Who is the Canteen Girl? Phyllis Jeanne Creore was an american who ventured into Rochester, New York, in 1937 looking to sell her songs. She found work in the radio scene. One day she saw an announcement looking for volunteers for the New York City Stage Door Cantee. A club that was set up entertain troops passing through New York that was established in the basement of the 44th Street Theater. Phyllis worked as a junior hostess and conceived the idea of hosting a Canteen on the air. "Phyllis successfully pitched her idea to NBC’s Red Network and, as of August 1942, the fifteen-minute Canteen Girl show went on the radio every Friday night at 6:30 PM. Her composition “This is My Wish” became the show’s theme song, exemplifying the encouraging sentiments she hoped to share with servicemen: “I wish you luck in everything you do, that all your cares will disappear from view / Sweet dreams until tomorrow’s reveille / This is my wish.” Her popularity as Canteen Girl meant that she got lots of fan mail and was able to fulfill her goal, which was to provide comfort, joy, and a feeling of closeness to not just the soldiers, but their families and other loved ones as well. "Each Friday’s show closed with these words, delivered in Phyllis’ sweet, upbeat voice: “Be sure to drop in at the Canteen next Friday at the same time, won’t you? Just set your dial right where it is now, and wait for the announcer to say, (enter a deep male voice) ‘Here is your Canteen Girl Phyllis Jeanne. Canteen Girl comes to you from New York.’ ”
Citation: Admin. “Phyllis Jeanne Creore.” WWII&NYC. WWII&NYC, December 17, 2012. https://wwii.nyhistory.org/2012/12/17/phyllis-jeanne-creore/.
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
Notes – Handwritten letter dated March 4, 1943, two pages. Includes envelope, postmarked March 4, 1943, 8:30PM, from Greenville Army Air Base, Greenville, SC.
What was the USO? "Just prior to the onset of America’s involvement in World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to unite several service associations into one organization to lift the morale of our military and nourish support on the home front. Those entities – the Salvation Army, Young Men’s Christian Association, Young Women’s Christian Association, National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers Aid Association and the National Jewish Welfare Board - became the United Service Organizations or, the USO."
Citation: “About Us: The Organization.” United Service Organizations. United Service Organizations. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://www.uso.org/about.
What did the USO do? "When it opened its doors on February 4, 1941, the USO was created as a physical network of stateside club locations where service members could go to relax, socialize and get a taste of the civilian world. Although USO dances and other center offerings helped fill troops’ recreational time, it didn’t take long for the organization’s leaders to realize the pressing need for live, quality entertainment for the growing number of GIs." Upon realizing treating the soldiers stateside was not enough and that they could do more, the USO decided to find ways to bring entertainment to the men overseas. Bringing entertainment, in any form or fashion, could only ever happen in the already established camps in which soldiers were residing. Four troupes were made; Victory Circuit, Blue Circuit, Hospital Circuit, and Foxhole Circuit. Victory and Blue Circuit troupes saw to the entertainment of stateside military personnel. Hospital Circuit troupes visited the wounded men, and Foxhole Circuit troupes went overseas. Foxhole Circuit did much of the entertainment that we tend to think of or imagine. They visited GIs in the United States, Europe, Russia, Central America, North Africa, and the South Pacific, just to name a few. Sources conflict on when exactly they went to Europe, they were there in the days and hours leading up to Operation Overlord (D-Day), and they continued to stay as long as five weeks and perform after VE day. Some of the performers who traveled to Europe were Edward G. Robinson, Ann Sheridan, Bing Crosby, Mickey Rooney, Marlene Dietrich, and Bob Hope. Some performers were captured as they were near the front; some were even killed.
Citation: Gohn, Sandi. “USO Camp Shows, D-Day and Entertaining Troops on the European Front Lines in WWII.” United Service Organizations. The USO, May 31, 2022. https://tinyurl.com/USO-Camp-Shows.