Los Angeles, California
January 4, 1946
 

Dear   ,

Golly, I really meant to write to you a long time ago, but I haven't had time to do anything ever since Frank got back. I'm way behind in my letter writing. I'll have to go over everything lightly, cuz there's so much to say and I've got such a little time to say it in.

First of all, the first Wednesday [12/19/45]. Frank came in about l:00. He looked positively adorable. He had on a beautiful brown suit with a white button up sweater under it. He had the cutest smile and OH was I glad to see him again. It had been so long! He said "Hello" to everybody and was really nice. He smiled for everybody who was taking his picture. He came out of rehearsa1 about 4:30. When he came out, a group of us kids were standing a group talking. I didn't even know he had come out, and when I turned around and saw HIM standing there, I thought I would pass out. My mouth hung open and I said "It's Frank!" He laughed when I said it. I guess I looked kind of funny.

When they introduced Frank before the show, the place was practically torn down. We all sat together in the first rows in the center of the balcony. After all the applause was finished, all of us kids together yelled out "Hubba, hubba, hubba, hello Frank!" And then we all cheered. Frank was looking up at the balcony with the cutest grin on his face. Then he smiled a real big smile and said "I want to thank you for the very wonderful reception." He looked so cute! All during the show he was jumping all over the place. When he sang, he kept clicking his fingers and swaying his shoulders around. He was just adorable. After the show he came out on the stage and said "I want to thank you for being such a very wonderfu1 audience." Then he said "Very humbly and very sincerely I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart." All together we yelled "Merry Christmas Frank", and he said "The same to you." He smiled at everybody when he left and was real nice.

I didn't see him again until the next Wednesday [12/26/45]. We found a door that came part way open, and we watched him rehearse through the door. The two Nancys were there. Big Nancy had on a beautiful three-piece suit and she sure did look beautiful! Frank had on beige pants, a yellow sport shirt, a yellow T shirt under it, a brown leather jacket and cowboy boots. He got the jacket and boots for Christmas. He was really cute! He was so cute when he started to sing "Symphony." The kids all went "Ooooooooh!", and Frank goes "Ooooooooh", and then all the kids screamed. Nancy started laughing and she really looked darling. At the end of the show we all yelled "Happy New Year Frank", and he said "The same to you."

The next time I say him was the next Friday when he was guest on Ginny Simms' show [12/28/45]. I hope you got to hear it, cuz he was really good. He came in to rehearsal at 1:00 and was sure nice to us. He had on the same things he had on Wednesday. After he went in, we opened the stage door and he was sitting in reading his script. We stood watching him for about ten minutes. Then we went investigating and found some stairs around the back of C. B. S. We snuck up them and of all places to end up, we ended up in the ushers dressing room. We were creeping around trying to find a way to get into the studio when an usher came up to change and boy did we get out of there but fast.

We all went over to a steak house to have some lunch. We pushed three tables together and made one big table. Some of the kids got hamburgers, but most of us had to get grilled cheese sandwiches cuz it was Friday. We all got root beers. We played all Frank's records on the juke box, and made toasts to him and his family with our root beers. We really had fun. Our grilled cheese sandwiches were all burnt and were just terrible, but we had fun anyway. At the first show, they had one at 4:30 and one at 6:00, we sat in the first row on the side. All during the show everybody on the stage was watching us. Frank had put on a beautiful blue suit and did he look handsome! Hubba Hubba!!! We practically died laughing when the announcer said, "Have you ever tasted a cheese sandwich, a delicious grilled cheese sandwich?" We thought of that afternoon and our grilled cheese sandwiches and couldn't stop laughing. Frank was watching us, he didn't know what we were laughing at.

At the six O'clock show we sat in the first row right in the center. The announcer called us the repeaters. When Frank was introduced we all cheered and cheered, and Frank came over to the edge of the stage and played like he was a cheer leader leading a cheer. He sure did look cute. After the show the whole gang of us went up to the show together and saw "Leave Her to Heaven." We made a full day of it and really had a good time.

The next day (Saturday) we went to watch him play baseball. All of the fellows came except Frank, and we were getting ready to go home when he came. He had on the same boots and jacket and pants. He didn't play ball but just stood around watching and making remarks. He was real cute! I can't remember all the remarks he kept making, but I can mention a few. One time Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom missed a ball and kept calling him "Oh you bum, you bum, you bum." Another time he said "What the heak are you doing?" And then he told one of the guys that he had seen "They Were Expendable" the other night. He said, "It was a pretty good picture, in fact, the whole show was pretty." The funny thing about that was, that his Christmas short had been playing with it.

When he left, we all followed him out. He went down to an apartment house about a half block away so we went down there and waited for him. We stayed in there talking to Les for a half hour and then he came out. He said good bye to all of us and then rode away.

The next time I saw him was last Wednesday [1/2/46]. He came in to rehearsal about ten minutes after I got there. He had a terrible time trying to park the car. He even bumped the fender all up, and it took him almost ten minutes to park and then he got out and said "HY" to us. He stayed in all afternoon, so we didn't get to see him again until the program. About five o'clock Nancy and the two kids came in. I hadn't seen F minor for a long time, and my gosh how he's grown. When they introduced Frank again we all yelled "Hubba, hubba, hubba hello Frank!" There were 110 Japanese-American soldiers there, and Frank talked to them awhile. When he started singing "Chicery Chick", I thought I would die. It was so adorable! And when he was singing, "It's Been A Long Long Time," when he said "Kiss me once again," he closed his eyes and moved his head back and forth real slow. He did that twice and did he look hubba!

After the show he came out and told the soldiers to stay so they could take some pictures. He said "I would like to ask you all to stay but it's impossible." So of course, we decided we wanted to stay. We stayed in the balcony as long as we could, but then the ushers came and kicked us out. So we all ran and hid in the rest room. We stayed there until we thought it was safe, and then snuck back up to the balcony. Frank was out on the stage with the soldiers taking pictures, and was he cute. He saw us but didn't send anybody up after us. But then the ushers came and started chasing us all over the balcony. Everybody on the stage was laughing their heads off. Then they finally got us out. A girl out in back said some ushers came out and said to another one, "There's about fifty girls up there, but I give up. I can't get them out." Then we found a door and we watched them take all the pictures. As Frank drove by us after he waved at us real cute.

Then last night [1/3/46] was "Command Performance" and was Frank absolutely darling! Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Van Johnson and Frank were all on. It was just as funny as could be. I don't think I've ever laughed so much in my life. Frank thinks Bob Hope is the funniest thing on this earth and he was practically splitting all thru during the whole show. He just roared at everything Bob Hope said or did. And then Bob looks at Frank when he's laughing and then he starts in laughing. It was really a scream. Frank sang "Nancy" and after he finished, everybody kept applauding and Dinah Shore had to say, "He'll be back later." Then Bob, Van Johnson, and Frank did a skit called "The Rover Boys". All thru it Frank and Bob were laughing their sides out, and Van Johnson just stood there like a dead beat. Then Frank and Dinah sang "It ain't Necessarily So" together. Frank kept making remarks all the way thru. It was really good.

At the end of the show, the audience and the stars all sing "The Star Spangled Banner" together. Frank stood up real straight and really looked wonderful. You could hear him above everybody else and it really sounded wonderful. After the show out in back, I said to Frank "You, were wonderful Frank" and he said "Thank you." Then he waved to all of us as he drove away.

I guess this is about all I have time to tell you about now.