“Thanks for the memories.”
That is how I felt after Sunday afternoon’s Stars and Stripes USO Show at the historic Palace Theatre.
They weren’t really my memories, but I could tell many of those in the audience were remembering good times of long ago.
I truly enjoyed the show, but it was an added pleasure watching others enjoy the performances.
No doubt a lot of memories resurfaced for those in attendance. I don’t have any way of knowing this for sure, but my guess is the memories that were running through the minds of people at the show were good memories even though they were wartime memories.
My favorite moment of the show was when Bob Hope, aka Bill Johnson, was telling the audience about the time he brought the USO show to Vietnam for a Christmas performance.
He told us that once the plane carrying the show cast landed, they were told to get the show started as soon as possible.
The reason for the rush was a pending monsoon storm that was bearing down on them. The show started with just a light sprinkle that didn’t bother the soldiers there for the show, of course.
Midway through the show the rain was coming down hard, but still the soldiers stayed in their seats. By the time Ann Margret came out on the stage, it was a full-blown monsoon and not one soldier had left. The beautiful Ann Margret sang “Silent Night” to a drenched crowd of soldiers.
As Bob Hope was telling this story to the audience at the Palace Theatre in Luverne some 50 years later, the crowd was completely silent. It was as if we were there. That was a powerful moment.
The Star Herald was one of the sponsors of the USO show at the Palace, and after enjoying the event and all its talented contributors, we are proud to have played a role in bringing them to Luverne.