After all these years, I was finally able to attend my first Gene Marshall Convention. Held at the Warwick Allerton Hotel in Chicago, Jamieshow's Hollywood Canteen was a blast...that also blasted out everyone's wallets! So many cool things to see (and purchase).
A view of this renovated historic hotel during the day:
The hotel was conveniently located on Michigan Avenue (aka the Miracle Mile of shopping). My room was spacious and perfectly appointed.
One of the first sites that greeted attenders was this amazingly detailed diorama of the Hollywood Canteen.
Most of Gene's friends were represented including Ivy Jordan:
Marlena, spinning the wheel for the boys:
...and even a few sailors!
As we waited in our seats to watch a documentary on actress and activist Marsha Hunt, George quietly walked through the audience with a brilliant orange-clad Violet Waters convention doll.
Before this wonderful documentary began to roll, Mel got up to speak a bit about Marsha, who is a very dear friend of his.
I knew very little about Hunt before seeing this movie, but have to say that I gained a deep respect for her. Besides her acting talents, she has spent her life standing up for truth and human rights, especially during a time when speaking out was not very popular.
It was fantastic to see some of the OOAK creations that were on display that night:
These two gowns caused audible gasps from passersby:
More to come with part 2!
See more Gene Marshall Hollywood Canteen Convention photos at my website.
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Oh, wow! I wish that I could've been there, 'cause it looks as though it was fun, what with the patriotic Gene dolls, the handsome sailors, and the Gene Marshall fans!
ReplyDeleteI've seen at least one Jamieshow doll, and he was a customized Trent; he looked really good.