Action (May 1941 - Mar 1958)

10 /lotion THE PLASTER CRACKS By WANDA KAHNE The best prescription for one today is receiving letters fronn those we know In the service . . . especially those overseas . . . the staff shop has been getting some very interesting letters from the boys. In reading "between the lines” they would no doubt love to be back home, but also seem very cheerful. I'll quote a few excerpts from some of their letters . . . STF. SGT. AL NESBITT writes, "Dear Gang; Yes I'm still working on the same kind of job and 'boy' am I the old plaster man now. We've been throwing that stuff around the world: And, 'I can understand why you are so busy making pictures . . . They sure eat them up In the service. I sat with hundreds In the open In a steady downpour (rain) and patiently watched an old news reel training film. Popeye and feature. (A Hollywood producer's dream except for box office receipts), eh! Will you please tell the studio club to be sure that I get ACTION' come Hell or high water?" And STF. SGT. JIMMY STEPHENS tells us "Th e relief map business started with a bang soon after we got down here" (where that may be) and, "we have been working like a (studio rush)" . . . Seaman 2dC NICK BONOME also writes, "I'm in school for 16 weeks. We work eight hours during the day and then we have to get our home work. We have to draw all the tools and projects we make. I'm in the 'blacksmith' shop for two weeks. Then to the foundry. Then three weeks welding. Then sheet metal." After that remains?" And PVT RAYMOND FRANCIONE says, "I am supposed to be In a new outfit In the Army. Something in an experimental line, and what my place will be don't know as yet. It Is made up of tanks, half tracks, jeeps and various armored units. It looks like a pretty good deal." RAYMOND is training in Fort Knox, Ky. BILL WASHO'S son, BUD, (is an Okie now). At least for a while. BUD, who Is in the Marines, is training In Oklahoma, "Where they have red Venetian blinds," so I hear-ed! Don't let that "red dust" get the best of you Marines . . . Could it be PVT. McCartney that you should not be driving at night, or could you have had something stronger than coca cola to drink? It seems that a telephone post would have been easier to "smash" than a colonel s car". But then we don't usually choose what we hit. We just hit them. Here's hoping that your salary will more than cover the "cost". We are glad to hear that GEORGE COOKE'S wife, Eva, Is back home again after a brief illness In the hospital ... we are all very glad you're well enough to be home. Under ordinary circumstances LARRY DURRELL would have thought nothing of the commotion going on In his back yard, but these times anything could happen . . . even the landing of a Jap plane (which he was probably thinking). Suddenly aroused from a "before dinner nap" he rushed out to see what had happened. The vegetable garden his son Larry planted was beginning to "pop" through. Didn't you think they could come up, Larry? You being a natural born "farmer" too. These six fellows from the Staff Shop, namely— JAMES DREW, BUD DENNY, FRANK HOBSON, ROBERT WILLIAMS, MAX USLAN and ELMER MORSE, are on location for "Guadalcanal Diary" picture, down by military secret. They are doing a swell job. Just a quotation: Alix poured the coffee into the pot. "There," she said, "You know Mr. Roosevelt believes in boiling It up twice." Bessie's nose went up. "I ain't saying Mr. Roosevelt ain't a smart man. Mis' Carrington, but he better just preside and not try to be a cook." Time out from "Roger Touhy, Last ot the Gangsters". Hollis MacKnight, Technical Advisor on the picture, is a guard at Stateville Prison, present "residence" of Touhy. Pictured above are (I. to r.): Standing — Anthony Quinn, Alice McVey, and Hollis MacKnight, Technical Advisor. Seated — Vic McLaglen, Director Robert Florey, and Preston Foster. PEN-PUSHERS PERSONALS By PETE LAKE Last month I failed to Include LORETTA HIGGINS in the payroll line-up which was a regrettable error, as Loretta Is a regular member of long and honorable service In that department. Guess she must have been helping FRED MAGNUS with the extra talent payroll at the time the census was taken. Sorry, Loretta. Now for some news of the bqys In the service. The first item — which is tough to tell — is that HAROLD ROTH was wounded by a bomb-blast on board ship down Australia way. These are the meagre details— and we hope that soon we will get the news that Hal has recovered and is on his way home. All of us will be mighty glad to see you again, Hal. The GOTTLIEB brothers, ART and CARL, former timekeepers, are both In the Army. HOMER HILL Is now somewhere England. He Is in the Medical Corps. ^ MORRIE RATNER Is In the Army Signal Corps. Morrie visited us not so long ago — but there's no tollin' where he is now. GARY TROY Is spanning the oceans with the Coast Guard. ED FRENCH is now a 2nd Lieutenant. He graduated from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Officers School. Congratulations, Ed. V\/e'll repeat that "Congratulations, Ed" — only this time it is for ED WEYL — and for the same reason, a commission. Ed was up on his graduation furlough, and had no more Idea of where he would be stationed than we did. GAINES JOHNSTON is in the Army — somewhere In Maryand. We heard rumors that Gaines had been sick with a near touch of pneumonia. If this was right or wrong, we hope you are okeh once more. SAMMY WITTENBERG came up from Texas looking like a million — and went around seeing how DON BOYD, RALPH KASH, and the gang were carrying on in his absence. AL DE WEESE was In Washington the last we heard — and GALVEN WOOD is In Dayton. We haven't heard from LUTHER HOLTZOLAW, ART WEBB, or LYNN REYNOLDS for some time. BOB SINCLAIR sent a line to tell us that O.C.S. is really a tough grind. JACK BURKE left us to join a contracting firm that Is building the Alaska Highway. Good luck Jack. And the same for JOE TAYLOR, who is probably working with the engineers right now — who are building the Pan-American Highway. TOM PRYOR is at Oceanside on location— It may be a couple of months before we see him again. And MAT i ROGERS, only recently returned from Florida, is now commuting between here and Oxnard. Matt certainly hasn't been at home much the last six months. RAY FARRELL ESCAPES ACCIDENT I think that my friend, RAY FARRELL will appreciate the small things in life now — especially fractions, because the difference of I/I6th of an Inch might have meant the loss of an eye to him; fortunately he wasn't seriously damaged. Praise the Lord. We of the Maintenance of Facilities Dept, reiterate — PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF THE VENETIAN BLINDS. Call us about your trials and tribulations. Extension 508.