Showing posts with label entertainer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainer. Show all posts

February 4 - USO Day

Posted on February 4, 2019
I've never, ever, heard of the United Services Organizations, which we are celebrating today.... 

But - wait! - I actually have heard of it (or them?), but only with the acronym "USO."




The USO is an organization that supports members of the various branches of the military, plus veterans, plus families of military folk and veterans. 

Thousands of entertainers have
worked with the USO, but the one
most associated with USO shows
is comedian Bob Hope.
This non-profit charity is famous for putting on live performances with comedians, musicians, and actors in military bases and camps in the U.S. and overseas - especially important during wartime. 

USO shows help keep troop morale high. They help bring a taste of "back home" to those serving far away.

Of course, USO shows also allow entertainers to "give back," to show their love of country and their gratitude to soldiers and sailors and pilots (and their families) who sacrifice for all of us.

Actually, even though USO shows are what everybody knows, the USO is more than that: there are USO centers around the world, including in many major airports, which provide a "home away from home," provide social and recreational opportunities, help troops with travel problems, and give troops and their families information. Care packages and international phone cards and other ways of staying in touch with loved ones are often coordinated through these USO centers. 



This is not a planned "USO show," but
is instead an impromptu performance
by a member of one USO troupe before
(or after?) a planned show.
The USO was formed on this date in 1941, in the midst of World War II. Social reformer Mary Ingraham founded the USO when President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested help providing recreation for and boosting the morale of the troops. Ingraham brought together six different already-existing organizations (the Salvation Army, the YMCA, the YWCA, National Catholic Community Service, National Travelers Aid Association, and the National Jewish Welfare Board) under one umbrella to provide this support. 

The USO is not part of the U.S. government, although it does work with (not for!) the Department of Defense. The motto is "Until Everyone Comes Home."


The USO was disbanded after WWII - like, I think people thought, "Okay, great job! Not needed anymore!" But when the Korean War broke out, it was reactivated and has been a thing ever since.

Above, Marilyn Monroe in Korea.
Below, an all-female rock band in Vietnam.




Here are some stats and pics to help you celebrate the USO:

The USO has provided services to an estimated 35 million Americans over its history.

During WWII, the USO did close to 300,000 performances! When the USO was first disbanded, in 1947, it had already done over 125,000 more shows for military still deployed overseas, for a total of 425,000 shows!

More than 161 million troops were entertained, during WWII, including wounded soldiers and sailors who watched shows put on in 192 different military hospitals. 



During WWII, there were 702 different USO troupes that toured the world, entertaining troops. (Troupes for the troops!) More than 7,000 entertainers (many of them famous, most of them not) participated in these shows. Many entertainers spent six months at a time on tour.


Above, Robin Williams signing autographs and interacting with the
troops after performing.
Below, the Rockettes. 

Every year, more than 44,000 volunteers provide around 379,000 hours of service through the USO. (There is also a relatively small paid staff of 300 spread among the 200+ locations around the world.)

Above, Disturbed. Below, Avenged Sevenfold.
I included these two bands to show that not
just pop music is featured at USO shows,
but also hard rock, alternative rock, and heavy metal.











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June 3 - Happy Birthday, Josephine Baker

Posted on June 3, 2018


Josephine Baker became famous all around the world for her live entertainment. She sang. She danced. She was comedic. She was exciting. She even sometimes appeared on stage with a live cheetah named Chiquita - and despite the fact that Chiquita was a pet and wore a grand diamond collar, she WAS a cheetah, and when she escaped into the orchestra pit (which happened more than once), the musicians were TERRIFIED - but that just made the show that much more exciting!

Baker was born in the U.S. on this date in 1906, but the U.S. was plagued with so much racism, especially toward black people like her, that she ended up moving to Paris, France, and she loved her adopted country and became a citizen.
There are many aspects of Baker's life that are fascinating. One of the most interesting things about her is that she worked to resist the Nazis during World War II. Because she was famous and charming, and because she was an entertainer who always traveled around Europe and the world, she was able to collect lots of information and also carry information to others. For example, she was able to go to parties with Nazi bigwigs, where she also met high-ranking Japanese and Italian officials, and she could gather info for the French Resistance without being suspected. She also carried information about airfields, harbors, and German troop concentration to England. 

 Baker carried notes written in invisible ink on her sheet music. In her home (which actually was a castle) in the south of France, she housed people working on the Free French effort, and she got visas for them as well. She even traveled in North Africa in order to enjoy the dry climate while recovering from pneumonia...only it was REALLY to keep helping the French resistance. From a base in Morocco, she made tours of Spain (parts of Africa are surprisingly close to parts of Spain!) She pinned notes with the information she gathered on the inside of her underwear, and indeed nobody suspected and subjected her to a close enough search to discover what she was up to.

 After the war, Baker received two French medals for her courageous work on behalf of the French Resistance.

Here is another aspect of Baker's life that is super interesting:

 She worked on the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. even though she lived in France!

 Being famous around the world, especially after her heroics during World War II, many venues in the U.S. wanted to book her as an entertainer. But Baker refused to perform for segregated audiences. Because of this, some venues ended up having integrated audiences just for her one show, but she ended up basically bringing integration to show audiences in Las Vegas and some other places. 

 Baker gave speeches and worked with the NAACP and participated in Martin Luther King, Jr.,'s March on Washington as the only official female speaker. 


Here is another fascinating bit about Baker:

She was not able to have kids of her own (she tried), but she adopted twelve kids.

You didn't read that wrong: 12! 

 She called her kids "The Rainbow Tribe," and she was out to prove that people from different races, religions, and ethnicities could live with one another, call each other brother and sister, love one another. I'm not sure how well her experiment worked - it would probably have been better had she tried to consider her kids' actual needs more than her grand idea of proving something to the world - but she ended up adopting kids from four different continents: Asia (Japan, Korea), South America (Colombia, Venezuela), Africa (Algeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco), and Europe Finland and four from France.

Also on this date:


















































Plan ahead:


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And here are my Pinterest boards for:

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May 20 – Happy Birthday, Cher

Posted on May 20, 2018



Cher is far from the only celebrity known by one name. Of course, there's Beyonce, Elvis, Prince, Madonna, Pink, Eminem - the list goes on and on!

But Cher was one of the first only-one-name-needed stars I ever knew, as she burst onto the world stage as one half of the folk-rock act Sonny and Cher, in 1965. 

But of course, Cher has another name. Actually, quite a lot of other names!

This singer / actress was born on this date in 1946, in a town in way-way-way-southern Southern California: an Armenian American girl named Cherilyn Sarkisian. At one point she was adopted by one of her step-fathers, becoming Cheryl LaPiere. She has recorded under names as varied as Bonnie Jo Mason and Cleo (part of Caesar and Cleo). 

High school yearbook
photo -

hard to believe she felt
unattractive, isn't it?
In high school, Cher felt unattractive and untalented. She wanted to be famous, but she wasn't sure how that would happen. She was a bit disheartened that there weren't dark-haired Hollywood stars (at the time) - it's always easier to imagine succeeding in a field or a place if someone that looks a bit like you is already succeeding there. 

She's gorgeous - but she does not look
particularly ordinary. Sometimes it's hard
to feel beautiful when you look different!


Cher began to work for a performer named Sonny Bono; he later became her friend, her performing partner, and her husband. (She became Cher Bono at that point.) I did not realize that Sonny wanted to launch Cher as a solo artist, but Cher was too nervous with stage fright and wanted him out on stage with her rather than behind the scenes. Cher was able to calm her nerves by looking at Sonny, and she later said that she sang to the audience through him.

Sonny and Cher outside of the Hilton.
Members of the mega-huge rock band the Rolling Stones advised Sonny and Cher to go to England, and when the two did so in 1965, they were thrown out of the London Hilton because of their outfits (what???) and instantly became material for photographers and reporters and - literally overnight - fans. Sonny and Cher were wearing clothes that were not at that time known or popular, but bell bottoms, striped pants, ruffled shirts, and fur vests became enormous hits in England - and soon in America as well. Some girls even ironed their hair straight and dyed their hair black to look like Cher!

The song "I Got You, Babe" also became a huge hit in England, and later the U.S.

Cher became confident enough to launch her solo career in 1966, and both Sonny-and-Cher and Cher-only projects went forward full-steam ahead until the couple divorced in 1975.

Here are just a few of Cher's accomplishments:



  • With Sonny, being the "it" couple in rock.
  • With Sonny, selling over 40 million records.
  • TV variety show The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour - 3 years.
  • Solo, more than 30 charted songs, including four #1 hits.
  • Reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in FOUR different decades - the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
  • TV variety show Cher - 2 years.
  • Acting on Broadway.
  • Critical acclaim and commercial success as a movie actress.
  • Academy Award for Best Actress (Moonstruck).
  • Speaking of awards: 1 Grammy, 1 Emmy, 3 Golden Globes, 1 Cannes Film Festival Award, and a special CFDA Fashion Award!
  • Altogether, selling more than 100 million records worldwide - one of the best selling artists in history.
  • The only artist to date to have a #1 single on a Billboard chart in every decade Billboard has been charting records.
  • Wow!
According to Wikipedia, one of Cher's names is Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere Bono Allman. Phew-y!

Also, Cher was known early for her unusual clothes - clothes that set trends. Well...the trend of her being a trend-setter AND the trend of her being known for unusual outfits has continued her whole life!






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