Guest Post – There’ll Be a Hot Time … – gpcox
I had a great time putting this article together. Looking at the brighter side of the WWII era helped to enhance the feel of the 40’s. And I hope everyone will join in to add their stories or those of their relatives to help make it complete. Thank you for reading!
There’ll Be a Hot Time …
Entertainment for troops at home also provided sources for a social life to the civilians and gave the war drive efforts an available stage. The USO is usually the organization that comes to mind for most of us. They had 59 companies going abroad to entertain, but they also provided amusement for those in the U.S. Just about every city had a USO center for dancing, conversation, food and getting the opportunity to see celebrities. The Red Cross would usually set themselves up in these centers and supply baskets of goodies free of charge to the troops. They strove to become a home away from home for the men. Today, in the Midwest, a group of volunteers re-enact the USO and WW2 era in parades, ceremonies and living history displays.
Washington D.C., San Francisco and NYC had a Pepsi Cola Canteen where…
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Posted on May 14, 2013, in Uncategorized, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 20 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
Thanks for your interesting blog abt the Pacific theater and also for sharing this story from thegreatestgeneration blog. I’ll be following both from now on.
Mom was born in 1925 and I grew up listening to stories- and music– from this time and being amazed at everything folks went through betw. the Great Depression and then the second World War. Greatest Generation is no exaggeration, we should all have such courage, perseverance and strength. It’s so important that this history is shared and collected for future generations.
Also, thanks for liking my Old Key West photo project at http://driftlessworld.com 🙂
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I was lucky to have found your site, thank you for the return visit. I’m certain Judy at greatestgenerationlessons will be as thrilled as I am to meet you.
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Love the Big Band music…music that filled my childhood…my parents listened to it daily. It was a spark of joy within our lives.
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I listened to it all when I was growing up.
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Great post! I love that old movie, “Stage Door Cantina” with Ginger Rogers and Kathryn Hepburn.
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It is a classic that not too many people remember.
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I think this is the best of your many good posts, perhaps because it reminded me of the happy times rather than the horrors of war. Our little town didn’t have a USO or anything similar but, let me tell you, the town was wide open to any serviceman who got the chance to come home.
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And you should be very proud of them for that. I’m glad it brought back fond memories.
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Go check this out. You are a recipient of these no-strings-attached awards
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I truly appreciate the thought and thank you very much. The link is here for all to see, but I question whether they are appropriate for a non-fiction, wartime blog. I am going to hold off for a bit, hope you understand.
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YES, the words are a bit over the top but I we do lay flowers on sites of war and destruction as a memorial
– I will get the flower badge, smaller and without words but it does not matter if it is on your blog or not.
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Thanks again.
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Even though I’m a boomer, I relate to the music of the WWII era. I used to host a Big Band radio show on Sunday afternoons in Norfolk, NE until just a few years ago.
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I know what you mean. I grew up hearing big band music, dixiland, etc. myself and loved it!
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I was a child during the war and remember well our family gatherings where my father would use a home model recording machine to record each person doing something – usually singing – and sending the small plastic records to our three servicemen. My grandpa played his fiddle and my sister and I did a mean rendition of “Remember Pearl Harbor”. My young aunts sang the latest hit songs, my grandma sang “Rockabye Baby” – everyone took part.The boys away from home loved hearing their wives, parents, and other relatives performing or sending a message.
Lillian
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What a fabulous story!! I’m so glad you took the time to share this with us. The troops MUST have loved it, just as today with SKYPE. If you think of anything else pop back over here.
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Great photo. Fine looking young people. No metal on faces, no ink covered bodies.
I’ve enjoyed these posts.
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Thanks for commenting – I’ve done a number of guest posts for Judy and have truly enjoyed putting each one together.
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It was a very entertaining post. My mother talks about attending dances for troops at different venues organised by different groups. That is in New Zealand. From a social point of view, they were enjoyable times.
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Thanks for telling us. I had found nothing of the New Zealand dances.
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