By Larry Rohter - The New York Times

“It has been a long time since any of us boys have seen a woman, so we are writing to you in hopes that you’ll help us out of our situation,” Cpl. Frank Gizych lamented in a letter posted from the fog-shrouded Aleutian Islands. “Since we know that it’s impossible to see a woman in the flesh, we would appreciate it very much if you could send us a photo of yourself.”

It was July 1944, and America was at war. From bases and battlefields in Europe and on Pacific islands, troops were sending streams of letters to their favorite actresses in Hollywood, asking for pinup photos and commenting on life on the front lines.

Almost all of that mail, which studios usually answered with a glossy shot showing the star in a saucy pose, has been lost. But the actress Donna Reed, later famous for her roles as Mary Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the middle-class housewife Donna Stone on “The Donna Reed Show,” saved some of the correspondence she received. After nearly 65 years in a shoebox inside an old trunk long stored in the garage of her home in Beverly Hills, Calif., the letters have finally been read and made public by the actress’s children. Reed died in 1986 at age 64.   MORE…

Letters and photos sent to actress Donna Reed from soldiers during World War II are displayed for a photograph in the home of Mary Owen, her daughter, in New York on May 1, 2009. Reed saved some of the correspondence she received. (Librado Romero/The New York Times)