France. Dec. 4, 1944.

Dear Mother & all,
          Another week has begun for us again.
Last week was very good to me. I had quite a
few letters and also received two packages.
Luella's and yours. I can use everything that
was sent me. Some of the candy, I am going to
give it to the chaplain. He is making up gifts
for French children and just before Christmas
we are planning a party here for about 200 of
them.
      Last night while eating supper on of my teeth
chipped off. I was to the dentist today and he said
there is a decay there. I guess he will be able
to fill it. This is the first time in my life I
have ever been to a dentist.
       Had a letter from Harley. I hope by this
time he has received my letter telling him I
am in France now. Also had letters from Luella,
Marie & Lenore. I really don't know what to
write to any of them anymore. We did have
a bad thing happen today. But things will soon

pass by. I guess our outfit is not use to
these things and all of us feel it more.
     Last night was a horrible night here. The wind
blew so hard sometimes I thought our tent was
going with it. Once I even flashed my light on
to see if it was still here. Then with the wind
it tried to rain. I thought of the boys that were
sleeping on the front lines. I am glad I am right where
I am.
    I don't have much news to write about tonight. I guess
I will go to the movies tonight. We have them right
here on our base now. Tonight they are "Sensations
of 1945".
         I can't think of anymore for now. Goodnight for
now. I am sending our church bulletin. It has a
nice poem in it. You never did tell me if you
receive these bulletins.
                                              Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on December 10th.

Background Information (and comments):

• There was no church bulletin in the envelope with the letter, so either his mother never received it or it was separated from the letter and not kept.

Sensations of 1945 is a 1944 American musical-comedy film directed by Andrew Stone. Released by United Artists, the film was an attempt to recapture the ensemble style of films such as Broadway Melody of 1936 by showcasing a number of top musical and comedy acts of the day, in a film linked together by a loose storyline. Sensations of 1945 stars dancer Eleanor Powell and Dennis O'Keefe as two rival publicists who fall in love, but the film's main purpose is to showcase a variety of different acts, ranging from tightrope walking to comedy to Powell's athletic tap dancing.

• The picture is notable for several reasons. It was Powell's first and only film after leaving Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where she became a star nearly a decade earlier; it was also her final starring role in a film, after which she would only make a cameo in MGM's Duchess of Idaho in 1950 and some unused footage of her would appear in a 1946 MGM compilation, The Great Morgan. Powell's dance inside a giant pinball machine (as part of the song, "Spin Little Pinball") has been cited by critics variously as both a highlight and as the nadir of her film career.
  W.C. Fields makes his final movie appearance before his death in 1946.
  Other performers in the film include Sophie Tucker, Lyle Talbot, Dorothy Donegan, Cab Calloway, Gene Rodgers, Woody Herman, and Les Paul. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music Scoring.