On the night of October 3, 1942, Bette Davis and John Garfield opened the Hollywood Canteen at 1451 Cahuenga (on the corner of Sunset Blvd) at a former nightclub called The Barn. Eddie Cantor was the MC that night and from then until November 1945 it hosted, entertained, and fed nearly 4 million servicemen and, no doubt, giving them something to remember as they headed off into the Pacific theater.
And now of course it’s a parking lot for the office tower next door:
If all the “Hollywood” institutions were still standing they would rake in so much money. Give it the US or Los Angeles to just let these places disappear. It’s a crying shame. I grew up in the 60s in Hollywood East and when I google map it well, it’s
mostly all gone. I think your site is wonderful!
An incredible loss! In America tearing down old buildings and building new ones that are more modern is called progress in America. I call it a shame for tearing down historic buildings. Think of the original building still standing and becoming a museum for tourists. The city of LA would be raking in millions of dollars.
Thank you for your information and the photograph. It’s proved quite interesting. Thank you for sharing!
I remember standing in the alley between the CNN tower and the entrance to the (now) parking structure on the first evening of the 1992 L.A. riots. Reporters and camera people putting on bullet proof vests. Not soldiers that were on this location as in WWII but people going out to report on the destruction of the city. I briefly came back to the bureau to file stories at about 2:00am and went to the roof of the CNN building and looked out over the horizon and saw 1000’s of buildings on fire.
On the night of October 3, 1942, Bette Davis and John Garfield opened the Hollywood Canteen at 1451 Cahuenga (on the corner of Sunset Blvd) at a former nightclub called The Barn. Eddie Cantor was the MC that night and from then until November 1945 it hosted, entertained, and fed nearly 4 million servicemen and, no doubt, giving them something to remember as they headed off into the Pacific theater.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
If all the “Hollywood” institutions were still standing they would rake in so much money. Give it the US or Los Angeles to just let these places disappear. It’s a crying shame. I grew up in the 60s in Hollywood East and when I google map it well, it’s
mostly all gone. I think your site is wonderful!
Thanks for stopping by, Marguerite – and yes, it is a crying shame. I’m glad to hear you’ve been enjoying my online musings.
An incredible loss! In America tearing down old buildings and building new ones that are more modern is called progress in America. I call it a shame for tearing down historic buildings. Think of the original building still standing and becoming a museum for tourists. The city of LA would be raking in millions of dollars.
Thank you for your information and the photograph. It’s proved quite interesting. Thank you for sharing!
How do we go about getting a plaque or historical marker??
I remember standing in the alley between the CNN tower and the entrance to the (now) parking structure on the first evening of the 1992 L.A. riots. Reporters and camera people putting on bullet proof vests. Not soldiers that were on this location as in WWII but people going out to report on the destruction of the city. I briefly came back to the bureau to file stories at about 2:00am and went to the roof of the CNN building and looked out over the horizon and saw 1000’s of buildings on fire.