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John C. Becher Soldier Show collection

Access and use

Location of collection:: George Mason University

2400 Fenwick Library

Special Collections Research Center

Fenwick Library MS2FL

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA 22030

Contact for questions and access:: POC: Mieko Palazzo

Email: speccoll@gmu.edu

Phone: (703) 993-2220

Fax: (703) 993-2669

Web: scrc.gmu.edu

Restrictions:: There are no access restrictions.
Terms of access:: The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Preferred citation:: John C. Becher Soldier Show collection, C0090, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:: 9 Linear Feet 17 boxes
Creator:: Becher, John C.
Abstract:: The John C. Becher Soldier Show collection contains entertainment materials written by and for the United States military during and immediately following World War II. The collection is arranged by material type and entertainment themes.
Language:: English
Preferred citation:: John C. Becher Soldier Show collection, C0090, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The John C. Becher Soldier Show collection contains entertainment materials written by and for the United States military during and immediately following World War II. The collection is arranged by material type and entertainment themes. The six cubic feet (nine linear feet) cover the years 1940 through 1953.

Most of the items in the collection are Soldier Shows, entertainments written to amuse overseas troops and to boost morale. Produced by the Army Special Services Division, the scripts were written by professional and amateur playwrights. Many were created by military personnel attending the Special Services School in Lexington, Virginia (1943-1946). The collection also includes: newspaper and magazine clippings, war humor, poems, blackouts, quizzes, crafts manuals, original songs, song parodies, sheet music, flyers, pamphlets, theatrical manuals and guides, lesson plans and lectures, production ideas, and comedy routines. There are also several military-issued Pocket Guides to foreign lands, including guides to Burma, Germany, Greece, West Africa, Italy, and Great Britain.

Script by unknown

Script by Leo Lieberman

Script by William Hanley

Script by Leonard Spigelgass

Script by Gurney Campbell and Daphne Athas

Script by Paddy Chayefsky

Script by Louis Kronenberger

Script by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron

Script by Lonnie Coleman

Script by Robertson Davies

Script by Leonard Spigelgass

Script by William McCleery

Script by Leonard Spigelgass

Script by Santha Rama Rau

Script by Arnold Wesker

Script by Elick Moll

Script by Patricia Joudry

Script by Dore Schary

Script by Michael Howard

Script by Joseph Fields and Peter de Vries

Script by Richard Morris

Script by Henry Denker

Script by Murray Schisgal

Script by Harry Tugend

"The Reluctant Draftee" and "Ten Minute Break": Two Complete Soldier Shows

Comedy Acts and Minstrel Show Material

Revue Sketches Vaudeville Comedy Acts

"Take it or Leave It": A Humorous Quiz Book

Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, Fred Allen, Charlie McCarthy, Fibber McGee and Molly: Comedy Scenes

Soldier Shows Guide

The Army Play by Play: Five Prize-Winning One-Act Plays

Blackouts and Sketches

GI: Prize Winning Blackouts

G.I. Revues: 10 Package Shows

G.I. One Act Plays

Chillers and Thrillers: A Book of Mystery Sketches

MC Jackpot Available in digital format.

Skits and Bits

Soldier Shows "Blueprint Special"

Blackouts, Sketches, Quizzes, Parodies, Games

Games, Puzzles, Quizzes

"Bedzapoppin", (A Revue), Games, Quizzes

"No. 6" is corrected by hand to "No. 9"

Comedy Sketches

Minstrel Shows with Music

Music and Lyrics for Musical Comedies and Revues

Musical Opening Choruses, Finales and Production Numbers for Soldier Shows

Time Out

Held at Fort McPherson, Georgia

Held at Atlanta, Georgia

Reception Center: Blackouts, Parodies, Games

Reception Center, Blackouts, Parodies, Revues

Entertainment Section: Radio and Theatrical Material: Skits, Blackouts, Sketches

Radio and Theatrical Material: Skits, Blackouts, Sketches Available in digital format.

Radio and Theatrical Material: Skits, Blackouts, Sketches

It's the G.I. State Fair

Thanksgiving, Mock Election, Revues, Parodies, Blackouts, Radio Scripts, Crossovers

Murder Mystery, Production Numbers, Revues, Parodies, Blackouts, Radio Scripts, Crossovers

Broadway Special Featuring New York's latest Hit "The Hasty Heart," Revues, Parodies, Blackouts, Radio Scripts, Crossovers

Folio Highlights, Revues, Parodies, Blackouts, Radio Scripts, Crossovers

Entertainment Grab Bag, Revues, Parodies, Blackouts, Radio Scripts, Crossovers

Sketches, Crossover, Quizzes, Revues, Blackouts, Parodies

Radio and Theatrical Material: Skits, Blackouts, Sketches

Schedules 1 - 14

Stage instructions and hand drawn costume and set images

Music score

Parody on contemporary song

Script by Barnett Shaw

Story by Sidney P. Goldman

War humor

Poem by Shakespeare?

Poem

War humor

"...army life and what the average soldier has to put up with."

Poems

War humor by Herb Graffis

Script

War humor

By Cpl. Adolph Abramson

Article by Weare Holbrook

War humor

War humor by Robert T. Souter in Esquire, p. 65

War humor

Script by Ben Hecht in Collier's, pp. 11-13, 37-39

"A Soldier's Reminder of the War's Background, Its Purpose and Its Prospects"; Script by Sgt. Fred Stewart

"An old-fashioned melodrama in two acts"

"Used at SSMS"

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) broadcast; Script by Norman Corwin

Held at Fairview School Auditorium

John Steinbeck's play, presented by the Tulsa Little Theater Group in War Department, at Theater No. 2, Camp Crowder, Missouri

War humor

Blackouts, Crossovers and Parodies for WAC Variety Nights

Blackouts, Sketches, Quizzes, Parodies and Games

Prepared by the National Theater Conference and the Morale Branch of the United States Army

Speech Work Material by Doyle Virginia Cockrell, San Antonio Vocational and Technical High School

"The attached suggestions are furnished for the purpose of assisting the Theatrical Technical Advisor in the many problems which arise in the producing, directing, rehearsing and presentation of soldier theatricals." Available in digital format.

The Production Staff, Principles of Directing and Acting, Production of One-Act and Full-Length Plays

Distributed by the Special Services Division, A.S.F.

Radio and Theatrical Material, Skits, Blackouts, Sketches

Sixty-Second Blackouts

Musical Quizzical

Fourth Service Command Soldier Show Conferences

Fourth Service Command Soldier Shows

"For the entertainment of the Armed Forces overseas" Available in digital format.

"For the entertainment of the Armed Forces overseas"

"For the entertainment of the Armed Forces overseas" Available in digital format.

"For the entertainment of the Armed Forces overseas"

Prepared by the Radio Section, Headquarters Branch Office

"For the entertainment of the Armed Forces overseas" Available in digital format.

"For the entertainment of the Armed Forces overseas"

Prepared by the Radio Section, Headquarters Branch Office

"For the entertainment of the Armed Forces overseas" Available in digital format.

by Robert Riley Crutcher, presented by the Special Service Division of the War Department

presented by the Special Service Division of the War Department Available in digital format.

Presented by the Special Services Division of the War Department

Skit by Lt. W.P. Moore; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Song parodies; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Words and music by Sgt. J. C. Lewis; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Cpl. Raymond Simon; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Various skits; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Various skits and production numbers; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt. D. W. Todd; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Various production numbers; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Various skits; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt. Frank J. Conboy; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Arnold M. Auerbach; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Musical parody by Corporals Tom Adair and Joe Twerp; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

By Red Graham; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Frank J. Conboy; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Gene Lockhart; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pfc. Harold Fleming; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Various skits by Lt. W. Toll; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pfc. M. Sternberg; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Song lyrics; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by George S. Kaufman; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pvt. Ivan Tors; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by 2 Lt. Frank J. Conboy; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Henry Blankfort and Bert Lawrence; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Gene Lockhart; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pfc. M. Sternberg; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt. Etter; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by S/Sgt. Chuck Allen; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pfc. Charles Roth; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Salem Ludwig and Joseph R. Horenstein; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Song parody and stage directions by H. Shaffer; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by S/Sgt. Robert N. Mazer and Sgt. Abe Laufe; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt. J. R. Humphreys;Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Paul Price; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by 2 Lt. Vernon Stone; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt. McLean; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Song lyrics; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Gene Lockhart; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by S/Sgt. Robert N. Mazer; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Song lyrics; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt. G. [?] Carr; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt. Jack Hill; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Song lyrics; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Newspaper clipping; Skit by Lt. Alexander B. Reed; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pfc. Michael Ames; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt. Robert P. Crawford; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Lt's Baskind and English; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Gene Lockhart; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by W. P. Moore; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Story by D. L. Champion; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Sam Locke; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pfc. Alfred D. Geto; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit from Our Sunday Visitor (Catholic Editorial) Huntington, Indiana; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Ideas by Cpl. Don Mann; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by S/Sgt. A. Hamilton; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pfc. Michael Ames; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Arnold Auerbach; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

by Pvt. R. Weil; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Sgt. Abe Laufe; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Sgt. Fred Stewart; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skits: March of Time; Eskimo Courtesy; Superstition; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Songs: Special Service Song by John Baker; I've Got Enthusiasm; Ballet and Opening; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by 1 Lt. Bob Wellington; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by 2 Lt. WMA. Page; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Sgt. Max Behm; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Captain Leonard Blair; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Production suggestions by Sgt. Hez Dufenthaler; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by Pfc. Ed Rush Rubin; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by 2 Lt. F. J. Conboy; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit by S/Sgt. Robert Mazer; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Song by Lt. R. S. Beck; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Skit; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Script by Alice Gerstenberg

Script

A Musical Revue in Five Scenes by Arthur A. Noyes, Murray L. Grand, Lionel N. Lile, and Morton J. Green

Fundamental Purpose of Soldier Shows in Army Recreation

The Function of the Special Service Officer as to Soldier Shows

Informal Theatricals

Production Planning Meetings

Soldier Production Organization

Soldier Stagecraft

Script

Blackout by Lt. W. P. Moore

Blackout by Lt. Bob Eastright

Script

Blackouts by Lois Landauer

Prepared by the Entertainment Section, Special Services Branch, Royal Canadian Air Force

Script

Pocket Guide prepared by Special Services Division, Services of Supply, United States Army

Pocket Guide prepared by Army Information Branch, Army Service Forces, United States Army

Pocket Guide prepared by Office of Armed Forces Information and Education, Department of Defense

Language Guide prepared by the War Department

Pocket Guide prepared by Office of Armed Forces Information and Education, Department of Defense

Pocket Guide prepared by Special Services Division, Army Service Forces, United States Army

Pocket Guide prepared by Army Information Branch, A.S.F., United States Army

Pocket Guide prepared by Office of Armed Forces Information and Education, Department of Defense

Pocket Guide prepared by Special Service Division, Army Service Forces, United States Army

Biographical / historical:

Keeping morale high was important during the war. This was recognized at the highest military levels. General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, for example, stressed the importance of maintaining high morale: "Napoleon evaluated morale over material as three to one. I believe that recent experiences indicate a re-estimate of this value - the odds being near five to one, or probably even ten to one in some instances in favor of the psychological factor" (Morale Program, box 7 folder 2 page 7). Programs and services that maintained or heightened morale covered a wide range - athletics, libraries, religion, education - and none was more important than entertainment, which is well-represented by the materials in the Becher Collection.

Entertaining troops during World War II was an enormous enterprise. The celebrated USO-Camp Shows was a civilian-based organization that provided professional entertainment for the Armed Forces. The U.S. Army Motion Picture Service was a non-profit organization that sponsored movie theaters to ease the transition from civilian to military life. A related group, the U.S.O. Mobile Motion Picture Service, showed films to overseas troops. Whereas these organizations provided passive forms of entertainment, the Entertainment Section of the Army Special Services Division took a different approach. They actually included the soldiers in creating their own entertainment. These were called Soldier Shows.

Soldier Shows were made by soldiers for soldiers. The principal objective was to achieve mass participation. A wide range of talent was employed in creating Soldier Shows - including singers, dancers, actors, orators, trivia buffs, costume and scenery makers, artists, and carpenters. Because mass participation by military personnel was encouraged, the program had a virtually unlimited field to draw on.

Soldiers participating in Soldier Shows acted in skits and plays, sang musical numbers, performed comedy routines, quizzed other soldiers, and made arts and crafts. Such activities forged common bonds among the troops and provided emotional links to their homeland. Soldier Shows were particularly effective in boosting the morale of hospitalized soldiers. The therapeutic value of Soldier Shows played an important role in the physical and mental rehabilitation of injured soldiers.

Soldier Shows were remarkably effective in boosting morale. In fact, reports have shown that the program was one of the easiest and most effective ways to combat low morale. (Morale Program, box 1 folder 2 page 7). General Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a back-stage visit to the cast who put on a Soldier Show in North Africa, praised their usefulness in the war effort: "You are entertaining soldiers. You are not fighting with guns - but your job is just as important. As long as you are doing your job well . . . you will be rendering a service, and a great one, to your fellow soldiers and your country" (Morale Program, box 1 folder 2 page 7).

Acquisition information:

Collection donated by John C. Becher in 1979 through Harold Arburg, Director of Arts and Humanities, U.S. Office of Education.

Processing information:

Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff. EAD markup completed in February 2009 by Eron Ackerman and Jordan Patty.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged by item group, such as Soldier Shows, scripts, theatrical manuals, and pocket guides.

Skit by S/Sgt. Robert M. Mazer and Sgt. Abe Laufe; Item written by personnel going to school for Special Services in Lexington, Virginia 1943-1946

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: World War, 1939-1945 -- Theater and the war
Soldiers -- Recreation
World War, 1939-1945
Performing arts
Theater
Theater and society
Names:: United States. Army Service Forces. Special Service Division
Places:: United States -- Armed Forces -- Military life

Collection