Here are some of the 'major connections' Ginger has had to our military over the years:
Well, at the ripe old age of six, she was 'recruited' for a bond drive advertisement in Missouri for World War I.
Ginger's mom, Lela, was one of the first ten women in history to join the Marine Corps, in 1918, as a stateside publicist to drum up support and recruits, even as WWI was drawing to a close. It would be KILLER to find a pic of Lela in uniform! :-]
Lela met her second husband, and Ginger's eventual 'last-name-sake', John Logan Rogers, after he was released from a Veteran's Hospital in New York, where Lela just happened to be stationed at the time.
Of course, Ginger's third husband, Jack Briggs, was a Marine Private First Class, whom she met during one of her many USO drive appearances. He did a tour of duty in the South Pacific in WWII.
Ginger was a popular 'celebrity' during WWII, as a 'pin-up', on the sides of bombers, etc...
And then there are the movies Ginger did which were in support of the war effort - such as "Major and the Minor", "Once Upon a Honeymoon", and "Tender Comrade".
But the best and most compelling of her 'wartime' films has to be "I'll Be Seeing You", the story of a veteran who is recovering from what is now known as 'post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), who meets and subsequently falls in love with a girl who happens to be on furlough from prison for murder (in self-defense, mind you...).
This movie deals with PSTD in a sincere and honest manner, addressing a 'avoided' topic in that day. I'm sure most of y'all have seen it, but just in case you haven't...it's a good movie - ya need to check it out.Another 'once-removed' connection to Ginger regarding WWI is the 1930 movie her second husband, Lew Ayres, starred in, "All Quiet on the Western Front"; I watched this one a few days ago, and was quite surprised by the 'realism' of the battle scenes and the depiction of the 'kids' sent to battle grossly unprepared and surviving such bleak conditions (it is told from the German' side, although the actors are decidedly 'English-American' acting). Ayres really did a great job in it, and it is another one I would suggest viewing if you haven't already...
As for 'here and now', just a 'shout-out' to my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, which was, and still is, a major player in the development of Veteran's Day. The concept for the observance is as follows below, from www.bhamwiki.com :
"Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to United States national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty. Like its predecessors, "Armistice Day" or "Remembrance Day" in other parts of the world, Veterans Day falls on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)
"Armistice Day" was first commemorated in the United States by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, and 30 states made it a legal holiday. On November 11, 1921 the remains of an unknown soldier were entombed in Washington D.C. as a memorial to all who died in service to the United States. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 inviting all States to observe the day, and then passed another resolution in 1939 making it a federal holiday.
Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran and Birmingham citizen, led efforts to expand Armistice Day to salute the veterans of that war. He led a delegation that presented the idea to General Eisenhower, the Army Chief of Staff. With his blessing, plans were made for the first Veterans Day celebration, held on November 11, 1947 in Birmingham. A parade was held downtown, beginning a tradition which continues with what remains the nation's largest Veterans Day Parade.
After years of lobbying, a bill to formally change the name of the federal holiday was introduced by Representative Edwin Rees of Kansas. It was signed by President Eisenhower on June 1, 1954.
The National Veterans Award was created in Birmingham in 1954 for the first National Veterans Day. Weeks was given the Presidential Citizens Medal in November 1982 for his efforts on behalf of U. S. veterans."
source: www.bhamwiki.com
Well, I hope this post was informative - a bit of a 'departure' from a typical G-ology post... we obviously delve into the 'minutia' of Ginger, which is our mission, right? But it is always important to understand the true meaning of a VERY important observance and act accordingly...in short, thank someone you know who has, or is, serving for our country.
VKMfanHuey
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Most excellent post! I STILL have not seen I'll Be Seeing You. Argh.
ReplyDeleteThese memories bear me down sometimes. You know that FORGOTTEN MAN scene in the GOLDDIGGERS. It always made me cry. But this year it got even worse: I read a lot on the tragic end of the bonus army in summer 1932 - this made me so awfully sad, I suffered so very much with them...
ReplyDeleteI burned several CDs with music from 1933 and there's still Bing Crosby's...
„Half a million boots went sloggin' through hell, I was the kid with the drum. Say, don't you remember, they called me Al – it was Al all the time. Say, don't you remember I'm your pal – Brother, can you spare a dime?“
... on them. And after all that I feel even worse when I see those fellows in the breadline of the GOLDDIGGERS. The pain is so huge, you never comprehend it.
In September 1933 they'll release FOOTLIGHT PARADE and with it SHANGHAI LIL. This makes you proud, to see those tough American Soldiers. You think they'll never gonna beat them. American's parading in east Asia - this was not by accident: Japanese troops had already begun to invade in China. This film shows, the Americans didn't sleep in those days. And this little scene must have been kind of warning. But then you think of the FORGOTTEN MAN. And can it be that this poor generation will have to go to war again eight years later, after that hard Depression? After all this is my beloved Generation: Jean's, Ginger's Generation.
And then you think of D-Day - and possibly even worse - the hell in east Asia. I heard a veteran's Granddaughter cry on NPR, after that long time. Her Grandfather never told on that hell - it was too terrible... So it still was burried in that poor Granddaughter!
But if you love that Generation and become a bit a part of it, then you have to share a bit the pain with them. It wouldn't be fair to appreciate only the beautiful gowns and funny dialogs.
And then you hear those Iraq and Afghanistan veterans talking and this reminds you of something...
After all there must be a Veteran's Day, to appreciate all those sacrifices.
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I have the "Major and the Minor" and "Once Upon a Honeymoon" but I still have to get "Tender Comrade" and "I'll Be Seeing You"...
Excellent post, Huey, and interesting reflections, Clarissa.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't until after the Vietnam War that PTSD became a well publicized issue, so I'll Be Seeing You was clearly ahead of its time. The story was a good, honest one, and the acting was great. It's an excellent movie.
Gingerella: It's really a pretty good film...it is primarily a drama, but has a few 'light' moments here and there... a teenage Shirly Temple turns in a pretty nice performance as well. Netflix has it available... but it honestly doesn't show up much on TCM, for some reason...
ReplyDeleteCS - great stuff! The time between WWI and WWII was very difficult... but the folks were resilient and unwavering... the 'Greatest Generation', indeed... I went through the D-Day Museum in New Orleans a few years ago, and it was very moving... I just don't see how our generation could even come CLOSE to being as unified as they were... it's mind-boggling.
Fioraon - Thanks for the kind words - hopefully it shed a bit of light on the general concept of Veteran's Day, and what it should mean for all of us...
And yes, 'IBSY' didn't 'sugar-coat' issues as a lot of movies did around that time... it's not 'graphic' or anything,. but you obviously know the fellow has some major demons to exorcise...
Thanks, y'all!
KIG!
VKMfanHuey
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