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Musical Opening Choruses, Finales and Production Numbers for Soldier Shows

Description: A selection of opening choruses, choral finales, sketches with comedy songs, and miniature musical comedies, mostly excerpted from pre-existing Broadway shows with lyrics adapted to Army, Navy, or Marine Corps themes. Soldiers were encouraged to incorporate these numbers into their own shows, adapting them further as needed, and to use them as inspiration for writing their own original numbers.
Date: 1943
Creator: Writers and Material Committee of Camp Shows, Inc.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

About Face!: Soldier Shows "Blueprint Special"

Description: "About Face!" was the first in a series of Soldier Shows "Blueprint Specials" created by the Special Services Division of the Army Service Forces during World War II to provide soldiers stationed overseas with all the resources they need to stage an original, full-length, Broadway-style revue for their fellow soldiers. Each "Blueprint Special" includes a libretto, set and costume designs, conductor's score, and individual vocal and instrumental parts, as well as detailed instructions for stagin… more
Date: 1944
Creator: United States. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. Special Services Division, ASF.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

"Hi, Yank!": A Soldier Shows "Blueprint Special"

Description: "Hi Yank!" was the second of the Soldier Shows "Blueprint Specials" to be published. It was inspired by "Yank: The Army Weekly"—a magazine published by the U.S. military and distributed to members of the armed forces during World War II. Each episode of this revue is titled after a section of the magazine, and most of the scenes feature cartoonist George Baker's Sad Sack character, who debuted in the first issue of "Yank." Even the cover of the revue, which features both Sad Sack and his eterna… more
Date: 1944
Creator: United States. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. Special Services Division, ASF.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

P.F.C. Mary Brown: A Wac Musical Revue

Description: Compilation of a script, parts (including conductor's score; 1 vocal part with melody and lyrics; and 13 instrumental parts), stage directions, dance routines, scenic and costume designs (including instructions on how to make them from waste and salvage materials), a sample program template, and general notes on how to produce a musical revue, intended for a women's army audience. The story depicts the goddess Athena growing bored with her life on Olympus and descending to Earth to find fulfi… more
Date: 1944
Creator: United States. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. Special Services Division, ASF.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Soldier Shows: Staging Area and Transport Entertainment Guide, Comprising Blackouts, Sketches, Quizzes, Parodies, and Games

Description: This guide to staging entertainments for Armed Forces personnel aboard a troop transport includes scripts and instructions for comedy sketches, monologues, quizzes, and games. Includes practical advice on dealing with the difficulties of staging entertainments on board a ship or other performance area with limited space.
Date: 1944
Creator: United States. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. Special Services Division, ASF.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Women's Army Corps Song Book

Description: Anthology of lyrics to songs for performance by members of the Women's Army Corps during World War II. Includes patriotic songs, official songs of the various branches of the Armed Forces, WAC songs and parodies, popular favorites, and songs from selected foreign nations. Many of the songs are either copyrighted or are parodies of copyrighted songs.
Date: 1944
Creator: United States Army. Women's Army Corps.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Broadway Special, featuring New York's Latest Hit, "The Hasty Heart"

Description: This soldier show contains two copyrighted works—"The Hasty Heart," a three-act by John Patrick; and "Freedom of the Air," a ten-minute sketch by George S. Kaufman—plus several blackouts and sketches and three simple musical production numbers "restricted to Army and Navy use exclusively." Production numbers each include a libretto and a piano-vocal score. A survey form is included to measure the success and appropriateness of the materials provided.
Date: 1945
Creator: United States. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. Special Services Division, ASF.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

OK, USA: A Musical Guide Book to the States: Soldier Shows "Blueprint Special"

Description: The last of the U.S. Army Soldier Shows "Blueprint Specials" to be published, "OK, USA" is a musical revue on the theme of U.S. soldiers returning to the United States and finding it finding it as foreign and exotic as any country overseas because they have been away and living under extreme circumstances for so long. Like the other "Blueprint Specials," this show includes a complete script (multiple copies this time); a conductor's score and complete set of instrumental parts; a sample program… more
Date: 1945
Creator: United States. War Department.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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