Variety (Dec 1942)

Wednesday,. Deconber 23, 1942 PICTURES tl Femme Task Force Coatlnncd from page 1 had never met Miss Francis. Tem- peramentally. aU seemed at cross- purposes. Few In the trade coiUd comprehend how such a package could serve a semblance of balanced entertainment. . . » But ask the thousands of Ameri- can soldiers who have seen and cheered them; ask the hordes of soldiers and civilians, In England end the Middle East, who heard them by lon^; and shortwave radio In a memorable broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corp. Yes, you might even ask the Queen of England and the Ho princesses. They, too, saw the girls and warmly applauded them. The start o( their tour was Oct. 31 and that must now be a hazy mem- ory to (he girls, so much has hap- pened since. That's also partially true of Abe Lastfogel, president of USO-Camp Shows, Inc., who took the girls over and preceded them back, returning to New York last week. Lastfogel has to reach a little to remember the early fine details; it's only natural considering his more comprehensive 'purpose for making house dance soma soldiers had themselves organized. These boys had felt pretty badly about the un scheduled 'opposition' from the girU, so the girls brought their opposition over and everybody was happy. It was perhaps at this dance, when they mingled among the soldiers, that the girls got their first inkling of the morale value of their per fume. This is also a tipoft to all the other American femme entertainers who will be going abroad to enter tain American soldiers—the boys like the odor of perfume on women It reminds them of their girls and wives, sisters and mothers back home. They said so. Result; the Misses Francis, Raye, Mayfair and Landis decided not to squander the little perfume they had brought with them, but to use it only just before playing a show. For military reasons, it cannot be stated how long In actual transit it took the girls to get from the U. S. to England. They traveled by Clip per, nearly always at night, and by the time they landed in England on a Tuesday night, they had touched Material In Best of Taste There hud been some question, prior to the Nov. 38 performances by Kay Francis, Martha Raye, Carole Landis and Mitai Mayfair for the Queen of England and the two Princesses, that a couple of jokes in Miss Francis' material might not be just right. Iliere was quite a military contingent at the performance, including a British Army chaplain who sat with Abe Lastfogel. Following the performance, the chaplain made it a point to compliment the entertainment, es- pecially its good taste. Iiastfogel asked him to put it in writing. The letter: Dear Mr. Lastfogel: I sheuld like to express to you and your oast my sincerest thanks for the delightful show you gave us tonight. I have never been at an entertainment that was so weU presented and In the best-of tfute. I wish you and all your oast the best of luok on your future en- gagements. Vevy many thanks. Yours very sincerely. D. N. Henohy, Chaplain. the trip, but be remembers enough ' to give more than a mere Inkling of a great human interest story. It's something for the entire entertain- ment world to remember from here on, 'Capi.' Kay Franols The lady and the hoyden; the sweater girl and the hoofer — in print that combination would seem to threaten a major eruption of tem- perament. Yet, they had barely com- pleted their first leg of a long jour- ney when they spontaneously elected icay Francis 'captain;' they had hardly become accustomed to the rigors of the USO-sponsored tour when they vowed, singly and col- lectively, that come what may the purposes of their voyage abroad would be achieved. Thus, when Miss Francis, with a bad cold, and Miss Mayfair, with a strained back, both wound up in a military hospital for a couple of days, the Misses Landis and Raye carried on. The lady and the hoofer weren't casualties for long that first time, but they were no sooner out of the hospital than Miss Landis was put to bed for three or four days. Later Miss Mayfair went back Into the hospital for a week with an internal Infection. Yet the itinerary of the scheduled tour has never lapsed, . First major test of Ihe girls' adapt- ability to the uncertainties of tour- mg offshore bases came at the very first military establishment. Sched- uled to play for three days, the girls were also asked to give up their day of rest, when Lastfogel found that the naval contingent at the base would otherwise not get to see them. . If ever there would be a tempera- mental eruption, here was the trig- ger to set it off. It was Sunday and this particular, balmy offshore base is a pretty good spot to loll around on, winter or summer. The girls had probably anticipated 24 hours of doing noth- ing but amuse themselves—and then came Lastfogel with his story about the navy. That Old Warhorse Spirit Theio was no explosion—unless O'splay of complete, unselfish co- operation can be called an explosion, ihe^ started working at noon that ?unday. .md by 1:30 a.m. the foUow- mg nioinins. the lady and the hoy- hJl' '"'^-■'"^aler girl and the hoofer, in,.! T * different appearances. m,„ , L'"-' '^n' was not even re- Pi'csicd. but which they volunteered • '0 do in order,to enhance a club- upon four continents and had played nine days at various bases Two days of rest in London and they went to work. Friday the Uth Preem Their first performance somewhere in England was the rrlday evening of Nov, 18, in a highschool audi- torium .used as a children's barracks and messhall. The school naturally was in a town situated close to an encampment of Amerloan troops. With the show seheduled for early evening, the ohi'ldren had to wait an extra hour before getting their dinner. Maybe they fretted; nobody ever got to know tiiat. But the 1,- 000-odd American soldiers, thirsting for something U. 6.; lonely for a breath of their homeland, got a morale hypo they'll perhaps never forget. That was the beginning of a stren- uous itinerary calling lor 38 play- days, six days a week, at first some- times as many as three shows a day; rarely less than two. And on the latter, the girls usually make an appearance at some military hospi- tal: not to perform, but to mingle with and cheer the boys who were incapacitated. At some points the girls play the- atres; at others they played what are known as "Nlssen huts,' tin- roofed barracks rangine from 40 to 80 feet long with lix24 foot plat- forms for stages. Their musical ac- companiment Is composed of a pi- anist and a drummer, provided by the American Overseas Artists, a voluntary organization in England. Except when Lastfogel was with them at a few of their early stops, the girls have been travelling with- out a civilian manager, only an of- ficer In the Special Service.s of the U, S. Army. U.S. Dimouts Like New Tear's F.ve. Those who have been ^^ing cars in the dimmed out east and west coast areas can perhaps best appre- ciate the courage of the girls, who've been travelling more than SO miles nightly in blackouts, on country roads, from camp to camp. Accord- ing to Lastfogel, our dimouts are like a pre-war New Year's Eve dis- play of light in comparison to the blackouts in England. In London itself, because of the tralTic lights, driving in the blackouts Isn't so bad; but on the country roads, where the girls have been doing most of their travelling, it's like finding your way through a barrel of tar. That's quite a pliysical strain, and for that reason the three-shows-per day schedule later was trimmed to two at the most so that the quartet of femmes could duck some of the blackout traveling. Another Insight of the girls' sacrl flees can be gleaned from iheir traveling wardrobe, which was also their working wardobe, Inasmuch as none of them' was permitted more than 5S poimds of baggage. All brought semi-formal evening wear and none, except Miss Mayfair, had a change of costume. The dancer had one change. An Old Troapera' Costom On the road six days and nights a week, the girls come back to Lon don only on Simdays, when they camp at the swanky Slavoy. The management may or may not be cognizant of it, but that is the day the girls have been doing their laun- dry—doing the washing themselves right in their rooms. Their handker- chiefs they paste up on the mirrors and windows, an old trick of vaude ville performers, to dry and be pressed at the same time; stockings and lingerie are hung from every conceivable place. That goes for the lady and the hoyden; the sweater girl and the dancer. There have l>een some amusing ex periences by the girls; also some that were touching. For instance, at the performance for the Queen of Eng land, the two Princesses and British troops. Miss Mayfair discovered that she had failed to wear her bloomers. This was a couple of minutes before the show was scheduled to start The girls grouped around and Miss Raye slipped off her bloomers and Miss Mayfair put them on. She preceded Miss Raye on the program. Later, Miss Mayfair took them off In time for Miss Raye to wear them for her performance. In the «ase of the dancer, the necessity for the bloom- ers was only too evident A Heartthreb net In the Script One of the tour's heartthrobs' came at the second or third American camp the girls played. Lastfogel fol lowed them out and brought some mall that had arrived In London for the girls. After the performance, the femmes mingled with the soldiers, but Miss Mayfair stepped aside for a few moments to read a letter. A soldier walked over and asked her If there was anything personal in the letter. She answe/ed, 'No, but why do y9u ask?'. 'Because if there isn't,' he said, 'I'd like to read It' Slightly startled. Miss Mayfair asked why he wanted to read her letter. He answered that he hadn't been receiving much mall. This incident was later made part of the girls' broadcast over BBC, with the bit credited to Miss Landis. The radio program, incidentally, got some expert help to make it one of the girls' major achievements abroad. In London, Lastfogel had run into agent, Marie Hanna, abroad for the OWI, and Hanna was en- listed to help with the program's production. Brewster Morgan, regu- larly in London for the OWI, lent an able hand, and Lastfogel also found in London Lt. Jerome Chod- orov and Private Marc Blitzstein. a couple of capable gents with a type- writer now in active military service. They went to work on the script and came up with stirring sppplements to some material written in advance in the U. S. by Arch Oboler and Hal Block. Oboler wrote a dramatic sketch for Miss Francis, while Block wrote some comedy material for Mis.s Raye. Bronx Cheer Invades Britain The rest of the broadcast was pro- vided by Brewster Morgan and, chiefly. Blilz'stein and Chodorov. On the same program Miss Raye intro- duced 'Der Fuehrer's Face' to Eng- land, and her robust Bronx cheer was a sensation. The fortitude of the femmes and their desire to carry through the purpose for their going abroad was clearly indicated when Miss Francis and Miss Mayfair were in the hospital that first time. Miss Francis was especially ill with a heavy cold. It was close to the time for the special performance for the distaff side of the British Royal Family and Lastfogel went out to the military hospital to sec if the girls could leave. The command- ing officer said Miss Francis, especially, was too 111 to leave, but, at Lastfogcl's request, agreed to leave the matter entirely up to the actresses. There was no hesitation on the part of Miss Fran- cis or Miss Mayfair; bundled in blankets and pillows, they drove 60 miles to London and gave the show. Thai's the stuff the Theatrical Task Force is composed of; feminine, but touRh for a reason and a cause. They will have travelled 25,000 to 30,000 miles by the time they slop All-Star USO Femme Troupe Fomid To Be R^t Answer to Entertainment Demands of Servicemen in England By MARK HANNA (Hanna, the theatrical agint now with t/ie OWI as a liaison, retMrned last week from London). When the Motion Picture Division of USO-Camp Shows, Inc, decided to send over its all-feminine unit to entertain the Yanks and British servicemen in Eiagland, it probably didn't realize it had just the right answer to the most pressing prob- lem current in Great Britain—4iow be.st to service the boys in uniform. They had been waiting a long time for the answer, and it came wrapped up in four names—Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye and Mitzl Mayfair. What a unit! Give the doughboys more shows like this one and, as far as the boys in uni- form are concerned, all their enter- tainment worries are over. That 'Les Girls' panicked 'em (they even performed for English factory workers) is not only a trib- ute to their showmanship, but testi- fies as well to the unerring judg- ment of Abe Lastfogel, the USO- Camp Shows prexy, whose idea about the whole project of teaming up an all-femme film cast for over- seas duty ran counter to the thoughts of the 'show wise' Amer- icans In London. The truth is that (he latter guys, Helen 'Smiles' Davis AlsoUrfesE Shows to SoliBers Trouper Hill Farm, Richmond, Ind., Dec. 19, Editor, 'Variety': On the front page of your Dec. 16 issue I read about 'Export Jive to Soldiers,' Well, it just got me thinkin'. Remember l>ack in 1918 a little band of five volunteers leaving the U. S, A. for 'Somewhere In France?' The Over There Theatre League it was called. There yvas Will Oressy, Blanche Dayne, George Austin Moore, HoWard Collins and yours truly Helene Davis, better known as 'Smiles of the A.ET.' We were the first five of 40 chosen to go. Well, what's'the matter with send- ing some of us over, who have both time and energy and a vast ex- perience and knowledge of just what those soldiers like and enjoy. They^l sure tear roofs off with their yells and applause when they hear those wonderful bands, but the places entertainment Is needed most are in out-of-the-way spots. A few miles back of the lines, where you sneak in quietly, give a 15-min- ute, a half hour or an hour and a half show—plenty of laughs and stories and. songs. For music, a two- octave portable organ does not do badly and could be carried in a Jeep. Then, as the saying goes, Uke the Arab, wrap your jokes in cellophane and quietly steal away,' Believe me, those men really ap- preciate and need to be amused if only for a few minutes at a time, I'm all for it and could be packed in no time: Give me a portable organ or piano and a pretty girl to play it and about three other girls, jroung and pretty, and we could literally tear up the front lines and move them clear across Germany. Times have changed but human nature's just the same. My husband , (Singin' Sam) could get along for a while without me and feels as I do that it is a great need. He can't go l>ecause of his contract with Barbasol. If I've written too much forgive me. but this work is something that was very close to my heart in the last war and even more so In this. So what's cookin'. Do you know? 'Smiles' Frankel ■ (Helene 'Smiles* Davis) upon learning that the four gat names had been shipped, over, were loud In their lamentations that the thing just wouldn't stack up; that it was one of those parlays that couldn't even pass the barrier. Together with Lastfogel and Ma< jor Ted Phalen, U. S. Army, at- tacbed to the special services divi- sion, tlila correspondent (who, in- cidentally,, was the only civilian present) 'caught':the unit in its third stand about 'X* miles from London as the Jeep flies—and don't anyone kid you about a jeep not taking- off.' They're All Wrt! Here's one guy who, after watch- ing- the speedy, well-coordinated hour show, agrees that the weisen- heimers were all* wet and who sides That's a Ripky, Too Abe Lastfogel, president of USO-Camp Shows, Inc.. chron- icles -many surprising facets of the Femme Theatrical "task Force composed of Kay Francis, Martha Raye, Carole Landis and Mitzi Mayfair. The topper is the fact that even after this length of time together virtually every minute of the day and night the girls are still talking in friendly fashi^ii to one another. back on U. S. soil; they will have travelled by plane, boat, car and train: they will have had glimpses, between camps, of virtually every corner of England, Scotland and North Ireland; they will have been seen by virtually every American soldier in England during that pe- riod—and by many United Kingdom and Allied soldiers and sailors as well—and'no prettier Task Force is there to be seen anywhei-e. wholeheartedly with the Yanks in the camps and Installations where the gals had previou8ly."perfonned. When we arrived,.about S p.m., we noticed that dozens of "enlisted men were milling around the grounds. It was the kind -.of pre-show .-x- citement that warms ypu, yet It was simply a case of your son and his pals waiting for the troupe to finish dinner so that they cotdd get autographs. After dinner Miss Francis and other'gals went to the enlisted men's recreation hall. Then, it began! They not only signed atitographl until groggy, but they dished with the boys, asking them (|ueStloiis and in turn answering .their queries about home and Hollywood.. .. At 0:45 on the nose the show be- gan before a packed houte. The stage was a pleasant., surprise— about 15 feet from the footlights to the backwall and with an apron about 20 fet wide. . 'Miss Francis M.O.'d As ntc. Miss Francis was a stand- out. She heckled the hecklers— and they loved It. She l>owe<^ out for MltzI, who did some eccentric legomania that whammed 'em. After the dancer begged off (no'encores permitted) on came Miss Landis, and her puichritrude had them gasping. A story and a coiiple of songs, including 'Take It Off'—^just a few minutes routine—but sold with a wallop. On again came Mitzi asking for volunteers to do a jitterbug dance with her. What en- sued was near bedlam. Tliese gals had every second, every gesture psychologically timed for audience reaction. What Carole started, to get the boys ip the groove, Mitzi took up and played on with amaz- ing results. The successful jitterbug candidate was a strapping 200-pounder with something of a reputation as a clown. As a stooge, he was a nat> ural and the gang rode him plenty. For an exit, little Mitzi picked him up and strutted off stage to ter- rific hand-thumping. Kay returned for a recitative hit called 'He's a Wolf and it was real socko. A few more stories and gags, and then the Martha Raye Intro. Martha gave 'em everything she had and it's doubtful if she ever got a greater ovation than these dough- boys gave her. It was all duck soup to La Raye, and she paid them back in kind. She clowned, mugged, sang, strutted and did everything but bake a cake. It was whammo from start to finish. For a final curtain the gals lined up while Kay read a 'letter' from the folks at home. Then came the national anthem and 'God Save the Kipg.' The gals knew the lyrics to both.