"I'll be Home for Christmas." My parents were part of the Greatest Generation with me coming along late, twelve years after the war ended. Today, when I hear the popular holiday song, "I'll be Home for Christmas," I think of the service men and women who were off fighting World War II. If was for them the song was written in 1943. I think of so many, like my uncle, who a year later would be fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. Today, few people understand the intended meaning of the song.
Thanks for a great reminder: our women & men serving around the globe will be separated from their loved ones. My Christmas 1969 was spent in Vietnam, trying to raise moral as a US Army Bandsman.
This proves what we can do together and not divided. My thanks to all the troops today that have to spend time away from their family's at this time of the year . Great episode.
I was privileged to enjoy the USO during my time in Southeast Asia, as a 21 year old, it was nice getting Home Fare such as a peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the other side of the world, and never seen in the mess halls. :-) Even though my time was (almost) between hot wars, Vietnam to Desert Storm, while overseas, the USO still sent out traveling shows, that I remember to this day. Shows like Bobby Bare (country singer) and a collage of members of Journey, Doobie Brothers, Kansas and a couple of others, singing all of their late 80's hits, made our time overseas a lot less distant. Finally, thank you Lance for helping us re-remember a lot of the familiar names from the 50's and 60's, Bing Crosby, Andrews Sisters, Charley McCarthy, Edgar Bergen and course, Bob "Somehow I ended up in Da Nang" Hope. Miss them all!!!
After these shows stopped all of the folks mentioned here, and others, went on to go "behind the lines" to do shows through the USO. My dad was in the Army then, in the Pacific, assigned to the "Signal Corps". His main job though, was to play saxophone in the Army band. He played behind many of the people mentioned, and actually knew many of them, ( he was a "Big Band" musician before the war). This, History Guy. Is the kind of history that few would know about, without folks like you. '-)
“Thanks for the memories…” on behalf of my father who served through the duration in WWII (ETO). He spent a very memorable (1944) Christmas in Bastogne.
@@edwardloomis887 Thank you Edward. As a little kid, I always asked him to come out and play in the snow with me. He quite regularly declined. I didn’t understand why until I was older and he shared some of his experiences with me. I apologized for my repeated requests- he gently smiled told me how much my invitations meant to him. Godspeed.
My fondest memory of my service time in South Korea was Bob Hope's USO tour in 1962. When I wrote to my mom expressing my appreciation of it, she in turn wrote to Mr. Hope to pass along the feeling and express her gratitude as well. He (or someone representing him) was kind enough to reply to my mom's letter letting her know how privileged he felt to be able to contribute in some small way to support the troops.
I'm 49, and I love those old radio shows. Many times they would have a push for national solidarity and sacrifice during the programs. They called for saving grease, conserving rubber tires, food rations, etc. They did their part to bring the country together, and to safely get "the boys back home." Truly, the best of America was brought out in those days of hardship. May God bless our Land, and protect "our boys" in this day.
As a former USN sailor I appreciated all the events sponsored by the USO. It's hard to imagine, but even during peace time soldiers and sailors appreciate the USO coming to overseas bases and entertaining those serving. Thank You!
I spent a few Christmas holidays away from home during my 21 years of Naval service. Spent Christmas and New Year of 1992/93 (Manama Bahrain with COMUSNAVCENT) and 1995/96 (USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 Mediterranean Sea deployment) overseas.
Thanks for the early Christmas present THG. I certainly enjoyed having AFN available during my 3 year tour in Germany, nearly a half century ago now. We don't fully appreciate the "little things" until we don't have them.
I really kind of teared up when hearing this too. In 1942 my dad was recently promoted from chief radio Monday to lieutenant and was setting up communications facilities in the Caribbean area. My mom was at home in Long Beach California. I am sure that they will both listening to this.
The tad😂was so important to our troops. The programs kept our Boys 👦 still feeling like they were still apart of their towns and cities. Don't forget all the entertainment Bob Hope brought for over 50 years!
This brought a tear to my eye, my grandfather was in the European theater during WWII, makes me happy knowing that during those hard times some semblance of home was given to our troops.
@@Planag7 Apparently not since we still have a presence in Afghanistan despite Obama’s claim. The info for that has a copyright attached to it. Suffice it to say he didn’t keep his promise to get the US out of Afghanistan. No surprise there! I was surprised there was nothing on the Glenn Miller Band. Also known as Major Glenn Miller Army Air Force Orchestra. His Orchestra was considered the forerunner of many US military big bands. Ahh well, maybe next Christmas. One star who has picked up the baton and started entertaining troops is Gary Sinese. He is all about entertaining the troops and has even been welcomed by troops in S. Korea!!
@user-vm5ud4xw6n truly disturbing your comment that is so easy to dissect and reply. In the true spirit the original comment was portrayed as well as this video, I will focus on the good spirit that was originally intended by both. Wish all peace...an old veteran
These programs show up occasionally on SXM's RadioClassics channel. As a Boomer, I find it fascinating to what my parents listened to in the years before I was born. Too bad we don't have that kind of unity now.
Being in the service halfway around the world on Christmas was always tough. Thanks and Merry Christas to you THG and all those in uniform far from home.
I was privileged enough to be to listen to armed service radio network, and USO shows in various parts of the middle east. We joked about the commercials, but looking back I didn't realize how important those days would be 20 years later. My funnest USO show was wrestlers from my childhood. Hacksaw Jim Duggan. They were more than generous,and just straight up fun people. I wasn't the happiest when there, but I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.
History Guy, I enjoy all of your content, but as an efficienciato of radio and a ham, I enjoyed this episode especially! I was not familiar with the Command Performance show and this adds to my already fond appreciation of short wave radio. As a teenager in the 1970’s I had a chance encounter and one minute conversation with Bob Hope in a Washington DC hotel lobby. I remember him as kind and engaging even to me, a kid. I remember his parting words to me, “OK kid, I gotta go now, be seeing you around.” He picked up his own suitcase and went out the door into a Yellow Cab. Knowing even more how selfless he was in giving his time to the troops makes this chance meeting mean even more to me. Thanks for sharing this!
if there is a person who should be recognized & given a medal for all that they did for American Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen (Men & Women) it's Bob Hope, Here's to you Bob !!!
Christmas Eve 1941 might be an interesting topic (if you haven't already covered it). Winston Churchill was in Washington DC a little over two weeks after Pearl Harbor and gave a short speech. You can find accounts of it online at various places; the International Churchill Society, the Army War College, the National Churchill Museum, and so forth.
Thank you History Guy for helping us remember a time when a magnificent program brought the entire nation together for one night. Thanks to all who serve and have served, so the we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. Happy Holidays. Semper Fi.
As much as I enjoy THG, my pocket book won't make room for this expenditure. I apologize in it's place! I do, however, look forward to viewing highlights from your trip!
Thank you Lance for a timely and fitting episode this morning. As a combat veteran who served a total of nine years overseas I’ve had my share of Christmas specials and holiday celebrity visits so this one tugged up my heart a little bit keep up the great work and merry Christmas to you and your entire family.
@@sambarnard9628 Thank you, It was an honor and the absolute least I could do for a country that has given my family and I so much over my lifetime. I will say that my favorite visit was Tanya Tucker. We came off patrol inside the dmz and she was waiting up in our tent area in a van they slipped in. The sides opened and she sung for us until they had to get her back outside the dmz to safer places. I will never forget that one...We had her sign our code of conduct cards because we only had those and our UN Security Area passes on us at the time... I lost it in a move to Germany (my stuff got stolen in the move) but I will cherish that "concert" forever
And it still goes on to this day. I grew up watching the Bob Hope TV specials from Vietnam, and myself later on got to see such performers as Kid Rock and the Harlem Globetrotters when I was in the Middle East in 2009-2010. So this tradition still lives on to this day.
The USO performances' during the Vietnam War when I was a kid were so profound and what I thought and still do, so patriotic and respective for the men and women serving our country. Those men and women deserved this respect from us all. .I so enjoyed watching the shows and supporting our troops!
I graduated from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, Ca. Birmingham was a Veteran Hospital during WWII before being a High School, What a good historical memory.
I discovered these radio shows on TH-cam during the first Christmas of the Covid pandemic. Now I listen to them throughout Advent. It's beautiful to hear a song from the new star at MGM, Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It makes me appreciate the freedom I enjoy due to the sacrifices so many of the Allies and those on the Homefront made during WWII.
Great content. I grew up in the 40's and 50's. Radio was still a force to be reckoned with, yet it was now slowly taking a backseat to TV. However, the radio programs that followed WWiI were excellent and those artists that created them, at the height of their radio ability, are still emblazoned on my memory. Thanks for the memory!
Fantastic program. This episode demonstrates how times have changed. Imagine how wonderful it would be If a country united in such a beautiful way. Special thanks to those that serve today and the courage and loyalty they demonstrate daily.
The video during 7:23-8:34 is from November 1943 with Bob Hope and Betty Hutton. Betty will sing the Jimmy McHugh - Frank Loesser song "Murder, He Says" from "Happy Go Lucky". The video is available on TH-cam in HD for those who would like to have their morale raised.
Thank you, THG, for a little peek into the world of USA propaganda and how a country can come together during a crisis. Thanks for reminding us of ourselves.
6 years before I started my 25yrs in the USN, my 2 buddies and I were at the 69 Indiana State fair and a black Chrysler Imperial (his #1 sponsor then) pulls up and Bob Hope hops out, nice guy, shakes our hands and goes wandering off alone at the fair. Different times. Saw Charlie Daniels 2 different cruises in hangar bay 2, CVN-71. Another nice guy that took care of the military.
I’ve been hoping that The History Guy would talk about Jack Benny at some point. I’m happy he was mentioned in this episode. When I saw the title I knew there was a chance! Thank you Lance!! Great video as always!
Have you done a video on Martha Raye and her relationship with the military? If not, you should! My father was an army officer in the 50s and 60s, and told me that all the soldiers loved her.
She's buried at Fort Liberty (former Fort Bragg), home of the Army Special Forces she adopted with a simple GI white marble headstone like you would see at Arlington National Cemetery.
My dad was ground personnel with the 8TH from 42 till 45 in England and Europe. This adds to the what life would have been like there during that time. Merry Christmas THG and family. I haven't had a holiday in the states since 1999.
Watched from Old Harbour Jamaica. During the war US had a radio station at Vernam Field with was head by the locals too and I was told they produced better programs then out local staton. Many Jamaicas were also employed as entertainers too and I knew some of them personally.
This is a great piece of history to get out just in time. Thank you so much. I volunteer with a group that helps support troops and veterans today sending extra supplies and boxing up a lot of extra presents and food for the families that are waiting for their loved ones to come home. I can't wait to share this with all of them.
AAARRRGGGHHHHHH! Did I miss the details about the D.C. trip???? High interest of it on this end!!! Wonderful episode! Shared it on Facebook already. Now to find copies of actual / complete recordings of these and the "Command Performances". Having done 12 years of active duty in Air Force I know about missing home on the holidays...
Take a trip with The History Guy to Washington DC: Washington DC 2024 Trip: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJLfQ5hzRgRIOfnDxSRFK4BckxWuDG27jr-FZRurWfTbE4Fw/viewform
Found some Chicago Tribunes from December 1946 in an old coal cellar. It had quarter page advertisements for Bing Crosby’s Christmas Eve show, with guest star Jimmy Durante. This clearly kept going right through to the popularity of television, and those stars well into the 1970s.
I want to salute the memory of all the production people around the world who made the broadcasts possible. Also the stars and celebrities who donated hours of radio sketches, music, and comedy to that effort. Many men suffered abuse by people who did not know that they were not in uniform because they were touring to entertain troops in live shows or radio shows and leading war bond drives. Abbott and Costello were at the top of the list.
I live just outside of March Air Reserve Base in Southern California. The base has been around since before WWII, having been previously designated as March Air Force Base, and before that, March Field (Army Air Force). The base is, amongst other historical aspects, the sight of three firsts, 1. the sight from where the very first P-38 Lightning(s) took off from, 2. the base where famed martial artist Chuck Norris was stationed when he opened his first martial arts school, and 3. the sight of Bob Hope's very first live USO show.
I like these wartime 'Hollywood Canteen/Command Performances' shows not just because of the solemnity of the time and place, also because they demonstrated Bob Hope's quick wit and improvisational skills and comic timing.
I've always loved just about everything from WW2 especially the stars and the movies and music 🎼... I must be rencarnated from that era.. it's like I might have been there in a past life
This episode brought tears to my eyes. I’m a major fan of the WASP, though they stayed stateside. Some of them, though, had brothers and lovers overseas, and so many kids didn’t get to see their dads. Imagine what it would have meant to get to listen to a program live together despite the distance. It makes my heart ache.
Merry Christmas Mr History Guy and Have a Happy New Year 🎉@ I found the 1942 CP last week, and have heard others in the past …just hope they come together again for the next national disaster or war. Have a great day!
Many OTR sitcoms, dramas, and every other genre were preserved just because they were aired on Armed Forces Radio, and they kept the recordings, because "hard copies" were sent overseas to the fighting troops. The recordings of shows were frequently and systematically destroyed by the major networks here at home because "no one would care to hear those shows again" once they aired. Commercials would be removed, and sometimes, musical numbers would be, too. As a new OTR fan, I am grateful to hear what my Dad might have heard while serving in the Pacific in 1944. (I was born in 1951, past the era of Old Time Radio.)
We had AFRTS when I was on Okinawa from 77-79 and it was the link to everyone "back in the world"! The shows that Bob Hope did for the front line troops and has been carried on by some of today's stars cannot be under estimated for it's effect on morale.
I got to fly to Camp Leatherneck from the little British base I was stationed at in Lashkar-Gah, to see Toby Keith play in 2012. It was so uplifting to have a taste of home in that shit show of a country. Semper Fi!
Whilst not actually service men and women related, this shows Bob Hope's spirit in times of war. He & Mrs. Hope were traveling from UK to New York in late August, 1939 aboard the Queen Mary which was overcrowded with anxious passengers fleeing Europe where war was about to erupt. The ship was blacked out, and speeding westward, and there was an air of high tension among those aboard. The Captain had a quiet word with Bob who gave an impromptu show which was a big help to relax the tension aboard.
Everyone is commenting about how united the country was during this period, But before the Japanese declared war the country was very divided much like today. Congress was divided many New Deal programs were going away and the president was not liked by everyone. The Army and Navy were very small. The USO provides entertainment for the troops actors and actresses volunteering their time for free to support the soldiers and provide entertainment and a touch of home so far away. My father in Law was a US army soldier who worked with the USO in Britain during the war. This is a fascinating story about how the country was kept together by radio all were part of the effort to defeat the Axis power’s and all got to share with their parents and brothers in arms far away a special event.
I saw Mr Hope as a young Marine in South Vietnam. I cried when we sang Silent Night. It was my first Christmas away from home.🇺🇸🫡
"I'll be Home for Christmas." My parents were part of the Greatest Generation with me coming along late, twelve years after the war ended. Today, when I hear the popular holiday song, "I'll be Home for Christmas," I think of the service men and women who were off fighting World War II. If was for them the song was written in 1943. I think of so many, like my uncle, who a year later would be fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. Today, few people understand the intended meaning of the song.
Thanks for a great reminder: our women & men serving around the globe will be separated from their loved ones. My Christmas 1969 was spent in Vietnam, trying to raise moral as a US Army Bandsman.
Thank you!
This proves what we can do together and not divided. My thanks to all the troops today that have to spend time away from their family's at this time of the year . Great episode.
I was privileged to enjoy the USO during my time in Southeast Asia, as a 21 year old, it was nice getting Home Fare such as a peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the other side of the world, and never seen in the mess halls. :-) Even though my time was (almost) between hot wars, Vietnam to Desert Storm, while overseas, the USO still sent out traveling shows, that I remember to this day. Shows like Bobby Bare (country singer) and a collage of members of Journey, Doobie Brothers, Kansas and a couple of others, singing all of their late 80's hits, made our time overseas a lot less distant.
Finally, thank you Lance for helping us re-remember a lot of the familiar names from the 50's and 60's, Bing Crosby, Andrews Sisters, Charley McCarthy, Edgar Bergen and course, Bob "Somehow I ended up in Da Nang" Hope. Miss them all!!!
Agreed. The USO kept me sane during my 12 month unaccompanied tour in Iceland.
Thank you for your service.
Thank you for serving our country!
After these shows stopped all of the folks mentioned here, and others, went on to go "behind the lines" to do shows through the USO.
My dad was in the Army then, in the Pacific, assigned to the "Signal Corps". His main job though, was to play saxophone in the Army band. He played behind many of the people mentioned, and actually knew many of them, ( he was a "Big Band" musician before the war).
This, History Guy. Is the kind of history that few would know about, without folks like you. '-)
“Thanks for the memories…” on behalf of my father who served through the duration in WWII (ETO). He spent a very memorable (1944) Christmas in Bastogne.
He was surrounded starting today, 79 years ago. I'm glad he came home to your family, because it was a big fight.
@@edwardloomis887 Thank you Edward. As a little kid, I always asked him to come out and play in the snow with me. He quite regularly declined. I didn’t understand why until I was older and he shared some of his experiences with me. I apologized for my repeated requests- he gently smiled told me how much my invitations meant to him. Godspeed.
My fondest memory of my service time in South Korea was Bob Hope's USO tour in 1962. When I wrote to my mom expressing my appreciation of it, she in turn wrote to Mr. Hope to pass along the feeling and express her gratitude as well. He (or someone representing him) was kind enough to reply to my mom's letter letting her know how privileged he felt to be able to contribute in some small way to support the troops.
I'm 49, and I love those old radio shows. Many times they would have a push for national solidarity and sacrifice during the programs. They called for saving grease, conserving rubber tires, food rations, etc. They did their part to bring the country together, and to safely get "the boys back home." Truly, the best of America was brought out in those days of hardship. May God bless our Land, and protect "our boys" in this day.
As a former USN sailor I appreciated all the events sponsored by the USO. It's hard to imagine, but even during peace time soldiers and sailors appreciate the USO coming to overseas bases and entertaining those serving. Thank You!
I spent a few Christmas holidays away from home during my 21 years of Naval service. Spent Christmas and New Year of 1992/93 (Manama Bahrain with COMUSNAVCENT) and 1995/96 (USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 Mediterranean Sea deployment) overseas.
Thank you for your service.
I missed three consecutive Christmases- '68, '69, and '70- due to deployments, and yeah, it can be tough.
Thanks for the early Christmas present THG. I certainly enjoyed having AFN available during my 3 year tour in Germany, nearly a half century ago now. We don't fully appreciate the "little things" until we don't have them.
I really kind of teared up when hearing this too. In 1942 my dad was recently promoted from chief radio Monday to lieutenant and was setting up communications facilities in the Caribbean area. My mom was at home in Long Beach California. I am sure that they will both listening to this.
The tad😂was so important to our troops. The programs kept our Boys 👦 still feeling like they were still apart of their towns and cities. Don't forget all the entertainment Bob Hope brought for over 50 years!
One of my favorite entertainers during those days was Betty Hutton 😊I liked her delivery of the song 🎵 Murder!🎶 She sang her butt off!
This brought a tear to my eye, my grandfather was in the European theater during WWII, makes me happy knowing that during those hard times some semblance of home was given to our troops.
I honestly teared up 😢 watching this. What I wouldn't give to have that sort of unity in the USA again (without war).
People only unite when it's against something or someone. Part of being human, is having someone else to hate.
All it takes is fighting in a war we didn't have any business in.
God bless Tammuz and Baal xD
@@Planag7 We had every reason in the world to be fighting in WWII.
@@Planag7
Apparently not since we still have a presence in Afghanistan despite Obama’s claim. The info for that has a copyright attached to it. Suffice it to say he didn’t keep his promise to get the US out of Afghanistan. No surprise there! I was surprised there was nothing on the Glenn Miller Band. Also known as Major Glenn Miller Army Air Force Orchestra. His Orchestra was considered the forerunner of many US military big bands. Ahh well, maybe next Christmas. One star who has picked up the baton and started entertaining troops is Gary Sinese. He is all about entertaining the troops and has even been welcomed by troops in S. Korea!!
@user-vm5ud4xw6n truly disturbing your comment that is so easy to dissect and reply. In the true spirit the original comment was portrayed as well as this video, I will focus on the good spirit that was originally intended by both. Wish all peace...an old veteran
The New Orleans W W2 museum is a must see. You will need two days.
These programs show up occasionally on SXM's RadioClassics channel. As a Boomer, I find it fascinating to what my parents listened to in the years before I was born. Too bad we don't have that kind of unity now.
Being in the service halfway around the world on Christmas was always tough. Thanks and Merry Christas to you THG and all those in uniform far from home.
Thank you for this look back. A tie back home for those serving.
I was privileged enough to be to listen to armed service radio network, and USO shows in various parts of the middle east. We joked about the commercials, but looking back I didn't realize how important those days would be 20 years later. My funnest USO show was wrestlers from my childhood. Hacksaw Jim Duggan. They were more than generous,and just straight up fun people. I wasn't the happiest when there, but I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.
History Guy, I enjoy all of your content, but as an efficienciato of radio and a ham, I enjoyed this episode especially! I was not familiar with the Command Performance show and this adds to my already fond appreciation of short wave radio. As a teenager in the 1970’s I had a chance encounter and one minute conversation with Bob Hope in a Washington DC hotel lobby. I remember him as kind and engaging even to me, a kid. I remember his parting words to me, “OK kid, I gotta go now, be seeing you around.” He picked up his own suitcase and went out the door into a Yellow Cab. Knowing even more how selfless he was in giving his time to the troops makes this chance meeting mean even more to me. Thanks for sharing this!
if there is a person who should be recognized & given a medal for all that they did for American Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen (Men & Women) it's Bob Hope, Here's to you Bob !!!
Christmas Eve 1941 might be an interesting topic (if you haven't already covered it). Winston Churchill was in Washington DC a little over two weeks after Pearl Harbor and gave a short speech. You can find accounts of it online at various places; the International Churchill Society, the Army War College, the National Churchill Museum, and so forth.
th-cam.com/video/wxzYgO2p6PQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=h7tZAV3RfjVwZthb
Thank you History Guy for helping us remember a time when a magnificent program brought the entire nation together for one night. Thanks to all who serve and have served, so the we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. Happy Holidays. Semper Fi.
As much as I enjoy THG, my pocket book won't make room for this expenditure. I apologize in it's place!
I do, however, look forward to viewing highlights from your trip!
It was pretty cool listening to some Classic Rock on AFN all three of my deployments.
at pearl harbor there is a bob hope exhibit.. am lucky enough to have found myself there last summer
Thank you Lance for a timely and fitting episode this morning. As a combat veteran who served a total of nine years overseas I’ve had my share of Christmas specials and holiday celebrity visits so this one tugged up my heart a little bit keep up the great work and merry Christmas to you and your entire family.
Thank you for serving. God bless you!
@@sambarnard9628 Thank you, It was an honor and the absolute least I could do for a country that has given my family and I so much over my lifetime. I will say that my favorite visit was Tanya Tucker. We came off patrol inside the dmz and she was waiting up in our tent area in a van they slipped in. The sides opened and she sung for us until they had to get her back outside the dmz to safer places. I will never forget that one...We had her sign our code of conduct cards because we only had those and our UN Security Area passes on us at the time... I lost it in a move to Germany (my stuff got stolen in the move) but I will cherish that "concert" forever
Thankfully most of those Command Performance recordings still exist and can be listened to by anyone. Wonderful episode today. Thank you. :)
And it still goes on to this day. I grew up watching the Bob Hope TV specials from Vietnam, and myself later on got to see such performers as Kid Rock and the Harlem Globetrotters when I was in the Middle East in 2009-2010. So this tradition still lives on to this day.
Thanks for the memories! Very interesting. God Bless America! 😊🇺🇸🌲🇺🇸
The USO performances' during the Vietnam War when I was a kid were so profound and what I thought and still do, so patriotic and respective for the men and women serving our country. Those men and women deserved this respect from us all. .I so enjoyed watching the shows and supporting our troops!
I graduated from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, Ca. Birmingham was a Veteran Hospital during WWII before being a High School, What a good historical memory.
I discovered these radio shows on TH-cam during the first Christmas of the Covid pandemic. Now I listen to them throughout Advent. It's beautiful to hear a song from the new star at MGM, Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It makes me appreciate the freedom I enjoy due to the sacrifices so many of the Allies and those on the Homefront made during WWII.
Great content. I grew up in the 40's and 50's. Radio was still a force to be reckoned with, yet it was now slowly taking a backseat to TV. However, the radio programs that followed WWiI were excellent and those artists that created them, at the height of their radio ability, are still emblazoned on my memory. Thanks for the memory!
And what a memory it was. (is). Merry X-mas.
Fantastic program. This episode demonstrates how times have changed. Imagine how wonderful it would be If a country united in such a beautiful way. Special thanks to those that serve today and the courage and loyalty they demonstrate daily.
I remember watching those Bob Hope Christmas shows with my dad who was a ww2 vet. So thanks for the memories!
Thanks so very much and merry X-Mas! I had never heard of "command performance" until today. This IS history that should definitely be remembered!
The video during 7:23-8:34 is from November 1943 with Bob Hope and Betty Hutton. Betty will sing the Jimmy McHugh - Frank Loesser song "Murder, He Says" from "Happy Go Lucky". The video is available on TH-cam in HD for those who would like to have their morale raised.
As a man who has seen USO shows in Iraq I am happy to say it helpped me forget thst i was there.
Thank you, THG, for a little peek into the world of USA propaganda and how a country can come together during a crisis. Thanks for reminding us of ourselves.
Thank you.
6 years before I started my 25yrs in the USN, my 2 buddies and I were at the 69 Indiana State fair and a black Chrysler Imperial (his #1 sponsor then) pulls up and Bob Hope hops out, nice guy, shakes our hands and goes wandering off alone at the fair. Different times.
Saw Charlie Daniels 2 different cruises in hangar bay 2, CVN-71. Another nice guy that took care of the military.
I’ve been hoping that The History Guy would talk about Jack Benny at some point. I’m happy he was mentioned in this episode. When I saw the title I knew there was a chance! Thank you Lance!! Great video as always!
Have you done a video on Martha Raye and her relationship with the military? If not, you should! My father was an army officer in the 50s and 60s, and told me that all the soldiers loved her.
She's buried at Fort Liberty (former Fort Bragg), home of the Army Special Forces she adopted with a simple GI white marble headstone like you would see at Arlington National Cemetery.
My dad was ground personnel with the 8TH from 42 till 45 in England and Europe. This adds to the what life would have been like there during that time. Merry Christmas THG and family. I haven't had a holiday in the states since 1999.
Thank you, Lance, for this treasure.
Watched from Old Harbour Jamaica. During the war US had a radio station at Vernam Field with was head by the locals too and I was told they produced better programs then out local staton. Many Jamaicas were also employed as entertainers too and I knew some of them personally.
This is a great piece of history to get out just in time. Thank you so much. I volunteer with a group that helps support troops and veterans today sending extra supplies and boxing up a lot of extra presents and food for the families that are waiting for their loved ones to come home. I can't wait to share this with all of them.
Amazing, I did not know the public was included on Christmas Eve, awesome idea! Thank you for another great segment.
AAARRRGGGHHHHHH! Did I miss the details about the D.C. trip???? High interest of it on this end!!!
Wonderful episode! Shared it on Facebook already. Now to find copies of actual / complete recordings of these and the "Command Performances". Having done 12 years of active duty in Air Force I know about missing home on the holidays...
Take a trip with The History Guy to Washington DC: Washington DC 2024 Trip: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJLfQ5hzRgRIOfnDxSRFK4BckxWuDG27jr-FZRurWfTbE4Fw/viewform
I added the links to the radio program recordings to the description.
Such memories thank you. I was born 10 years after America entered the war. Now in my 70's I'm watching America slip into oblivion.😢
Found some Chicago Tribunes from December 1946 in an old coal cellar. It had quarter page advertisements for Bing Crosby’s Christmas Eve show, with guest star Jimmy Durante. This clearly kept going right through to the popularity of television, and those stars well into the 1970s.
Thank you for being a reminder of what this country can be when we want to be connected. Doomed to forget no more!
Bells on Bob's tail ring! 🎩
Merry Christmas!!
Dang it History Guy, you’ve got me crying about an 80 year old radio show 🥹🥹🥹
I want to salute the memory of all the production people around the world who made the broadcasts possible. Also the stars and celebrities who donated hours of radio sketches, music, and comedy to that effort. Many men suffered abuse by people who did not know that they were not in uniform because they were touring to entertain troops in live shows or radio shows and leading war bond drives. Abbott and Costello were at the top of the list.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thank you. God Bless and stay safe.
I live just outside of March Air Reserve Base in Southern California. The base has been around since before WWII, having been previously designated as March Air Force Base, and before that, March Field (Army Air Force). The base is, amongst other historical aspects, the sight of three firsts, 1. the sight from where the very first P-38 Lightning(s) took off from, 2. the base where famed martial artist Chuck Norris was stationed when he opened his first martial arts school, and 3. the sight of Bob Hope's very first live USO show.
I like these wartime 'Hollywood Canteen/Command Performances' shows not just because of the solemnity of the time and place, also because they demonstrated Bob Hope's quick wit and improvisational skills and comic timing.
Merry Christmas History Guy.❤
My dad was USN during WWII. I heard about Command Performance from him. He requested "anything by Kay Keyser's College of Musical Knowledge".
God Bless all of are Americans Troops around the world , 🎄🙏🎄🙏🎄
Thank THG🎀
I miss those shows
Thanks for the history of the USO.
One word,- Fabulous! Carol from California
And we thank them
I've always loved just about everything from WW2 especially the stars and the movies and music 🎼... I must be rencarnated from that era.. it's like I might have been there in a past life
Bob Hope is probably the most beloved man in the military to this day.
This episode brought tears to my eyes. I’m a major fan of the WASP, though they stayed stateside. Some of them, though, had brothers and lovers overseas, and so many kids didn’t get to see their dads. Imagine what it would have meant to get to listen to a program live together despite the distance. It makes my heart ache.
Merry Christmas Mr History Guy and Have a Happy New Year 🎉@
I found the 1942 CP last week, and have heard others in the past …just hope they come together again for the next national disaster or war.
Have a great day!
Thanks THG👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🌟🎄🎁👼🏻🎶📯
Many OTR sitcoms, dramas, and every other genre were preserved just because they were aired on Armed Forces Radio, and they kept the recordings, because "hard copies" were sent overseas to the fighting troops. The recordings of shows were frequently and systematically destroyed by the major networks here at home because "no one would care to hear those shows again" once they aired. Commercials would be removed, and sometimes, musical numbers would be, too. As a new OTR fan, I am grateful to hear what my Dad might have heard while serving in the Pacific in 1944. (I was born in 1951, past the era of Old Time Radio.)
Very nice! Thank you. ❤
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally
We had AFRTS when I was on Okinawa from 77-79 and it was the link to everyone "back in the world"! The shows that Bob Hope did for the front line troops and has been carried on by some of today's stars cannot be under estimated for it's effect on morale.
I got to fly to Camp Leatherneck from the little British base I was stationed at in Lashkar-Gah, to see Toby Keith play in 2012. It was so uplifting to have a taste of home in that shit show of a country. Semper Fi!
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all those old recordings were available today on CD.
Links are in the description
I DID enjoy the episode... more so than most. It leaves me wondering if you will top this on Friday?
So many gave so much to save the world....heart-warming to think on Christmas Eve, they found a way to enchant the nation and the troops.
Happy Historymas!
thanks for sharing
Thank you for the lesson.
Whilst not actually service men and women related, this shows Bob Hope's spirit in times of war. He & Mrs. Hope were traveling from UK to New York in late August, 1939 aboard the Queen Mary which was overcrowded with anxious passengers fleeing Europe where war was about to erupt. The ship was blacked out, and speeding westward, and there was an air of high tension among those aboard. The Captain had a quiet word with Bob who gave an impromptu show which was a big help to relax the tension aboard.
Merry Christmas!
I have always appreciated Bob Hope as a USAF veteran 1960-1973, and was honored to see him at the end of his career at Aksarben in Omaha in the 1970s
Merry Christmas From Britain. Thank you History Guy (:
Very cool.
Just another wonderful video. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Military history worth remembering.
Everyone is commenting about how united the country was during this period, But before the Japanese declared war the country was very divided much like today. Congress was divided many New Deal programs were going away and the president was not liked by everyone.
The Army and Navy were very small.
The USO provides entertainment for the troops actors and actresses volunteering their time for free to support the soldiers and provide entertainment and a touch of home so far away.
My father in Law was a US army soldier who worked with the USO in Britain during the war.
This is a fascinating story about how the country was kept together by radio all were part of the effort to defeat the Axis power’s and all got to share with their parents and brothers in arms far away a special event.
Fascinating. But would be great to hear the shows on here
Links are in the description
Thanks.
And that’s why I contribute to the USO.Money well spent to all who are serving their country.
Good morning brother !