Banning, Margaret Culkin "A Day In Port"

Liberty tag line: While there are wars for men, there will always be ways of holding a husband.” This women’s story dates from the last days before America’s entry into World War 2, that period of official neutrality in which the nation’s industries were already retooling for the war effort. A middle aged, married couple (Margery and Philip) take a 28-day Caribbean cruise aboard the American liner COLOMBIA (in 1940 and 1941, with Europe and the Far East at war, the Caribbean was a popular destination for American tourists). Philip is an automobile industry executive whose plant is being converted from automobile production to that of war planes and he is taking the cruise to regain his health and energy. Also aboard the ship is the obligatory man-hungry single woman, a cereal heiress named Della (modeled perhaps after infamous Marjorie Meriweather Post?) . During a Trinidad port visit Della makes an obvious play for the husband, and nearly succeeds until mousy Margery plays her trump hand. Does Margery get a fashion make over à la a Bette Davis heroine and thus win back her man? No, she plays with a different card (patriotism) by insisting that they all visit a U.S. air base then being built on Trinidad. Seems hubby’s warplanes are already being sent down to the base and he naturally loses all interest in shallow Della (the air base bores her) once he sees the fruit of his hard work back in Detroit. Further, the visit reminds Philip that he wants to be part of America’s developing war effort and not just some rich woman’s man-toy. The tale concludes back on the COLOMBIA with domestic bliss restored thanks, in no small part, to a dose of good old fashioned American patriotism!