From under my hat (1952)

From under my Hat While she was being talked about, she wasn't showing off her fine clothes and jewels in army camps. She was in the Hollywood Canteen kitchen, washing dishes. She never came out to take bows. She wanted no photographers poking their cameras into her sink. One star, escorted by three press agents and her husband, came into the kitchen one evening to be photographed washing dishes. "May I borrow your apron, darling?" she cooed to Marlene as she undid it. Then, pushing Dietrich aside, she took off her long white gloves and plunged her hands into the sink so the photographer could get his shot. Marlene stood, hands on hips, and watched; then, as flash bulbs popped, she drew back her hand and let the star have it right in the face. Without a word, Marlene put her apron back on and went ahead with the dishes. Without any mood music she went overseas to entertain our troops, but not to Mr. Hitlers Germany to star in pictures. It wasn't for their lack of trying. As far back as 1936 the Nazis were wooing her. Hitler offered to pay her in English pounds. She told me that during Christmas of that year she was living at Claridge's Hotel in London. A man brought her a Christmas tree from Herr Hitler himself, and a few days later Von Ribbentrop called and invited her to dinner. "I don't go out with men I don't know," Marlene said to Herr Von Ribbentrop. "Surely you know me!" he exclaimed. "Only by reputation," she said. Marlene booked passage on a German boat to Hamburg to see her sick mother. En route she received a warning that going to Germany would be unwise. She feigned illness and had herself put off the boat at Cherbourg. Then she became frightened that the Nazis might take reprisals against her mother. Shortly after the war, when her mother died, our G.I.s built a coffin and lent Marlene a truck to take her mother to the cemetery —when she'd been dead twelve days. Our War Department gave her a Medal of Freedom Ribbon, and 306