Show Entertainers Travel Rough and Perilous Circuit I Taking Camp USO-Camp A. A Shows to Remote Fighting Fronts One ne Hundred Troupes Play a to o Soldiers in Open-Air Open Theaters That familiar truism of the trouper trouper- trouper the the show must go on has has taken on a new and vastly different meaning since the advent advent advent ad ad- vent of USO-camp USO shows those shows those traveling troupes that follow our troops all over the world True to tradition the show of course does does' go on from on-from from the back jack of an army truck mired in inthe inthe the he jungles of New Guinea to the accompaniment of grinding winches on a dock alongside a aI I troop transport amid the icy glaciers of the Arctic at base hospitals behind firing lines in inthe inthe the he shadow of Vesuvius Vesuvius Ve Ve- or on newly won territory terri- terri I tory in Europe No longer however does the audience audience audience audi audi- ence go to the show the show is isaken taken aken to the audience audience audience-an an audience by y the way that now numbers more than men and women women women wom wom- en of our armed forces to whom by orders of the War department the show goes on in combat zones in every area where our fighting forces are located Its It's something new for both the show business and the army to include in include include in- in clude traveling troupes in the army's special services That is it was vas new until Pearl Harbor Now they're heyre as much a part of the army fare are as GI chow and equally as essential One is a physical necessity necessity sity ity the other a psychological stimulant In the last two and a half years Camp USO-Camp shows have grown from froma a mere experiment to a flung far-flung activity that would stagger the most traveled raveled old trouper to contemplate Today USO-Camp USO shows operate approximately units in combat combat com- com bat jat zones in every sector of the fighting fronts For obvious reasons of military expedience no estimate of the house count at these performances performances per- per has been made public but its it's a safe guess that the SRO SHO sign was out at every everyone one In the I western vestern hemisphere another USO-Camp USO shows are appearing at army camps and naval bases with an estimated monthly attendance of men and women of the armed forces who are arc kept laughing laughing laugh- laugh ing ng by professional entertainers of stage tage screen and radio USO-Camp USO shows are operated as asan asan S San an an activity of USO United Service organizations and are financed by bythe bythe the he National War fund of which USO usa is a member a agency ency Stage Stars Volunteer From headquarters occupying half a dozen floors in a building at ati 8 i West Vest Fortieth street New York City USO-Camp USO shows plan prepare prepare pre- pre pare are and direct the assembling of both talent and programs for the various units Paid entertainers recruited from theatres night nightclubs nightclubs nightclubs clubs and vaudeville booking agencies agencies agencies agen agen- cies constitute the permanent organization organization organization or or- of the world-wide world cir cir- cir cir- Augmenting the regular staff are stars of Broadway and Hollywood Hollywood Holly- Holly wood wood together with well-known well radio personalities who volunteer their heir service for a limited period In obtaining volunteers from the they screen colony USO-Camp USO shows has hashe the he cooperation tion of the Hollywood Victory committee which has enlisted enlisted en- en listed isted many of the foremost stars of motion pictures Among notables of the cinema who have been members members mem- mem bers sers of USO-Camp USO shows to entertain entertain enter- enter tain ain our boys in combat zones were Joe E. E Brown William Villiam Gargan Marlene Deitrich Adolph I Paulette Goddard Gary Cooper r rc r 7 c r S A 1 Robert Banks Bank's pulse and respiration went up several points when this band of oC entertainers dropped into this hospital tent in the Aleutians Players left to right are Naomi Stevens Mary lary Lee Grace and Harry Masters and George Cerutti Una Merkel George Raft Phyllis Brooks Frederic March Louise Allbritton Allbritton All- All britton britlon Andy Arcari Jean Clyde Bob Hope Keenan Wynn Al AI Jolson and John Garfield Although the screen luminaries volunteer for a minimum of 12 weeks some of them trouped the various circuits for as long as 30 weeks enduring all kinds of inconveniences inconveniences inconveniences incon incon- and hardships but taking them in stride and actually enjoying the experience Many of the lesser- lesser known paid entertainers on sleep jumping er tours of and miles have been out for as long as 11 months visiting little outposts outposts outposts out out- posts in remote regions isolated camps in Central and East Africa army transport command stops in inthe inthe inthe the Arabian wilderness or lonely road camps in the snow-covered snow mountains of Iran The business of obtaining ining the tal talent talent talent tal- tal ent and putting together a show unit is the function of USO-Camp USO shows a function usually conducted on specific specific specific orders from the army special services division which requisitions entertainment by much the same method as GI supplies are ordered In typical army terseness a dir directive c- c tive will be issued to camp shows for fora a certain type of entertainment to tobe tobe tobe be provided by a specified number of p performers for a designated area and time USO-Camp USO shows follows instructions At the designated time and place the show is turned over to the army and thereafter it is practically as much a part of the army as the GI Joes Where the show goes when it goes how long it stays and when it does its stuff are all prescribed by the army Transportation food sleeping quarters ers are furnished by bythe bythe bythe the army Many performers give their service others are paid nominal nominal nominal nomi nomi- nal salaries Troupers Endure Heat Cold Although details of the tours are handled by the army with characteristic characteristic characteristic charac charac- military precision putting on the show many times isn't exactly a cinch In fact it is often attended by difficulties hazards or interruptions Even the army isn't able to provide transportable theatres theatres theatres the the- atres stage props and equipment Tramping the boards a familiar expression of the trouper is exactly that with Camp show entertainers for the show is usually given from froma a crude improvised stage of boards thrown up wherever the audience is stationed The locale of a show may be in ina a jungle where the temperature climbs to as high as degrees it may be at a lonely mountain side outpost or in the midst of desert wastes One USO-Camp USO show unit landing unexpectedly between Y x I of r it sYr yv y r r. r i Comedian Joe E. E Brown toured the south Pacific area for many rr 9 months pushing into remote jungle islands Here he is shown entertaining entertaining enter enter- taking soldiers at an open air theae theater theater thea thea- e ti ter in Australia bombings on the Island of Pantelleria Pantelleria Pantelleria Pantel- Pantel leria gave a performance in an underground airplane hangar Another camp show troupe actually gave a show in a submarine Returning from an month 11 tour members of one camp show unit announced announced announced an an- that they had become authorities on the sands of the world They had played in yellow sandstorms in Egypt in red sandstorms sandstorms sandstorms sand sand- storms in Tunisia that had dyed their hair face and clothes a bright red and in white sandstorms in Iran that made brunettes look like platinum blondes While up in snow- snow covered mountains they suffered zero sub-zero cold down in the valleys they had to wrap themselves in wet sheets in order to sleep in the degree heat Tra Travel vel Through Mine Fields Another troupe that spent months with fliers at advanced fields air-fields never took d a trip to a nearby encampment when they didn't have to pick their way through mine fields Once they parked their trailer truck two feet from a live land mine It was the heartbreaking experience experience experience ex ex- ex- ex of this troupe of getting to know some of the boys who were destined not to return from their missions Once the troupe went miles in their truck to give an unscheduled unscheduled unscheduled un un- un- un scheduled show when they learned that a certain squadrons squadron's commanding commanding commanding com com- manding officer had been shot down that day Another camp show unit that started a North African show with an audience of 1500 soldiers had the disconcerting experience of seeing seeing seeing see see- ing ten men leave then ten more then another ten ten until finally they were playing to a mere handful of restless soldiers Afterward they learned that a landing by enemy commandoes had been reported and their audience had been called out outto outto outto to track them down Camp show performances are often a attended by hazards and perils as well as discomforts and inconveniences One troupe played seven weeks at road camps in the Iran mountains that were maintained maintained maintained main main- to keep open the route over which supplies and arms were going going going go go- ing to Russia Bandits were in the neighborhood and the troupers couldn't leave the camps without armed guards Air Raid Halts Show Sometimes sudden enemy action makes it necessary to halt a performance performance per per- in the middle of its most dramatic or interesting moment Ii Ip Italy where the players are frequently frequently frequently fre fre- close behind the front lines such interruptions are arc not in in- in frequent In one instance when enemy planes roared over during a performance the audience and the troupers sat in n darkness for hours until the alarm passed and the show could continue One troupe touring the Iran valley outposts had to travel miles through mountains in a caboose There were tunnels and every time the train went through a tunnel tunnel tunnel tun tun- nel it was like going into an oven At a mountain stop in Iran the players learned that the boys stationed stationed stationed sta sta- sta- sta there hadn't had fresh meat in weeks They organized a hunting hunting hunting hunt hunt- ing expedition and armed with army pistols shot 11 wild boars Their show was a great hit that night We Ve gave them ham and fed them ham too they said Thus day in and day out the show goes on making on-making making every stop on the Icicle Circuit along the Alcan Alcan Al- Al can highway in Alaska the Foxhole Foxhole Fox hole Circuit in the South Pacific the Desert Circuit in Egypt Africa Iran Lybia and Arabia And Andas as rapidly as our fighters advance USO-camp USO shows are ordered up to entertain the weary battle-weary combat troops and provide an antidote for operational fatigue |