Yesterday in La Crosse

Hollywood royalty gets a look at La Crosse, and La Crosse looks back at them, 78 years ago

Published

4 years ago

January 3, 2020

In 1942, just a few months after the U.S. entered World War II, the Hollywood Victory Caravan arrived for a brief stop at the north La Crosse railroad station. The city was on a route between St. Louis and the Twin Cities for the caravan. During a 13-minute stop, thousands in the La Crosse crowd saw Cary Grant, Jimmy Cagney, Charles Boyer, and Desi Arnaz up close. Some stars, such as Groucho Marx, were spotted peeking out the windows of the train. Bob Hope was part of the star-studded touring group, but he wasn’t on the train in La Crosse. At that time, you could see movie stars on six big screens in La Crosse, including the Rivoli, the Wisconsin, and the Hollywood, in 1942.

Related Topics:Cary Grant Groucho Marx Rivoli

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.