Hey Rookie Pool (Los Angeles, California)

 military, swimming pool, interesting place

The Gaffey Street Pool was built through funds raised by the “Hey Rookie” show produced and performed by members of the Fort MacArthur Garrison. The show was developed during the early years of World War II and was performed for men stationed at the remote gun batteries of the Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles in order to increase morale.

The Hey Rookie show was an instant success and so popular that it was slated for public performances in 1942. After a few public venues, the show was selected to run at the Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The show remained at the Belasco for nine months when it was finally selected for performances overseas. The production was offered for troops in Africa, Italy and the China Burma India Theater of Operations. Many notable stars were associated with the show including the actor Sterling Holloway (the voice of Winnie-The-Pooh and countless Disney characters), J.C. Lewis from KHJ Radio, Tex Terry from Columbia Pictures and many other Hollywood personalities that found themselves in uniform during the Second World War.

After the departure of the “Hey Rookie” show for overseas duty, the swimming pool served the enlisted men of Fort MacArthur for recreational activities, and also served the new recruits that were processed at the Lower Reservation. During the war over 750,000 troops were processed through this Induction and Separation Center. Some of the new recruits did not know how to swim. Since the majority of these men were slated for overseas service via transport ship the pool became their first experience with swimming.

Through the clever thinking of the Fort MacArthur Service Command, an Olympic swimmer Howard Ploessel was detailed to manage the Hey Rookie swimming pool. Ploessel and his wife, Velma (a silver medalist in the 1936 Berlin Olympics) began to develop new ways of using the swimming pool to boost morale and help the war effort. Together they developed special shows called Aquacades. Mrs. Ploessel was a physical education instructor at both the San Pedro and Huntington Park High Schools. She selected swimmers from her teams to serve as the performers for the Aquacades. The girls were soon known as the Southern California Aquabelles (SCA) and performed regularly as the main attraction at the pool. In similar fashion to the “Hey Rookie” show the Aquabelles became an instant hit and were performing throughout Southern California. The show was such a success that it became part of the war bond drive for the 7th War Loan.

Upon the conclusion of the 7th War Loan, the Aquabelles were credited with assisting a drive that raised $26,000,000. The SCA Aquacades also had many VIP’s as participants with their various shows. Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Johnny Weissmuller, Stubby Krueger and Miss America 1943 were all participants with the Aquacades.

After the war, the pool continued to serve the troops of Fort MacArthur and the citizens of San Pedro. In 1954 the pool was opened to the public in addition to its military use. Special changing rooms and showers were constructed on its eastern side to accommodate the increased usage. Thousands of children used the pool during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Sadly, as the decades past the “Hey Rookie” show was forgotten and the pool lost its signature name and was now commonly called the Gaffey Street Pool. Regardless of its name, the pool continued to serve the public even after the Army left the property in 1982 and turned it over to the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. The pool continued operating until the early 1990s when it was closed and drained. The pool was stripped of its fixtures, overgrown, and vandalized until recently. The Fort McArthur Museum Association, in partnership with local government and community associations, raised $6.9 million to renovate the pool and surrounding deck terraces.

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