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One of the most important aspects of British life during the Second World War was entertainment, essential to help maintain the morale of the population. This book looks at both the serious debates about what sorts of entertainment were suitable and how they should be provided, and at the actual radio programmes, songs, plays and stars who did the entertaining.
One theme that runs throughout much of the book is the debate about what sort of entertainment to provide, who should do it, and on what scale. One early result of this was the start of proper news on the BBC – in the pre-war period there had been strict limits to avoid competing with the print newspapers, but during the war BBC radio newsreaders became very familiar voices. Just before the outbreak of war the BBC merged its existing radio services into the single Home Service, which was joined by the Forces Programme in 1940. At the outbreak of war just about every other form of entertainment was shut down, but it was quickly realised this was a mistake and venues such as cinemas or theatres were soon allowed to open. The debate then switched to what sort of plays or songs were suitable, with some complaining that sentimental songs would lower morale and shouldn’t be played. This actually led to Vera Lynn losing her regular radio programme for a large part of the war!
Several of the major stars get a sizable amount of space – George Formby, Vera Lynn, Tommy Trinder etc – reflecting the significant role they played in wartime entertainment. I confess I don’t really understand the appeal of It’s That Man Again, but here one gets to understand why it was so popular at the time. George Formby was a good example of a major star who largely abandoned his normal work to focus on the war effort, travelling vast distances throughout the war, even visiting the troops in Burma. It is estimated that he performed in front of three million troops!
The authors avoid the perils of only dwelling on the positives. The most obvious negative feature of wartime entertainment was the danger of bombing. Busy cinemas, theatres and dance halls all had the potential to produce tragedies if they were hit by bombs, and there are several examples given here of just that happening. Both performers and audience were at risk – a bomb that hit the Café de Paris on 8 March 1941 killed most of the orchestra. Sports events were also potentially dangerous, with even larger crowds in a single place, but once the Germans had switched to night bombing the risk here was greatly reduced. The nature of wartime entertainment caused controversy at the time, with some people objecting to the greatly reducing horse racing programme on the grounds that people were wasting resources travelling to the races, and to greyhound racing. People in the entertainment industry found themselves in a difficult position, with great demand for performers at home, but also the need to perform for the troops. Even the most popular stars, such as Gracie Fields, could find themselves the target of attack if they were felt not to be giving enough of their time. Even what would appear to be fairly uncontroversial ideas, such as broadcasting American radio programmes on the Forces Programme as the number of US troops in Britian grew could case arguments, with some objecting to the Americanisation of the BBC!
This is a good study of this topic, nicely combining the more serious debates about the nature of wartime entertainment with a look at the most popular stars and performances of the period, and a look at the very real risks of going to an entertainment venue during wartime.
Chapters
1 – This Country is at War…
2 – Here is the News…
3 – This is the BBC Forces Programme
4 – It’s That Man Again
5 – Mr Wu’s an Air Raid Warden Now
6 – More Than One Forces’ Sweetheart
7 – Sing As We Go and Let the World Go By
8 – Great Symphonies and Concertos
9 – Soft Lights and Sweet Music
10 – In the Mood
11 – Over the Rainbow
12 – Now Showing – Target for Tomorrow
13 – No Better National Service
14 – Tonight and Every Night
15 – I’ll Be Home for Christmas
16 – Smiling Through Coupon Monday
17 – Holidaying at Home
18 – A Sporting Life
19 – A Land of Begin Again…
Author: Anton Rippon and Nicola Rippon
Edition: Hardcover
Pages:
Publisher: Pen & Sword History
Year: