Many members of Hollywood's entertainment community contributed to the war effort. Bette Davis (1908–1989) was among the first to volunteer her services to the U.S. State Department in order to help. She joined the "Stars Over America" program and traveled across the country to sell war bonds, raise money, and bring attention to the cause. Davis was so successful that the government requested a second tour, where she sold more bonds in one day than anyone else had in two months. At one point she sold two million dollars' worth of bonds in two days.

Davis would make a major wartime contribution when she helped establish a servicemen's club on Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The Hollywood Canteen was one of the entertainment clubs set up for soldiers who were either headed to war or home on...