 On 1 July 1942 , the FMPU became an active unit of the USAAF . Key personnel that formed the initial roster included Lt. Col. Warner as commanding officer , Capt. Crump , Capt. Knox Manning , 2nd Lt. Edwin Gilbert , 2nd Lt. Ronald Reagan and Cpl. Oren W. Haglund . At first the unit operated out of offices at Warner Bros. in Burbank , California , and then moved to Vitagraph Studios in Hollywood . Vitagraph , however , had not been maintained and proved to be inadequate for movie production on a scale required by the FMPU . By sheer happenstance Crump came upon the Hal Roach Studios in Culver City . According to writer Mark Betancourt , the facility was perfect : 
