films with Donald O'Con- . Industrial Shops
to a vast organization serving the "We accomplished this after out for several days convincing in- nor, Paramount starlet Jean Davis
manifold needs of thousands of men strenuous cleaning of the 'Queen's' surance agents and firemen that sang and danced, and -Heidi Olsen, Do Record Job
and their ships-that sums up the galley spaces," Commander Lantz the blaze was accidental," Com- who has often been heard over the
fo,ur year history of Treasure Is- said. "The grease was so thick that mander Lantz asserted. radio with John Charles Thomas in On Large Ves,sel
land's Supply Department. light opera, gave renditions · of
our best efforts failed to get rid of Some 98,000 square feet of ware-
:Present operations of the depart- it all. Then we had a galley fire. housing are now available for popular songs. In record time, Treasure Island's
ment, which February 23 marked That took care of the grease. For general stores alone. A rosebush blossomed in three Industrial Shops recently per-
the 150th anniversary of the Navy a time it threatened to take care of Instead of functioning merely as minutes· flat and strings of colored formed the biggest shipfitting and
,
Supply Corps, stagger the imagina- the · ship!" a section base for a per~onnel of handkerchiefs were pulled from un- repair job in their history, it was
tion. Back in October of 1940 they It was soon determined that the 450 men, the department now expected places as magicians Coch- disclosed by Lt . . Commander F. S.
were simple-very simple!, ra.n-e and Nadine held the stage. AUen, production officer of the
Supply division was to move from handles the needs of thousands. activity.
The one man best qualified to re- its quarters aboard the Delta Queen While many statistics cannot be re- They only recently returned from
count the history of the supply of- which was tied up at Yerba Buena leased because of military security two years of entertaining servic~- In 48 hours, a gang of 30 men
men in Europe. attached to the shops installed a
fice is a San Franciscan, Com- Island and open a section base on it can be revealed that some 11,000
pair of large Welin boat davits on
mander G. N. Lantz, who started Treasure Island. This was to be ac- items of general stores are now Portly comedian Rodney Bell,
the operation more than a year complished as soon as the Golden available from stock with quarterly soon to be viewed in the film "New board an APA moored at North
Pier.
prior to outbreak of the war and Gate International Exp o sit ion issues t otaling $827,000 as of Faces of 1945," jested and gave a
Other yards had estimated the
who, with exception of 13 months in would release the man-made isle. March 31, 1944. hilarious impersonation of F.D.R.,
the Aleutian theater, has been con- The move was effected in June, Other supply activities have like- and the radio team of Claire and work of installing the davits, which
nected with the activity since. Wilder sang several tuneful duets. are used to raise and low-er landing
1941. Spurred by pre-war mobiliza- wise expanded. Clothing and small barges, would take three days. The
"Our original office consisted of tion and then the actual outbreak stores section has grown out of one Melody for the occasion was pro- original pair had been lost in a
boards on saw horses which had a of hostilities, growth of the Supply small room into an entire building vided by the Fleet City band, which storm at sea.
tendency to fall apart at the pass- Department was rapid from th at of its own. The commissary depart- is accompanying the Hollywood The vessel was the biggest ever
ing of each rowboat," Commander date on. Scores of enlisted men a nd ment, which started with one galley unit on its tour of Navy bases in to dock at Treasur-e Island for re-
Lantz laughingly recalled. officers were added to the staff for 1000 men, now operates four on this vicinity. pairs.
"The original office was aboard which originally had consiS t ed of the island, including the famed K
the old Sacramento River boat, three men and three officers. Galley which was built in the Food
Delta· Queen, chartered by the Navy Things boomed. But the depart- and Beverage pavilion of Exposi- Handballers . .. Yanks· At Front
at the time of mobilization of the ment wasn't quite through with the tion times. K Galley, which gained
San Francisco Battalion of the U . problems of pioneering. the reputation as the largest single Treasure Island Use 'Happy Juice'
,S.-N11.val R~serve, October 15, 1940, Diego Rivera, noted Mexican mess hall in the Navy, is now the Handball Tournament
under command of Lt. Commander artist, was still working on his second largest on the island. North ' * To Cure Frostbite
John Heintz. mural of California, using the Galley, _opened last year, is laz:ger. Singles - - Doubles
Commander-~antz, then a lieu- Palace of Fine Arts for a shop. The Cup anti Medal Awards A portion of that spirited stuff
tenant, and l;ti.9 staff resorted to mural was in six sections of from One of th e more interesting * 12-20 which "fills the cup that cheers"
desperate measures to organize an 4000 to 6000 pounds each. On com- activities of th e Supply Depart-· March proves a staple cure for frostbite,
office. p 1 tle ·on ·t fell to th custody of the ment is the salvage section, which, * according to Army hospital units
e
1 ,
"A stock reply, 'what for?' Supply Officer, because no other department chiefs proudly boast, Phone W. Sieger, Sp(A)2c near the Belgium front. Alcohol ex-
always came back on our requisi- space large enough to house the "saves everything except the pro- or pands the blood vessels, and in-
tions. for desks," he asserted. mural was available. The mural verbial pig's squeal." R. Easter, Sp (A) 1c, for creases circulation in frozen limbs.
I nformati-on or Entry
"We· had to have desks. Finally, was crated and stored. Items salvaged include metals, So successful and so popular has
by begging and other methods .. . ," "Then we had trouble," Com- bottles and jars, paper, grease and Ex 50 this whiskey treatment been that,
and he winks as he says this, "suf- mander Lantz recalled. "Of all the bones, boxes and waste oil. Total ·as one doctor said, "It's gotten so
Mail entries to
* Gym. No. 1
ficient • equipmen_t was obtained . to places on Treasure Island a fire had monthly valuation of salvaged that every ambulance driver com-
permit some semblance· of an of- to break out in a box next to the · materials is approximately $10,000 ' * ing around here claims . he is a
fice." : mural. The fire ·didn't do any and is ex pected to reach $15,000. Entries close March 9, 1200 frostbite case."