This promo film for the U.S.O. or United Service Association, dates to 1947 and features comedian Bob Hope. Founded in 1941, the United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families. It is not a government agency.
00:07 Title Card: “USO, United Service Organization, Young Men’s Christian Associations, National Catholic Community Service, The Salvation Army, Young Women’s Christian Associations, National Jewish Welfare Board, National Travelers Aid Association presents”. 00:15 Titles 00:22 Crowd of U.S. soldiers cheer.
00:32 Bob Hope addresses camera from director’s chair. Hope performed 57 shows for active duty American military personnel. As a result of his involvement with the USO, he earned the Sylvanus Thayer Award and became an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. 02:21 Bob Hope dances on stage with other entertainers. 02:30 Hope addresses camera. 03:07 GI walks crowded street. 03:29 USO sign. 03:34 Serviceman enters USO club. 03:37 Montage of serviceman using USO services. He uses the telephone box. 03:39 He reads books in library. 03:42 A group of service men write letters. 03:51 Troop and clergyman talk to each other at desk with a USO banner behind. 04:00 Woman approaches brochure table. 04:03 Table of religious literature from the National Jewish Welfare Board, YMCA, Salvation Army, and National Catholic Community Service.
04:11 Two men sculpted and paint in art studio. 04:14 Man sculpts bust of solider screaming.04:16 People play ping-pong in a USO gym. 04:22 Men and women dance in a USO dance hall. 04:27 Male servicemen sit t snack counter. They eye the waitresses who prepare drinks and food. 04:35 A “USO girl” covers a man in a blanket in a USO lounge area at a train station. 04:50 Men sleep in lounge chairs. 04:53 A USO girl wakes a man. 05:00 US military official exits car as officer salutes him. They shake hands. 05:05 A line of military men extend and rise flags for the 28th Field Artillery Regiment. 05:09 Filipino people line street side. 05:14 Car travel down street with a USO Club in the Philippines. 05:19 General Eisenhower (34th president of the United States, American military official) exits car and shakes man’s hand. 05:28 “General Ike” walks into USO club. 05:37 Exterior of USO Club. 05:42 Montage of US soldiers inside USO club: play checkers, wait as seamstresses work on their uniforms. 06:04 Man irons clothes. 06:10 Sign: “Wanna make a hula skirt?” 06:14 Man makes hula skirt with a woman’s assistance. 06:18 USO bus drives in city, along highway in Hawaii. 06:30 USO bus parked at overlook. A group of servicemen and servicewomen look at landscape. 06:43 Two men pose for picture at overlook. 06:47 People exit parked truck. 06:54 Two women sit in doorway. 06:59 Men set up a stage as a woman sits at a piano and reads sheet music. 07:03 Servicemen assemble in theater audience. 07:08 A woman sings on a stage decorated with a sign: “Presented by USO Camp Shows”.07:11 Audience watches show. 07:16 Montage of performers: Female singer, male magician performing a “handkerchief trick”. 07:39 Joe E. Brown (American comedian and actor) stands in tropical forest environment among soldiers. 07:41 Marlene Dietrich (German-born American actress and singer) salutes in line with American soldiers. 07:45 Ingrid Bergman talks with serviceman. 07:54 Frances Langford (American singer and actress, known as the “GI Nightingale”) sings. 07:58 Jack Benny (American entertainer) and Larry Adler (American harmonica player) play violin and harmonica. 08:00 Yehudi Menuhin (American violinist and conductor) plays violin with pianist as men watch. 08:03 Lily Pons (full name Alice Joséphine Pons, French-American operatic soprano and actress) sings for soldiers. 08:08 Smiling and laughing soldiers sit together. 08:11 Man addresses crowd of soldiers on stage located in Japan. 08:28 Danny Kaye (American actor, musician, dancer) enters and performs for crowd of army soldiers. 08:51 Women play accordion and a man plays the piano in a hospital wing housing wounded soldiers at a veteran’s hospital. 09:19 USO female dancers perform on stage adorned by American flags. 09:38 Soldiers applaud. 09:41 Bob Hope addresses camera.10:05 Pan shot of USO poster: “Keep it up…Don’t let them down!”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
