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!
*****UPDATE – TWIN TIERS SCREENING POSTPONED – SEE NEW DATES BELOW*****
Welcome to September, the busiest and most exciting month of 2020 for the The Donut Dollies Documentary. In addition to these 5 film festivals, we are proud to announce that our director, Norm Anderson, has been nominated for the Best Director Feature Award at the Twin Tiers International Film Festival.
Here are the upcoming film festivals that have chosen The Donut Dollies as an Official Selection, two of which will be in-person theater events. If you attend an in-person screening or watch our film online, please note that you may be able to vote for the Audience Awards. OK, now it’s time to get your advance tickets:
Orlando International Film Festival in Florida – In-person theater screening (Enzian Theater in Maitland, FL)
***POSTPONED TO NEW DATES — Twin Tiers International Film Festival in Endicott, NY – in-person theater screening (Theater 2 of the Cinema Saver Theater)
NEW DATES RESCHEDULED TO October 30th to Nov. 1st – We will provide the specific screening date when they are announced. We thank you for your understanding.***
Four Corners Film Festival in Farmington, NM – virtual online screening/festival
As you’ll see, each festival has their own ticketing offers, from an individual ticket for just The Donut Dollies, to a day pass, to an all inclusive pass to all films and events. For the virtual events, each screening will be “geo-blocked” (restricted) to a specific region or state, which is put in place to avoid scheduling conflicts with other film festivals. The screenings in a theater setting will have limited seating to provide social distancing for the health and safety of all attendees.
Please be sure to look for additional announcements on our film festival screenings on www.donutdollies.com or www.facebook.com/thedonutdollies Please spread the word on The Donut Dollies to you family, friends and veterans you may know living in the areas/states of these and other upcoming virtual and theater screenings.
As always, we thank you for your support!
Norm, Jess & Jim
American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, VFW Auxiliary, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, AMERICAN RED CROSS OVERSEAS ASSOCIATION, ARCOA, , Donut Dollie Detail, BERKSHIRE, BERKSHIRE COUNTY, Cu Chi, CUMMINGTON, Documentary, Donut Dollie, Donut Dollies, DONUT DOLLY, HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, HELICOPTER, Huey, memories, Nha Trang, Pleiku, RED CROSS, Schertz, SRAO, Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas, Tuy Hoa, veterans, Vets, VFW, vietnam, Vietnam Vet, Vietnam Veteran, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Vietnam War, VVMF, donutdollys.com, donutdollies.com, thedonutdollies.com, air base, Chu Lai, Phan Rang, An Khe, Dong Ba Thin, Cam Ranh, Bien Hoa, Korea, Korean War, Phu Loi, Long Binh, Quang Tri, Phu Bai, Quy Nhon, Lai Khe, Camp Eagle, Camp Enari, Xuan Loc, Dong Tam, Dian, Di An, Binh Thuy, Da Nang, Danang, Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, GI Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Phoenix Film Festival, Tiburon International Film Festival, Ancient Way Film Festival, Grand Teton Film Festival, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, Berkshire International Film Festival
September will be one of the busiest for film festival screenings of The Donut Dollies Documentary we’ve had so far. Each screening will be announced over the coming days and weeks, which we hope will provide you an opportunity for you to see our film either in a theater setting or virtually online.
The September list of film festival screenings include the Orlando International Film Festival in FL (theater setting), Twin Tiers International Film Festival in NY (theater setting), Catalina Film Festival in CA (virtual/online screening) and the Albuquerque Film & Music Experience in NM (virtual/online screening).
Starting next week, we’ll release the screening and ticketing information for these four events. For the virtual events, each screening will be “geo-blocked” (restricted) to a specific region or state, which is put in place to avoid scheduling conflicts with other film festivals. The screenings in a theater setting will have limited seating to provide social distancing for the health and safety of all attendees. We realize that these limitations may be frustrating to some, but please know that The Donut Dollies has been chosen as an Official Selection at 9 upcoming film festivals scheduled around the country and we hope you’ll have the opportunity to see it soon.
Please be sure to look for the announcements of our film festival screenings on www.donutdollies.com or www.facebook.com/thedonutdollies Please spread the word on The Donut Dollies to you family, friends and veterans you may know living in the areas/states of these and other upcoming virtual and theater screenings.
As always, we thank you for your support!
Norm, Jess & Jim
American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, VFW Auxiliary, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, AMERICAN RED CROSS OVERSEAS ASSOCIATION, ARCOA, , Donut Dollie Detail, BERKSHIRE, BERKSHIRE COUNTY, Cu Chi, CUMMINGTON, Documentary, Donut Dollie, Donut Dollies, DONUT DOLLY, HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, HELICOPTER, Huey, memories, Nha Trang, Pleiku, RED CROSS, Schertz, SRAO, Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas, Tuy Hoa, veterans, Vets, VFW, vietnam, Vietnam Vet, Vietnam Veteran, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Vietnam War, VVMF, donutdollys.com, donutdollies.com, thedonutdollies.com, air base, Chu Lai, Phan Rang, An Khe, Dong Ba Thin, Cam Ranh, Bien Hoa, Korea, Korean War, Phu Loi, Long Binh, Quang Tri, Phu Bai, Quy Nhon, Lai Khe, Camp Eagle, Camp Enari, Xuan Loc, Dong Tam, Dian, Di An, Binh Thuy, Da Nang, Danang, Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, GI Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Phoenix Film Festival, Tiburon International Film Festival, Ancient Way Film Festival, Grand Teton Film Festival, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, Berkshire International Film Festival
Last Sunday marked a very dark day for the Red Cross Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO) program. Aug. 16, 2020 was the 50th anniversary of the murder of Donut Dollie Virginia (Ginny) Kirsch in her room of the Red Cross billet on the Cu Chi base in Vietnam. 21-year old Ginny was in her first week of service in Vietnam and while her one year tour was cut short, her decision to become a Donut Dollie spoke to her dedication and caring for the men who served and for our country.
Below you’ll see what is known as the last photo of Ginny on a layover at the Honolulu Airport on her way to Saigon. This photo was taken by her Donut Dollie sister Susan Bradshaw McLean who explained that Ginny met a lady with a baby in the waiting area and asked to hold the infant, as she said the thing that she would miss most during her year in Vietnam was not being able to hold her brothers and sisters.
Donut Dollie Virginia “Ginny” Kirsch holding a baby in the Honolulu Airport on her way to Saigon (credit: Susan Bradshaw McLean)
Also below you’ll find a poem titled Ginny & Susan by Donut Dollie Emily Strange (provided by her sister Peggy Michel). The poem is based on the moment captured in Susan’s photo. (Click to enlarge image)
Poem titled “Ginny & Susan” by Emily Strange
Lastly is the plaque located on the grounds of the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC honoring the five Red Cross worker lives lost during the Vietnam War.
Plaque located on the grounds of the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC honoring the five Red Cross worker lives lost during the Vietnam War
American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, VFW Auxiliary, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, AMERICAN RED CROSS OVERSEAS ASSOCIATION, ARCOA, , Donut Dollie Detail, BERKSHIRE, BERKSHIRE COUNTY, Cu Chi, CUMMINGTON, Documentary, Donut Dollie, Donut Dollies, DONUT DOLLY, HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, HELICOPTER, Huey, memories, Nha Trang, Pleiku, RED CROSS, Schertz, SRAO, Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas, Tuy Hoa, veterans, Vets, VFW, vietnam, Vietnam Vet, Vietnam Veteran, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Vietnam War, VVMF, donutdollys.com, donutdollies.com, thedonutdollies.com, air base, Chu Lai, Phan Rang, An Khe, Dong Ba Thin, Cam Ranh, Bien Hoa, Korea, Korean War, Phu Loi, Long Binh, Quang Tri, Phu Bai, Quy Nhon, Lai Khe, Camp Eagle, Camp Enari, Xuan Loc, Dong Tam, Dian, Di An, Binh Thuy, Da Nang, Danang, Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, GI Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Phoenix Film Festival, Tiburon International Film Festival, Ancient Way Film Festival, Grand Teton Film Festival, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, Berkshire International Film Festival
We are happy to announce that “The Donut Dollies” will have it’s first ever drive-in screening in Lenox, Massachusetts on Thursday, August 27th at 8:15 PM. This pop-up screening is part of the Berkshire Drive-in series hosted by the Berkshire International Film Festival and Shakespeare & Company (held on their campus). Thanks go out to both organizations for providing us this opportunity, as well as to Mary Mott & Gordon Simmering for sponsoring the group of screenings in which our film will appear.
As this event is coming up next week, we suggest that you purchase your tickets soon through this link (attendance is limited) – https://bit.ly/DDDrive-inTickets
This event is very special for us, as this is the home area for Dorset Anderson (one of the Donut Dollies featured in our film – on the left in our logo below), Norm Anderson (our director and Dorset’s son), Jess Hill (our producer) and Jim Gardner (our co-producer and music supervisor). We’re also honored to feature over 40 pieces of music performed by eleven musicians and bands with ties to the Berkshires and Western Mass, they include: Adam Michael Rothberg, Amy Fairchild, Celia Miller, Ed Kohn, Eric Underwood and the Eric Underwood Band, Jim Gardner, Jim Kaminski (aka Jim K & Co), Melodrome, Norm Anderson, Sibylle Baier and Will Hill.
Dorset and Norm will be in attendance to see the drive-in audience’s response. Keep in mind claps may not be heard, but horns will.
We will be announcing upcoming film festival screenings a few weeks before each event, so please be sure to look for these announcements on www.donutdollies.com or www.facebook.com/thedonutdollies Please spread the word on The Donut Dollies to you family, friends and veterans you may know living in the areas/states of this and our other upcoming virtual screenings. As always, we thank you for your support!
#TheDonutDollies #BiffMa #ShakeAndCo
American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, VFW Auxiliary, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, AMERICAN RED CROSS OVERSEAS ASSOCIATION, ARCOA, , Donut Dollie Detail, BERKSHIRE, BERKSHIRE COUNTY, Cu Chi, CUMMINGTON, Documentary, Donut Dollie, Donut Dollies, DONUT DOLLY, HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, HELICOPTER, Huey, memories, Nha Trang, Pleiku, RED CROSS, Schertz, SRAO, Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas, Tuy Hoa, veterans, Vets, VFW, vietnam, Vietnam Vet, Vietnam Veteran, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Vietnam War, VVMF, donutdollys.com, donutdollies.com, thedonutdollies.com, air base, Chu Lai, Phan Rang, An Khe, Dong Ba Thin, Cam Ranh, Bien Hoa, Korea, Korean War, Phu Loi, Long Binh, Quang Tri, Phu Bai, Quy Nhon, Lai Khe, Camp Eagle, Camp Enari, Xuan Loc, Dong Tam, Dian, Di An, Binh Thuy, Da Nang, Danang, Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, GI Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Phoenix Film Festival, Tiburon International Film Festival, Ancient Way Film Festival, Grand Teton Film Festival, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, Berkshire International Film Festival
