Marlene Dietrich camped out behind enemy lines during the winter of 1944-194
by David Lee Guss
Title
Marlene Dietrich camped out behind enemy lines during the winter of 1944-194
Artist
David Lee Guss
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
"During two extended tours for the USO in 1944 and 1945, she performed for Allied troops in Algeria, Italy, the UK and France, then went into Germany with Generals James M. Gavin and George S. Patton. When asked why she had done this, in spite of the obvious danger of being within a few kilometers of German lines, she replied, 'aus Anstand' out of decency. Billy Wilder later remarked that she was at the front lines more than Eisenhower.
Her revue, with Danny Thomas as her opening act, included songs from her films, performances on her musical saw (a skill she had originally acquired for stage appearances in Berlin in the 1920s) and a pretend 'mindreading' act. Dietrich would inform the audience that she could read minds and ask them to concentrate on whatever came into their minds. Then she would walk over to a soldier and earnestly tell him, 'Oh, think of something else. I can't possibly talk about that!' American church papers reportedly published stories complaining about this part of Dietrich's act.
In 1944, the Morale Operations Branch of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) initiated the Musak project, musical propaganda broadcasts designed to demoralize enemy soldiers. Dietrich, the only performer who was made aware that her recordings would be for OSS use, recorded a number of songs in German for the project, including 'Lili Marleen,' a favorite of soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Major General William J. Donovan, head of the OSS, wrote to Dietrich, 'I am personally deeply grateful for your generosity in making these recordings for us.'"
Uploaded
October 31st, 2016
Statistics
Viewed 136 Times - Last Visitor from White Plains, NY on 02/11/2024 at 7:53 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Tags
Comments
There are no comments for Marlene Dietrich camped out behind enemy lines during the winter of 1944-194. Click here to post the first comment.