Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-02-16

nah Shore, Judy
Phil Regain Garland, Deanna
Durbin, Frances
Langford, Betty Cradle, and all
that magnificent list of entertainers
whose talent has livened our fight
ing men have patched up many,
many deep wounds of heart and
mind.
There's q Reason
Let me tell you something of what
Bling means to the boys. I've talked
to some of them back from the in
vasion front who were there when
old Bling, steel helmet on one side
of his head, familiar pipe in the cor
ner of his mouth, stood up in jeep
to sing for detachment some
where along the roads off Normandy.
Howitzers were barking to his right,
and dull, persistent boom from
the horizon indicated a barrage be-
ing laid down ahead. But at sight
of the Old GrOaner, boys who we're
halted on their grim forward
march for rest period Strengthened
up and grinned.
"Bing! Hey, Bling! How about
Pennies from Heaven'?" And when
Bling grinned and raised his arm to
indicate he was ready to begin,
cheers and whistles split the skies.
Then silence more profound than
Carnegie hall, for they didn't want
to miss single note. When an enc
p1ann oir01ol Go -, HI
near, Bling just cooked an eye at
the sky and said, Gee what that
frankie Sinatra won't do to steal
show!" and went right on sing
ing. He'd give them all the old ia
vorites until the order came through
for the column to fall in. Those
boys were marching up to the
battle line, but their step was
lighter, they had new courage with
the echo of his music in their
hearts - the courage that comes
when danger is shared.
A Hit With the C.!.s
Once a week Dick Haynes puts
on radio show called Everything
for the Boys" They send in their
requests, and they talk by short
wave telephone from the battle
fronts to the folks at home. You
should read the mail that pours in
from the soldiers.
Phil Regan, telling me of his
experiences on his personal ap-
pearance tour, said: Sometimes
folks tell why they make certain re-
quests. You see, the songs they want
aren't always the smooth ones that
are in the groove at the moment.
They are the songs that remind
them of home.
Another song the boys want is
Onward, Christian Soldiers" that
fierce marching hymn, one of the
greatest of all time. It's keen as a
sword, that one, and mighty as eter-
nifty It's for moments where nos
talgic Renaissance won't do-mo-
ments when you want lift as well
as boost forward.
On U.S.O. tours Betty Cradle had
to sing "Embraceable You" over
and over and over again. And Alice
Faye's "I'll Have My Love to Keep
Me Warm" seemed to fill the same
spot with homesick boys.
So after talking with Phil Regan
my hats off to the singers and song
writers of the world for what
they've done and are doing for our
boys and for the civilians during
this war.
Bling Crosby didn't need war to
make him great, but war has
brought him closer to the millions
of fans who put him at the top and
keep him there than any peace
time years ever could.
Splitting the Beans
You'll be astounded when you
see Lucille Bremen in "Yolanda and
the Thief" coming out of lake with
her chiffon wells blowing IL feet in
the air and all her apparel dry, and
I'm just the nasty gal who'll tell
you how it was made. She, poor
gal, or rather, her swimming double
had wind machine strapped to her
back with pipes in which they put
the wind pressure. She backs into
the lake with her wells flying, falls
in backwards and they reverse the
camera and show her coming out.