Command Performance (radio series)
[1] Troops sent in requests for a particular performer or program to appear, and they also suggested unusual ideas for music, sketches, or sounds from home on the program, such as: "Ann Miller tap dancing in military boots"; "a sigh from Carole Landis" or Lucille Ball;[2] "foghorns on San Francisco Bay"; "Errol Flynn taking a shower"; "a slot machine delivering the jackpot" and "Bing Crosby mixing a bourbon and soda for Bob Hope".
Top performers of the day were Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Fred Allen, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Lena Horne[3] and The Andrews Sisters.
Variety magazine commented on this saying: The War Department on Christmas Eve gave domestic listeners their first taste of a series that had been going out to the Armed Forces on short-wave for 43 consecutive weeks.
The purpose of the special occasion as Elmer Davis, Office of War Information chief, expressed it in a foreword to the show, was to forge a link between the servicemen abroad and the folks on the Home Front.
A special treat in the vocal department was the version of "Basin Street Blues" that came out of the tonsil partnership of Bing Crosby and The Charioteers.
An article in a 1943 issue of Tune In magazine estimated if "Presented by a commercial sponsor, Command Performance would have a weekly talent cost of $50,000.
"[9] In addition, performing and production unions waived their rules for the war effort on the condition that the shows were only broadcast to service personnel.
[10] Bing Crosby had the title role in Dick Tracy in B Flat with Dinah Shore as Tess Truheart and Jimmy Durante as The Mole.
