On Sunday, April 4th, the Donut Dollies Documentary was the Closing Night Feature film at the Queen City Film Festival in Cumberland, MD. Just prior to the event, Donut Dollie Dorset Anderson, who is featured in our film and her son and director of our film, Norm Anderson were interviewed by Amanda Mangan, host of Potomac Highlands Today for Allegany Radio. This interview had particular significance for Dorset, as she is a former native of Martinsburg, WV and this was the first time that her family and friends see Dorset on the big screen.
Spring 2021 is bringing new opportunities to see the Donut Dollies Documentary. In fact our film is an Official Selection of the Queen City Film Festival in Cumberland, Maryland. For the first time this year, you will be able to attend an in-person screening of our film. Plus we are especially honored that The Donut Dollies has been chosen as the Closing Night Feature.
The Donut Dollies will screen on Sunday, April 4th at 8PM at The Venue At Mezzos – 114 South Centre Street, Cumberland, MD 21502. Individual General Admission tickets are $10 and will be available at the door, but please note that seating will be limited due to local/state Covid guidelines. Tickets are also available through the following link by clicking on the green “Tickets” button – www.eventbrite.com/e/qcff-2020-tickets-89194002663 You can learn more about this festival and view the program for all films at – www.alleganyalliedarts.org
We anticipate more opportunities to see The Donut Dollies in-person over the coming months. We appreciate everyone’s support and understanding during these interesting times.
Celebrating Christmas in a war zone may not sound like something that would happen, but here we highlight some of the memories of the Red Cross Donut Dollies who served in Korea and Vietnam.
Barbara McDaniel Stephens – Vietnam 1969-70
Christmas Day was spent on the “Santabous” (Caribou airplanes with a Santa face painted on their nose) delivering decorated trees, eggnog, Christmas cookies, ditty bags and more to far flung units in III Corp.
Decorated Santabou plane used to visit the men on Christmas
Diane Love Crocker – Vietnam 1966-67
Another fond memory is Christmas with a small unit – a beautiful church service and then we served Christmas dinner to the men. Although we missed the Bob Hope show in An Khe, our Christmas was so meaningful.
Judy Harper – Vietnam 1970-71
While on TDY (temporary duty) to Quang Tri over Christmas 1970, we attended the Bob Hope show at Camp Eagle. More memorably though, was meeting Admiral McCain (even gave him a ditty bag – didn’t know who he was until later). Apparently he visited the DMZ (demilitarized zone) every Christmas, while his son, John, was a POW in North Vietnam. A somber time for him.
Lou Breen Rundle – Vietnam 1971-72
I will never forget our “Santabou” Christmas of 1971 where three tactical airlift squadrons from CRAB (Cam Ranh Air Base) painted their planes like Santa complete with a red nose and hat. They’d had raffles to raise money for fruit, candy, pretzels, alcohol, etc. and invited us to fly with them to bases and hand out the free goodies to servicemen who had not had things like this for many months. Our plane’s bartender, Joe, was even dressed like Superman! It was one of the best Christmases ever – all giving, sharing, and good will.
Donut Dollie Sharon VanderVen Cummings hosting a design Santa Claus contest with shaving creme and cotton in Xuan Loc – Dec. 1966
Margo Smith Timberlake – Vietnam 1971-72
Christmas in the bush around Chu Lai… there was a cease fire that day, so we were choppered right out to areas we never would have gone to any other time. I think we went to 3 different places. These guys were not even able to get back to a firebase for Christmas, so we took Christmas to them. We put pretty pitiful homemade paper decorations on whatever “Charlie Brown” tree we could find, sang carols and visited. I had on a Santa top and the guys would come sit on my lap, whisper their Christmas wishes and get a Red Cross goodie bag.
Nancy Calcese – Korea 1969-70 and Vietnam 1971-72
My time in Korea was a very happy time with many fond memories, like Christmas Eve on the DMZ (demilitarized zone).
Nancy Caracciolo Warner – Vietnam 1969-70
I remember the Dust Off crew who, on their own time, took two of us out to many of the firebases and outposts outside of An Khe on Christmas Day. We dressed as Santas and they flew us… with red and green smoke trailing, to see the guys. It was the best Christmas ever!
Donut Dollies Judee and Nancy delivering gifts to the men with Santa
Paula Wright Haley – Vietnam 1968-69
My very favorite memory was Christmas Day 1968. We boarded a helicopter very early that morning and we flew to every area possible giving the soldiers bags of goodies, which were donated by the American people. It made me feel good that the people back home cared enough to make sure the soldiers were remembered and how happy the soldiers were to see us and to know the people back home cared. I don’t ever remember being that tired in my life, but even today it can bring a tear to my eyes to think back on that day. The song which was played over and over again was “I’ll be Home for Christmas”.
René Johnson – Vietnam 1969-70
Christmas week of 1969, caroling with a mixed group of military men, nurses, Special Services women and us Donut Dollies, followed by two days of doing a little play, the whole unit flying in one helicopter to many firebases and being given our own private outhouse on Nui Ba Den as our Christmas present.
Sharon VanderVen Cummings – Vietnam 1966-67
On Christmas day, all the girls in our unit went out to different units in the field. While there, we had Christmas dinner with the guys – when I say “the guys,” I do not mean the officers. We almost always worked with the enlisted men (boys). I was out at a forward location, so we ate in mess tents that had been set up. Later, several helicopters took us to Cu Chi where we got to see the Bob Hope show. It was quite a day!
Donut Dollies Diane Schmidt Curley and Mary de la Forest Evans with mess Sgt. Kitchen as Santa – Dec. 1968Santa visiting with child amputee – Dec 1970Santa Claus handing a gift to a child at a Christmas party – Dec. 1966
2020 has been quite an exciting year for the Donut Dollies Documentary, as our film has screened at over a dozen film festivals around the US to hundreds of viewers at each event. The response we’ve received has been very positive, especially from Donut Dollies and veterans. If you haven’t seen our film yet, December brings the last two virtual online screenings of the year.
Here are the upcoming screenings:
December 1st – 6th – Reel Women’s Film Festival in California – virtual online screening – Our film will be viewable anytime throughout the festival dates – You can buy an individual ticket to see our film at – https://rwff.festivee.com/the-donut-dollies
We ask that it you are given an opportunity to vote in the Audience Awards for either of these film festivals, please vote!
Exciting news is coming right around the corner for the Donut Dollies Documentary, so please keep an eye out for announcements in your inbox, on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/thedonutdollies) and on our website (www.donutdollies.com).
Please feel free to share this information with your family, friends and veterans you may know. We thank you for your continued support!
Today we honor the men and women who have served our country – our brave veterans. America’s history is built on the dedication and service of our military personnel who have put themselves in harms way, far from home and loved ones. They all deserve our thoughts, prayers and thanks for their dedication and sacrifice. On behalf of the Donut Dollies Documentary, we wish to extend our gratitude to our Veterans and the Red Cross Donut Dollies who served them on this Veterans Day.
Credit: Emily Strange – Red Cross Donut Dollie (Vietnam 1969)Credit: Mary Blanchard Bowe – Red Cross Donut Dollie (Vietnam 1968-69) — Mary’s note: “Group shot of the men of the 160th Maintenance in Cha Rang Valley”Credit: Margo Timberlake – Red Cross Donut Dollie (Vietnam 1970-71) — Margo’s note: “Our partially sandbagged hootch in Quang Tri with Margo and the crew who were working on it”Credit: Joyce MacConnachie Kirk – Red Cross Donut Dollie (Vietnam 1967-68)
This year has been quite exciting for the Donut Dollies Documentary, as we have screened at a dozen film festivals around the country to hundreds of viewers, all to great response. November brings three more opportunities to see our film before our attention turns to family and friends for the holidays. Please read to the end for a special video bonus!
Here are the upcoming screenings:
November 5th – 7th – Louisville’s International Festival of Film in Kentucky – virtual online screening – Our film will be viewable anytime throughout the festival dates – You can buy a pass to see all of the films at – https://louisvillefilmfestival.org/bbportfolio/the-donut-dollies
November 15th & 20th – Phoenix Film Festival in Arizona – this is an in-person screening that will follow Covid-19 protocols – Both screenings will be held at – Harkins Scottsdale 101 Theatre – 7000 E. Mayo Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85054 – Dates, time and direct links for online ticket purchase are:
We ask that it you are given an opportunity to vote in the Audience Awards for any of these film festival, please vote!
Now we come to the special video bonus… after our win last September for Best Documentary Feature at the GI Film Festival San Diego, we were asked to screen our film as part of this year’s virtual showcase. As a special feature, we were honored to have Southern California Donut Dollies Sharon VanderVen Cummings (Vietnam ’66-’67) and Sandi Rhoten (Vietnam ’69-’70) join Jess Hill (producer) and Jim Gardner (co-producer) and moderator John Decker of KPBS for a nearly half hour long Q&A session. We hope you enjoy watching this conversation and learning about the experiences of these two Donut Dollies in their own words. You can view it at – www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aihrd0zkivU
Please feel free to share this information with your family, friends and veterans you may know. We thank you for your continued support!
The virtual online screening of the Donut Dollies Documentary begins TODAY, Friday, October 9th as part of 29th annual Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis, IN. You can purchase individual tickets for our film at https://watch.eventive.org/heartlandfilmfestival20/play/5f57bc5d24ed79008c7d4c3e to start watching it now. After viewing our film, you’ll be given the opportunity to vote for the HIFF Audience Choice Awards (5=great – 1=poor), so please take a moment to vote.
Also happening TONIGHT, Friday, October 9th at 8 PM EDT is a public Q&A session as part of the Heartland International Film Festival. The Donut Dollies has been invited to take part in the Documentary Official Selection Q&A panel, which will also include the filmmakers of 3 other documentaries.
We’re honored to have Red Cross Donut Dollie Maggie (Connor) Dutilly (first photo) join us on the panel discussion as a special guest! She served in Vietnam from 1971-72 in Danang, Quang Tri, Bien Hoa and Cam Ranh Army until evacuation during the Easter Offensive in April, 1972. Representing the Donut Dollies Documentary team will be Jess Hill (Producer – second photo) and Jim Gardner (Co-producer and Music supervisor – third photo). Follow the link below to gain free access to the public Q&A session – https://watch.eventive.org/heartlandfilmfestival20/play/5f5a85c8bebf3d006a1f1ee2/5f5a85c8bebf3d006a1f1ee5
We thank you for your continued support!
Gratefully,
Norm, Jess and Jim
Red Cross Donut Dollie Maggie (Connor) Dutilly (Vietnam 1971-72)Jess Hill – Producer of the Donut Dollies DocumentaryJim Gardner – Co-producer & Music supervisor of the Donut Dollies Documentary
In just 5 hours, The Donut Dollies will begin screening at the GI Film Festival San Diego. As you may know, we won our first award for Best Documentary Feature last year at the GI Film Fest, which was quite an honor and we are excited to be asked to screen our film for them again this year.
The screening of our film begins today, Friday, October 2nd at 7:00 PM PDT and immediately following the livestream of our film will be a Q&A session starting at 8:29 PM PDT. We’re honored to have Donut Dollies Sharon (Vander Van) Cummings (first photo) and Sandi Rhoten (second photo) join us as our special guests. Sharon served in Vietnam from 1966-67 at Cam Ranh Bay Army, then with Long Binh II Field Forces and then the 25th Division in Cu Chi. Sandi served in Vietnam from 1969-70 at Tuy Hoa, Cam Ranh and Qui Nhon.
Representing The Donut Dollies Documentary team will be Jess Hill (Producer – third photo) and Jim Gardner (Co-producer and Music supervisor – fourth photo). The moderator of the Q&A will be John Decker, the Director of Programming for KPBS. You can purchase a ticket to see The Donut Dollies Documentary and the Q&A at https://gifilmfestivalsd.org/2020/movies/the-donut-dollies-2/ We hope you’ll join us for this special event
Sharon (Vander Ven) Cummings – Donut Dollie 1966-67 VietnamSandi Rhoten – Donut Dollie 1969-70 VietnamJess Hill – Producer of the Donut Dollies DocumentaryJim Gardner – Co-producer & Music supervisor of the Donut Dollies Documentary
Please enjoy this 35-minute Q&A session that followed the screening of The Donut Dollies documentary at the Albuquerque Film & Music Experience on September 26, 2020. Featured were two Donut Dollies – Mary Tsinnajinnie Cohoe and Larry Young Hines, and the session was moderated by Michelle Souza. Mary and Larry shared some of their experiences about serving in Vietnam in 1968-69. The producer of our film, Jess Hill and co-producer & music supervisor, Jim Gardner, shared stories about filming in Vietnam, the archival photos, slides and 8mm film received from many Donut Dollies and stories of the film’s production.
We thank Mary and Larry for joining us and sharing their stories and Michelle for insightful questions and enthusiasm for the story of the Donut Dollies. Please share this video with your family, friends and any veterans you may know.
We have a second busy month of film festival screenings of the Donut Dollies Documentary coming your way in October. In addition to our virtual screening this Saturday the 26th at the Albuquerque Film & Music Experience, we have five virtual screenings taking place in California, Kansas, Indiana and two in New York (see info below).
If you are interested in viewing one of the virtual online screening at one of these festivals, we suggest that you follow the links below to pre-order or purchase your tickets early, as viewing capacity is limited. We do hope that you’ll be able to see The Donut Dollies at one of these upcoming screening events.
***Albuquerque Film & Music Experience in Albuquerque, NM – virtual online screening followed by a Q&A session moderated by Michelle Souza with The Donut Dollies producer, Jess Hill, and Co-producer and Music supervisor, Jim Gardner
Saturday, September 26 available starting at 4:30 PM PDT – The livestream of our film and the Q&A starts at 5:27 PM
***GI Film Festival San Diego Virtual Showcase in San Diego, CA – virtual online screening followed by a Q&A session with The Donut Dollies producer, Jess Hill, and Co-producer and Music supervisor, Jim Gardner
Friday, October 2nd – The livestream of our film and the Q&A starts at 7:00 PM
As you’ll see, each festival has their own ticketing offers, from an individual ticket for just The Donut Dollies, to an all inclusive pass to nearly all films and events. For these virtual events, each screening may be “geo-blocked” (restricted) to a specific region or state, which is put in place to avoid scheduling conflicts with other film festivals. If you are interested only in an individual ticket, please check each of those offering individual tickets, even if you live out-of-state… you may be able still make the purchase.
Please remember that you may have the opportunity to vote for audience awards, which will help us spread the word on The Donut Dollies story.
