The roaring success of the real-life Hollywood Canteen on Cahuenga Blvd in Hollywood led to Warner Bros. making a film about it. The fact that Warner Bros. stars, Bette Davis and John Garfield, probably had something to do with that. Because the real Canteen was packed every night, Warner Bros. built a faithful reproduction on their soundstages, came up with a fictional story, and recruited a ton of stars (as well as a horse – Roy Rogers’ Trigger) to make cameos. The result was Warner Bros.’ most successful movie of 1944 which was good news for the Hollywood Canteen because the studio donated 40% of ticket sales to keep it going. This photo was taken on December 20, 1944, the day it opened at the Warner Bros. Theatre on Hollywood Blvd.
Here are servicemen crowding the entrance of the real Hollywood Canteen in 1944:
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Article about the “Hollywood Canteen” movie from The Los Angeles Times, December 14, 1944:
Has anyone ever opened a ‘revival’ of the Hollywood Canteen?
It’s a good name for a restaurant/bar.
Is the Warner Brothers’ downtown theater still standing? If so, I guess it must have been re-named at some point, since I don’t recall ever seeing a theater with that name on its marquee in the downtown area.
Yes it is. Well, the building’s still there, at least. The space occupied by the theater is now occupied by a jewelry emporium. Or, at least, was when was last in downtown LA, which was before the covid lockdown.
Those sailors look like they’re getting ready to bust some chops tonight. “Six months at sea, and you gotta get in a line? $#+%!!”