--- description: A young actress, in a rush of wartime patriotic fervor, aims to raise troop morale by an unorthodox method: kissing 10,000 soldiers. title: Kiss the Boys: An Actress Puckers Up to Raise Troop Morale in WWII image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4678e0d9715c78e3/69884baa06f2c1e85d339b17/140417-kissing-starlet-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Meet the Actress Who Set Out to Kiss 10,000 Soldiers to Boost Morale by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 21, 2014 7:59 PM CUT  Caption from LIFE. "A tent-floor scrubber sticks his neck out and recieves a right and a lip to the jaw. 'Now I won't mind if I kick the bucket,' cried he as he rose and upset his scrub pail." Caption from LIFE. "A tent-floor scrubber sticks his neck out and recieves a right and a lip to the jaw. 'Now I won't mind if I kick the bucket,' cried he as he rose and upset his scrub pail."John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 21, 2014 7:59 PM CUT The line between blatant self-promotion and selfless magnanimity is often hazy, and it takes a delicate sense of balance — or a great gimmick — to neatly straddle the two. Case in point: a young actress, in a rush of wartime patriotic fervor, decides to raise troop morale by a surefire, if unorthodox, method. And if her well-meaning stunt earns her some welcome publicity — well, where’s the harm? Here’s how LIFE magazine described just such a scenario in an article titled “LIFE Goes to an Army Party,” published in the uncertain days of March 1942: --- > “” --- Alas, there’s no record of whether or not Marilyn, who died in 1981, went on to kiss another 9,267 soldiers to reach her lofty, publicly stated goal. For her own part, she did enjoy a brief, modest success in the movies and, many years later, had small parts on hit TV shows like _The Wild Wild West_ and _My Three Sons_. Not the enduring fame that, as a young actress, she energetically pursued — but for several hundred grateful American soldiers, she was a star of the first magnitude. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk "undefined")_._  Caption from LIFE. "A tent-floor scrubber sticks his neck out and recieves a right and a lip to the jaw. 'Now I won't mind if I kick the bucket,' cried he as he rose and upset his scrub pail." John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Marilyn warms up with a song. She sings: 'Start me with ten who are stout-hearted men and I"ll soon give you 10,000 more.'" John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "A supersensitive soldier faints upon recieving impact of Marilyn's mouth. Marilyn looks at him sternly, quotes Shakespeare: 'The kiss you take is better than you give.'" John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "An onion peeler dolefully doing K.P. duty accepts an inhibited peck behind the right ear. Marilyn warily holds her pretty nose to safeguard mascara from involuntary tears." John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Marilyn comes down the grub line, handing out appetizers. One young lieutenant breaking into line cried: 'Officers lead the advance.' 'What'll my wife say when she sees this picture?' gasped a private, 'You mean what'll you say?' cracked another." John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. see previous slide John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. see previous 2 slides John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Girl Kissing 10,000 Solders John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Marilyn halts a jeep. 'Stop and be kissed,' she commands. Driver obeys like good soldier without question or remonstrance. Concluding it's fun to be in the Army, he accepts Marilyn's benison, gazes after her with stars in his eyes, lipstick on his cheek." John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. see previous slide John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. see previous 2 slides John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Surrounded by her work, Marilyn collects repayment in kind while throngs wait to manifest their gratitude. A graduate of Flushing High School, Long Island, N.Y., Marilyn is now under contract to Republic pictures. She can cook, too." John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Marilyn disrupts motor transport in her sweep through camp. Driver enjoys Marilyn's traffic jam." John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Girl Kissing 10,000 Solders John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Marilyn's kissometer clicks off the 733rd smackeroo as she rewards a sentry on her departure from camp at the end of a budy day of bussing. 'My only regret,' she patriotically proclaimed, 'is that I have but two lips to give for my country.'" 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