December 27, 1943

Dec. 27, 1943

Dear Mother:

I have finally gotten around to writing again and you can bet I tried to write before but didn't get time.  I have been working all my spare time studying or on details.  I fact no one has received letters from me except for an occasional one or two sent East.  I guess Pop A.P. and Esther got the only letters.

Christmas was very exciting out here for me because it was the first one away from home and I again went to Hollywood.  Robert Johnson was home again from some camp here in Calif. and he has many friends that are connected to the movie business here.  I guess he was a play producer before the war and is putting on 6 plays he came in contact with many of the popular stars of the stage and screen.  we went out to see some of his friends.  I met one movie stars that went to school with Robert but who is now in the Sea Bees. {?}

His name is Rick Vallin, his real name is nothing like that because he is of Russian birth.  He is really a handsome fellow and the movies lost something when they lost him.  He was a swell fellow and not a bit snooty as you might expect a movie star to be. {There is a 3 year gap from motion pictures after 1943, but no real clues to what he was doing during that time.}

See here for a more interesting bio than Wikipedia can give you.

  At the same place was a girl move star who had just completed a picture.  Although she was not the star and I really still don't know what or how important a part she played, she was very likable.

Of course I opened my Christmas presents as soon as possible and was rather surprised at all you got into that small box.  Everything is so useful.  The first and most important item seemed to be the slippers.  I have no other pair and I was beginning to hate walking around bare footed all the time.  The polishing equipment is the small metal box is the best outfit I have seen.  One of my main troubles with polishing buckles and buttons is that I never can find the cloth when I want it and I have had to keep the cloth in a bag and it is not so neat looking as a a metal box.  Foot lockers are hard enough to keep clean but things in metal boxes are much easier to keep.  The polish works very well on my belt buckle and makes it shine better than a polishing cloth.

The handkerchiefs are very handy and can always be used.  I have a cold now in spite of the sulphadyazine tablets we have had.  My next letter will be written on the new paper as this is the last piece of this.  The little game is rather handy but I guess the only chance I will be able to use it will be when traveling or on rainy days.  Whose ideas was the shoe strings?  It just so happened that I needed them but I am not usually caught short. (I haven't got space to write about all the rest but you know I really appreciate them).

I have got so much more to write about the Johnson's but I am very tired after that weekend.  He is a teacher of Science (math, chem, physics,) and Spanish.  She is about 60 years old and is a dear lady.  She is really a real mother to me.  The first thing she did when I came in was give me a big kiss.  "That's for your mother," she said.  I will write again tomorrow if possible.  As usual I am in as good health as can be expected and Cousin Emma says I look like a real Californian.

With love,

Austin.