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It was first published in ‘Life’ Magazine with the caption: “While soldiers hold her up by her famous legs, Marlene Dietrich is kissed by a home-coming GI”.
The ship was the Monticello, a converted cruise liner. Her original name was SS Conte Grande and was built in 1927 in Trieste, Italy. During World War II, she was acquired by the United States and was used as an American troopship—renamed USS Monticello (AP-61) in 1942. At the time the photo was taken it was transporting parts of the 2nd infantry division home.
The 2nd division soldiers had entered the war in Normandy on D-Day. They fought across Europe into Czechoslovakia. They arrived in New York (when this photo was taken) on July 20, 1945. The war was not over for them. They were on their way to Camp Swift in Texas for training. They were supposed to be a part of the invasion of Japan.
(rarehistoricalphotos.com)
(Color by Toussaint Bonavita)
Marlene Dietrich’s birthday today, 12/27/1901 ~
During WWII, Dietrich helped out whenever she could:
* In the late 1930s, she co-created a fund to help Jews and dissidents escape from Germany.
* In 1939, she renounced her German citizenship, and became an American citizen.
* For almost all of 1942 and 1943, Dietrich toured the U.S., selling war bonds.
* She did two extended USO tours in 1944 and 1945, performing for Allied troops in Algeria, Italy, the UK, France and the Netherlands. She then entered Germany, performing dangerously close to the front lines on many occasions.
Photo is of Marlene Dietrich posing with Marvin Ryman of the 84th Infantry Division in March of 1944, location unknown.
Collection of her photo
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