Beginning in the fall of 1941, U.S. Armed Forces serving overseas have enjoyed a brief reprieve from the horrors of war when periodic live touring shows, featuring some of the biggest names in entertainment, arrived in camp to entertain the troops.
Colorized photo of USO performers in 1941 leaving to entertain the troops. Eddie Dowling, President of camp shows. Ray Boldger, Dancer. Mitzi Mayfair, Musical comedy dancer. Louis Polanski, (L to R center) Stan Laurel, Comedian. Jane Pickens, singer. Bena
These shows, of course, were presented by the United Service Organization, or USO, a non-governmental nonprofit charitable group that has been committed to supporting American troops overseas since World War II. Working with the Department of Defense, the USO launched its first tour. Let’s take a look at the early years of USO tours in this collection of colorized photographs from late 1941 through 1944.
The United Service Organizations, Inc.
Colorized photo from 1944 or USO performers jack Benny, Larry Adler, Jean Brummer, Martha Tilton, and Carole Landis. (pinterest)
Originally, the United Service Organizations, Inc. was established to open and maintain a series of recreational clubs in the United States where members of the military could go to socialize. When the U.S. entered World War II and American troops were being shipped overseas, the USO shifted gears. If they couldn’t bring service members into their clubs, they would bring the clubs to the service members.
USO Camp Shows
German-born actress Marlene Dietrich was fiercely loyal to the U.S. As seen in this colorized photo, she joined the USO in the early 1940s and performed more than 500 shows. (sandimoynihanmultimedia.com)
To fulfill that goal, the USO introduced their USO Camp Shows. The organization worked with top entertainers and got several of them to agree to travel to the U.S. military bases to perform in person for the troops. In October of 1941, the first of these shows took place. The first USO show was held in the Caribbean and featured performances by Chico Marx, Laurel and Hardy, and tap dancer Mitzi Mayfair. The USO Camps Shows were divided into four circuits. Two of the circuits, the Blue Circuit and the Victory Circuit, entertained military personnel who were stationed stateside. The Hospital Circuit, as the name implies, visited wounded soldiers who were hospitalized. It was the Foxhole Circuit that was responsible for overseas entertainment.
Hollywood Stars Showed Their Patriotism
American soldiers looked forward to break in the action to enjoy a USO show. (uso.org)
USO tours, both at home and abroad, provided the ideal avenue for Hollywood stars to show off their patriotism. During World War II, patriotism was at an all-time high. Nearly every aspect of American life shifted focus to support the war effort. For Hollywood performers and Broadway singers and dancers, volunteering to entertain troops for the USO was a great way for them to continue doing what they loved to do while helping to boost the morale of soldiers serving far from home. Well over 5,000 entertainers signed up for USO tours.
The Brightest Stars in Hollywood
"Four Jills in a Jeep" - USO performers Carole Landis, Mitzi Mayfair, Kay Francis, and Martha Raye. (pinterest)
During World War II, American troops were treated to performances by some of the brightest stars in Hollywood. Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, the Andrews Sisters, Jack Benny, Fred Astaire, Marlene Dietrich, and Humphrey Bogart were all USO performers during this time.
Bob Hope and the USO
Bob Hope, shown in this colorized photo with singer Francis Langford, logged more than 50 years with the USO. (wwiidogtags.com)
Bob Hope began performing with the USO in 1944 and didn’t stop for decades. His first USO appearance was on May 6, 1941, in California, but he later toured overseas. In fact, he entertained troops abroad during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Lebanon Civil War, the Iran-Iraq War, and the Persian Gulf War. His involvement with the USO spanned more than half a century and included 57 headlining shows. As a result, Congress passed a bill to make Bob Hope an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Not Without Danger
Bandleader Glenn Miller lost his life during a USO tour. (wikipedia)
Heading to the war zone was not without danger. The Allied troops did everything in their power to keep the USO performers safe, but there were some casualties. Bandleader Glenn Miller was killed during the war, as was theatre star Tamara Dreisen. Jane and Joe McKenna, a comic duo, were captured by German forces and held for ten days until Allied troops rescued them. In all 37 USO performers were killed overseas.
Not Strictly Volunteers
A colorized photo of Irving Berlin entertaining sailors aboard the USS Arkansas in 1944. (wargaming.net)
The performers with the USO tours were not, contrary to belief, volunteering their time and talents. They were paid for their work. On average, a USO performer earned about $100 per week. They were also given room, board, and transportation, all provided by the U.S. military. That means, of course, that the entertainers ate what the soldiers ate, traveled by truck, jeep, or helicopter, and slept in military barracks. It was a far cry from the glitz of Hollywood but the actors and actresses didn’t seem to mind. They were happy to be doing their part to help win the war, albeit through song and dance and not on the battlefield.
