One of the biggest stars in Hollywood once spent several days in town taking part in the world-wide premiere of a movie about war efforts of a Marietta native. To understand how Rock Hudson ended up riding down Putnam Street through throngs of fans for the premiere of the movie Battle Hymn, you must first understand Dean Hess and his war-time efforts to save orphans in Korea.

Dean Hess grew up in Marietta and attended Marietta College. Following graduation, he moved to Cleveland and became an ordained minister with the Church of the Disciples of Christ. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hess signed up to be a pilot. He was sent to France in 1944 and flew 63 missions in P-47 Thunderbolts. The plane was used as both a fighter and a bomber in the allied efforts to defeat Germany.

Following his war effort, he got a master’s degree from Ohio University and began working on a PhD at Ohio State. He was recalled to active duty in 1948 and sent first to Japan, and then to Korea. He trained South Korean pilots to fly the P-51 fighters and lead missions himself. By the time he left Korea in 1951, he had flown 250 missions.

His lasting legacy would happen outside the pilot seat. He, along with several other officers, was aware that the Korean Conflict was making a lot of young children orphans. They organized Operation Kiddy Car to evacuate the children aboard 16 transport planes to the Korean island of Jeju where an orphanage was established.

Following the war, he wrote the book Battle Hymn about the effort to relocate young children. In 1957 the book was turned into a movie starring Rock Hudson, one of the biggest stars on the planet at the time.

Marietta leaders desperately wanted the premiere for the film to be in Marietta and started a campaign to do just that. After a letter-writing effort worked, the premiere was scheduled to occur on Feb. 14, a date that is also Founders Day for Marietta College. Hess, and the stars of the movie, would take part in a large number of events leading up to the simultaneous showing of the movie at Marietta’s three theaters.

The schedule of events had the stars of the movie arriving at the Wood County Airport on Feb. 12 and immediately taking part in a torchlight parade that started at the Williamstown Bridge. The next day was filled with personal appearances, luncheons, autograph parties and military programs. Dean Hess spoke at a joint meeting of Marietta’s service clubs.

The next day the stars of the movie got an early start, meeting with the press before visiting Hess’ boyhood home, his school and his church. At a Founder’s Day event the Korean ambassador to the United States, Dr. You Chan Yang, was awarded an honorary degree by West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood and Rock Hudson.

Next came a luncheon followed by a second parade through town. The Times reported the next day that 25,000 people viewed the parade along the one-mile route. A governor’s reception was held with Ohio Gov. C. William O’Neill before an invitational dinner at the Lafayette.

Finally, at 7 p.m. it was showtime. The stars, dignitaries and other personalities arrived in front of Colony Theatre (now the Peoples Bank Theatre) to be introduced. The movie was shown at the Ohio, Putnam and Colony theaters at 6:45, 7:15,7:30, 9, 9:30 and 10 p.m. with the stars making brief appearances at each showing. Following the showings, a ball was held at Marietta College. The Times reported the events surrounding the movie to be the biggest thing to happen in Marietta since Franklin Roosevelt stopped by in 1938.

Dean Hess would use the proceeds he got from the book and the movie to fund an orphanage near Seoul, Korea. Hess retired from the USAF as a colonel in 1969. He died on March 2, 2015, at his residence in Huber Heights.