Episodes

Sunday Mar 21, 2010
Command Performance - Pgm 146
Sunday Mar 21, 2010
Sunday Mar 21, 2010
I've got a special fondness for the Armed Forces Radio Network's variety programming they put together for the troops. They're a little more loose and raucous than the network shows and you never know who might turn up or what they may come up with on the program.

Thursday Aug 13, 2009
Command Performance - Victory Extra
Thursday Aug 13, 2009
Thursday Aug 13, 2009
Finally this week in our look at the end of World War II, we hear a remarkable broadcast - a special episode of "Command Performance" dubbed "Victory Extra", prepared for VJ Day and broadcast August 15, 1945 on the Armed Forces Radio Network.
- An opening prayer read by Ronald Coleman
- "Ave Maria" performed by Rise Stevens
- Dinah Shore singing "I'll Walk Alone"
- Lionel Barrymore introducing Jose Iturbe
- Bette Davis in a comedy routine with Jimmy Durante and Jose Iturbe
- Marlene Dietrich introducing Burgess Meredith reading material by Ernie Pyle
- Ginny Sims singing "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To"
- Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby engaging in banter and singing a few song excerpts, then Frank sings "The House I Live In"
- Brief remarks from Rita Hayworth, Desi Arnez, Ida Lupino, Ginger Rogers, Ruth Hussey, Clare Trevor, Don Wilson, Bill Maldin, George Montgomery, John Conte, Jinx Falkenburg, Dinah Lewis, Ronald Coleman
- Janet Blair singing "What Is This Thing Called Love?"
- William Powell introducing Bing Crosby singing "San Fernando Valley"
- Harry Von Zell and Lucille Ball with "Sounds from Home" including Lucille Ball sighing
- The King Sisters singing "Shoo Shoo Baby"
- Cary Grant introducing Robert Montgomery reading words from FDR
- Loretta Young reading a prayer written by a Chaplin serving in Burma
- Lena Horne singing "The Man I Love"
- Col Thomas H.A. Lewis expressing thanks to the performers, radio networks and stations, unions music publishers and others that make AFRS programs possible
- GI Jill introducing Johnny Mercer singing "GI Jive"
- Edward G. Robinson and Orson Welles reading words from various military leaders of the War
- Lena Roman singing a song in Spanish
- Danny Kaye performing a song about movies
- Marilyn Maxwell singing "I Got Rhythm"
- Herbert Marshall reading a poem by a fighter pilot
- Carmen Miranda singing "Tico, Tico"
- Claudette Colbert with Ed Gardner as "Archie" from "Duffy's Tavern"
- Greer Garson introducing Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas"
- Orson Welles reading a prayer by Yeoman 3rd Class William Welch
- Ken Carpenter "signing off" the program "on this first day of world peace" and introducing the US national anthem

Saturday Apr 11, 2009
Command Performance, Pgm 162
Saturday Apr 11, 2009
Saturday Apr 11, 2009
We continue our look at the work of Bing Crosby this week with what may be the most famous program on AFRS that he appeared in. It's program 162 in the series "Command Performance", the comic strip operetta, "Dick Tracy in B Flat". The once-in-a-lifetime cast includes Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, Jimmy Durante, Judy Garland, Cass Daley, Frank Sinatra, Frank Morgan, Bob Hope, Jerry Colonna, the Andrews Sisters and announcer Harry Von Zell.