The Jeep Shows of WW2
I learned a fascinating peice of WW2 history recently.
Jenn and I had the opportnity to interview the author of “Jeep Show: A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge”. Robert O’Connor decided to write this book when he learned about the ‘Entertainment Specialist’ army job that existed during WW2.
These were actors, singers, dancers, and musicians who would actually enlist in the Army, go through basic training, then travel in a Jeep around the front lines of war zones.
Their sole job was to entertain the other troops.
These became known as “Jeep Shows”.
During his research, Robert discovered a book that was a bunch of letters from one of these army entertainers who had traveled and worked with Mickey Rooney in a Jeep Show unit.
Jenn and I were shocked by this because Mickey Rooney was the highest paid actor from 1939-1941. That’s like Tom Cruise (when he was younger) joining the Army and traveling around a combat zone with a rifle…just to entertain the soldiers.
The book is primary sourced but still was written as a historical fiction since Robert wanted put his protagonist (the one who was traveling with Mickey Rooney) in the midst of the Battle of the Bulge.
Before They Were Famous
Mickey Rooney was one of the biggest names at the time to sign up for the Army, but there were some other names that became VERY famous after their stint in this special army unit.
There are many more names of famous actors that served in the army. We have talked numerous times about Jimmy Stewart who flew multiple combat missions and continued to serve as a reserve officer after the war.
If you want to check out the book you can find it at jeepshowbook.com.
