How Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe & Other Hollywood Stars Lifted Troop Morale Through the USO
What To Know
- The USO was established in 1941 to provide recreation and support for U.S. armed forces.
- Hollywood stars like Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, and many others volunteered to perform in USO camp shows.
- Today, the USO continues its mission with over 200 centers worldwide.
With the country headed into World War II, then President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to enact the nonprofit United Service Organizations (USO), uniting a number of service organizations with the goal of handling “the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces.”
The first USO facility opened in 1941 in DeRidder, La., and many more sprang up soon after, serving as a home away from home. Dances and social events were provided at USO centers, as well as food, music, and movies. Women volunteers served coffee and doughnuts, danced, and provided conversation for war-weary soldiers.
The USO became best known for its camp shows, live performances that brought Hollywood celebrities to every far-flung theater of the war. Bob Hope led his first show in 1941 at March Field in California, and from there he headed out to bases in England, North Africa, Sicily, and Ireland. By the end of 1943, some 3,000 USO clubs were operating, presenting 700 camp show performances every day. After D-Day, the camp shows intensified.
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A veritable Hollywood who’s who performed in the World War II shows, including Bing Crosby, Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, the Marx Brothers, Carole Landis, Bette Davis, Jack Benny, Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire, Betty Hutton and Lucille Ball. Musicians included Glenn Miller, The Andrews Sisters, Al Jolson, and Dinah Shore. For their efforts, the stars received $10 a day, which means they basically donated their Hollywood charm and clout.
The tours reached some of the furthest outposts of World War II, including tiny island theaters at Pavuvu and Peleliu. The risks were real; some performers never came back. In 1943, a plane carrying a USO troupe crashed outside Lisbon, killing singer and actress Tamara Drasin and severely injuring Broadway singer Jane Froman. Froman returned in 1945 on crutches to entertain the troops and ended up marrying the copilot who saved her life in the crash. In 1944, Glenn Miller’s airplane was en route to entertain U.S. troops in France when it disappeared over the English Channel.
In 1947, the USO was dissolved, but with the resumption of armed conflict in 1950 in the Korean War, the organization was reactivated. Some of the Hollywood luminaries to get in on the act this time included Bob Hope, Errol Flynn, Jane Russell, Mickey Rooney, Jayne Mansfield, and Piper Laurie.
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One of the most famous tours of the Korean conflict featured Marilyn Monroe. The movie star was just beginning to rocket to fame, and she was also a newlywed, having honeymooned with Joe DiMaggio in Japan. It was winter, and Monroe belted songs in an evening gown for the boys despite the 30-degree cold.
By war’s end, some 113,000 American volunteers worked at 294 centers at home and abroad, and 126 units had given more than 5,000 camp show performances to soldiers in Korea and to the wounded in Japan.
Everett Collection
“Today we have more than 200 USO centers around the world,” tells Kristen Baxter, VP of operations for the USO. “The USO goes where the troops go — our centers and other programs provide them with the support they need to accomplish their missions. While day-to-day traffic volumes fluctuate based on mission requirements in the area the center supports, Camps Arifjan and Buehring in Kuwait, Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have seen the highest volumes of traffic so far this year.”
This article was in the November 2018 Veterans Issue of ReMIND Magazine. It is currently out of print.
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