SAGA OF TWO TON TESSIE
ACTRESS GLORIA SWANSON EMBODIED THE IDEAL OF A MOVIE STAR. BEAUTIFUL, MAGNETIC, TALENTED—SHE DEFINED HOLLYWOOD GLAMOR IN THE SILENT-FILM ERA. BY THE 1940S SWANSON HAD BEEN REPLACED AS A BOX OFFICE DRAW BY NEWER NAMES AND FACES, BUT SHE WAS STILL AN AMERICAN ICON.
When she visited the Willow Run Bomber Plant near Detroit, Mich., in October 1943 at the height of World War II, it was a very big deal.
The mighty Willow Run plant was an icon in itself. Dignitaries and movie stars frequently visited to see Consolidated B-24 Liberators roll off its automotive-style assembly line at the astonishing rate of one bomber every hour. From President Franklin D. Roosevelt and General Henry “Hap” Arnold to Walt Disney and Clark Gable, famous figures regularly turned up at the plant. Whenever celebrities visited Willow Run, it was customary to have them sign a ship fresh off the assembly line while news cameras flashed. Glamorous Gloria was no exception, gracing B-24H serial no. 42-52117 with her signature as
