USO performance of Girl Crazy, Saipan, 1945
Description:
Photograph. Cropped. Sailors on stage with female United Service Organizations [USO] during a performance of "Girl Crazy"; Emmy Lou Swann is standing at the far right; a band is seated at the back of the stage; a sign above the stage reads "101st Seabees Welcome 'Girl Crazy'." Postwar personal caption on reverse: "Show on Saipan - April 1945- / I'm on the right side of stage putting hat on sailor - show on stage on island of Saipan. The show consisted of 25 people. I took a 6 month leave from Paramount. I'm glad I didn't miss it. It was a thrilling experience!!" Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. April 1945
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Items from the United Service Organizations (USO) service of Mrs. Emmy Lou Swann (née Sites), otherwise known as Nan Holliday, who was part of the troupe that performed “Girl Crazy” in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Swann was born in December 1923 in Ohio, but moved with her family to California by her mid teens. She became a performer, and in December 1944 she was assigned to a USO troupe to perform the musical “Girl Crazy.” Swann and her troupe performed at military bases on Oahu, Honolulu, Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Falalop. Their tour ended in June 1945, and Swann returned to California. It is there that she met her husband, Frank William Swann, Jr., an actor who had served in the United States Navy during World War II. The collection consists of Army Signal Corps photographs as well as photographs Swann took. For more items relating to Swann’s USO service see 2008.538 as well as her oral history.
Geography:
Saipan