NRR Project: 'Command Performance' (July 7, 1942)

 

NRR Project: “Command Performance”

Broadcast July 7, 1942

30 min.

Once again, I must point to the superlative explanatory essay on this show from Cary O’Dell, which you can read here. I have little to add!

It was a great idea. American soldiers stationed all over the planet during World War II were homesick. They longed to hear from the home front. Producer Louis G. Cowan came up with a swell concept. Let the military men send in requests for specific performers to entertain them over the radio; these “commands” were executed in broadcasts that ranged from 30 minutes to two hours in length. The broadcasts were then transmitted directly to servicemen via shortwave and transcription disk via the Armed Forces Radio Service; most civilians never heard them.

This program became a special treat for G.I. listeners. You never knew but that your request would be honored. Famous singers, comedians, actors, and musicians all donated their time to make the show happen. Networks lent their studios and time for free. Everybody pitched in to make the boys at war happy!

It wasn’t just entertainers the G.I.s asked for. One guy wanted to hear his dog bark. Another wanted to hear starlet Carole Landis sigh. Still another wanted to hear the sound of a slot machine paying off. All these requests and more were granted.

The broadcast chosen by the National Recording Registry is a typical one from early in the run of the show. Comedian Bob Hope was the emcee; performers included the great Black singer Lena Horne (radio was colorblind), bandleader Les Brown and his Orchestra played a swing version of Verdi’s Anvil Chorus, the vaudeville team of Shaw and Lee did a routine, a “hurdy-gurdy” (a crank-driven musical machine) from the streets of Manhattan was played, singer Ginny Simms performed, and finally actress Rosalind Russell and Hope did a comic skit together.

The show was an immense success, and continued even after the war, lasting until 1949. It was just one of the many projects undertaken to boost the morale of the troops. Radio reached out and gave servicemen the comforts of home.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: ‘The Goldbergs’ Sammy Goes into the Army (July 9, 1942).