Hollywood Victory Caravan
| Hollywood Victory Caravan (film short) | |
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| Directed by | William D. Russell |
| Screenplay by | Melville Shavelson |
| Starring | Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Ladd |
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Release date
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Running time
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19 minutes |
| Country | United States |
The Hollywood Victory Caravan was a two-week cross-country railroad journey in 1942 that brought together two dozen film stars to raise money for the Army and Navy Relief Society. It was sponsored by the Hollywood Victory Committee of Stage, Screen and Radio. The Caravan show played in twelve cities and netted over $700,000 for Army and Navy relief funds.
The Hollywood Victory Caravan show was partially inspired by an all-star war bond show at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 1942 which was done for Navy Relief and organized by Walter Winchell. Plans were then made for a nationwide tour by Hollywood stars. The Santa Fe Railroad donated the use of a special train and this had up to fourteen railroad cars which had facilities for rehearsals on board with two portable dance floors, two pianos and ten musicians. Setting off from Los Angeles on April 26, 1942, it traveled to Washington DC where the stars went to a White House Tea Party at the invitation of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on April 30 before opening their musical revue extravaganza that night at 8:30 p.m. at Loew’s Capitol. The total “on stage” troupe for opening night consisted of 75 people.
1942
April 30, Loew’s Capitol, Washington DC - attendance 3400, takings just under $25,000.
May 1, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts - attendance 20,000, takings $77,750
May 2, Convention Hall, Philadelphia - attendance 16,000, takings $31,500
May 3, Cleveland Public Auditorium, Ohio - attendance 10,721, takings $31,667
May 4, Coliseum at State Fair Grounds, Detroit, Michigan - attendance 5,600, takings $53,000
May 6, Chicago Stadium, Illinois - attendance 19,823, takings $87,761
May 7, St. Louis Municipal Auditorium, Missouri - attendance 12,369, takings $41,000
May 9, St. Paul Municipal Auditorium, Minnesota (matinee show at 2:30 p.m.) - attendance 10,000, takings $28,329
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Wikipedia