USO
From July through early August of 1944, Gene performed the most emotionally
and physically demanding role of her life...that of a USO/Camp Shows volunteer,
touring the perilous Foxhole Circuit to boost the morale of American fighting
men on the front lines. She was one of the "Soldiers in Greasepaint,"
bringing laughter and a bit of home to war-weary men and women while bombs
exploded just a few miles away. The GIs loved her. Gene was "Our All-American Girl," the gorgeous
pin-up in the black teddy come to life. Their thunderous applause would
overwhelm Gene every time the famous comedian USO host would introduce her for
their lively opening comedy skit. To maintain military secrecy, Gene was not allowed to reveal her itinerary to
anyone, or tell what units they'd already played to. Her troupe traveled in
England and France, performing fourteen shows a week in castles, the back of
supply trucks, and on hastily thrown-together stages in the middle of cow fields
and combat zones. The soldiers' courage and patriotism made Gene so proud to
wear the uniform the studio made for her--not too authentic, so the enemy would
realize she wasn't a soldier in case she were captured (several actors had this
terrifying experience). Gene will never forget the powerful emotions she felt
stepping on the shores of Normandy, seeing the new hope for victory dawning in
everyone's eyes. On the plane flying home, she knew these two months were the
hardest...and proudest...days of her life.
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