Description
The Concetta E. Ribaudo scrapbook on the Hollywood Canteen includes a variety of memorabilia collected by Ribaudo, who went
by the stage name Connie Roberts, during her employment as a hostess at the Hollywood Canteen during World War II. The Hollywood
Canteen was a converted barn that operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood from October 3, 1942 to Thanksgiving Day
1945 as a club offering food, dancing, and entertainment for more than three million servicemen. A military uniform served
as ticket for admission and everything at the canteen was free of charge. The collection includes Ribaudo's nametag and identification
card, letters she received from servicemen she met at the Canteen, news clippings, and various other forms of ephemera and
memorabilia. One pilot who went by the name "Crash Clark" wrote to Ribaudo: "You are an OK kid in my books and I can not tell
you just how much fun we had at the canteen. As for your jokes, they were the tops[...]."
Background
Concetta E. Ribaudo (stage name: Connie Roberts) is best known as the expert jitterbug witness called by the Canteen in 1944
after another hostess sued when she suffered a back injury during a tricky dance maneuver. The jitterbug dancing mishap was
the subject of numerous press accounts. This collection includes a half dozen newspaper clippings of the trial and subsequent
attention that Ribaudo received after she also took a spill on the dance floor. An article entitled "Now Connie Goes Boom"
reported: "The blond jitterburg -whose testimony in a $17,250 damage suit against Hollywood Canteen insisted that jiving need
not be dangerous - took a spill herself last night at the Canteen. It was the same kind of accident that Florida Edwards claims
to have suffered and for which she sued the Canteen in superior court." Edwards eventually won her lawsuit and received a
settlement of $8,170.
Extent
0.21 Linear Feet
1 box
Restrictions
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Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Availability
Advance notice required for access.