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Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
2 December 1943

Dear Aunty Clara,

Thursday

We have just come back from seeing one of the craziest movies ever produced. The title of it was "The Youngest Profession" and concerned a teen-aged, star-crazy girl. The girl is a president of a girl's movie star club and they are head over heals in love with all the actors and actresses in Hollywood as only people of that age can be.

The picture was a treat, though, because it brought in several movie stars just for a bit as the president-girl happened to run across their paths. For instance, the first one is Lana Turner who answers a letter sent by the club. Then there was Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Then comes the most climactic of them all as Robert Taylor knocks on the door while the "Guiding Star Club" is holding one of their meetings. Finally, at the very end, there is a glimpse of William Powell which provides a humorous ending to the show.

Besides this wacky girl there are her friends and her brother. The brother is about ten years old is full of the Lone Ranger and the Phantom Claw and plus wise remarks and gadgets of all sorts. Her boyfriend is a sixteen year old with a few eccentric gears working overtime in his bean. And her girlfriend, Patricia, is a zany dope. Most of the fellows couldn't stand this conglomeration of characters but the one who stayed found it highly entertaining. The tragic part about it was that the whole set up comes close for being the truth for quite a lot of young people these days. (I add "these days" as if kids haven't always been that way).

Your letter of November 23rd came today. Nothing else. I think you would call most of the dogs around here, Alley Dogs or mutts. This Porky's mother is a rather nice looking dog by the name of Blackie. But as far as being pedigree dogs, I guess they just aren't.

And I have a bunch that little Dolores or little Bennie will not arrive until 1944. If it had been that close, I think she would have written saying so.

Just in case you didn't have turkey for Thanksgiving you can rest assured that for once the propaganda was right and they did send over the finest gobblers of them all to all to the fellows overseas. It was funny though that after having had sweet potatoes on several occasions before Thanksgiving, we didn't have any on that day. The cranberries we had were canned but were swell just the same because it was just the way you prepare them. John, Larry and I had a discussion about that angle because their folks make the cranberries like Aunty Stella does by leaving the cranberry in. Naturally, they have been accustomed to that style and prefer it to the way we did have it.

Long about four-thirty this afternoon, after having spent the day typing up rosters and statements and vouchers for the company, I began typing an answer and a thank you note to the Millers. Unfortunately, I did not get it finished and thought I would do so after supper. That is just what I thought because I was down here after supper typing up more work. Hadn't I been doing that work I still wouldn't have finished the letter because the Company was restricted for the second time this week to do work around the Company area. It is ten o'clock at present but I will manage to scrape up enough information to finish the letter before going back to the tent.

One thing I noticed which gave the picture this evening a realistic touch was the scene on a busy intersection which shows people walking in the background. Every so often a soldier or sailor would walk past and that is just how the crowds are nowadays. Years ago they wouldn't even dream of letting a military man stroll around as part of a crowd scene because they were rarities.

The new order is out saying that the payrolls must be in, signed, sealed and delivered, by the 10th of the month. I'll work on the preliminaries tomorrow morning and hope to be able to start on the payroll itself by noon. If my plan works out, I should be able to finish the payroll between twelve-thirty and four o'clock. That would be a total of three and a half hours.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman