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159 chapter five variety for the servicemen In 1944, Truman Gibson, civilian aide to the secretary of war, and Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis Sr. expressed great excitement over the activities of the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). Two of the most influential black Americans involved in the war effort, Gibson and Davis indicated that the AFRS was making a “great contribution” and that the program was “easily the best from an administrative point of view.”1 This high praise is not surprising, given the AFRS’s achievements in featuring black Americans on the radio. As part of its innovative program schedule to meet the entertainment needs of American soldiers, the AFRS developed Jubilee, an all-black variety show employing famous and talented musicians and comedians. Acknowledging the interests of black troops and the moraleboosting potential of individuals such as Duke Ellington and Lena Horne, the AFRS asserted that racialized programming was important to radio’s wartime function. Thus, Jubilee became part of the larger mission of the AFRS, as stated by the commanding officer, Tom Lewis: “Radio, by holding to the ideal of its charter—by faithfully serving public interest, convenience and necessity—can be the democratic voice of free America speaking to its own people . . . and to the freedom-loving people of the world.”2 Like the promotion of Joe Louis, the creation of Jubilee was part of the government’s wartime agenda to recognize black Americans through culturalprograms .ParticularlyintheWarDepartment,administratorsagreed that the best way to feature black individuals on the radio was to develop shows based mostly on music. After experimenting with the variety format in the program America’s Negro Soldiers, officials believed that popular black comedians, actors, and musicians could neutralize the subject of racial inequality. When the AFRS staff developed Jubilee, they could rest chapter five VARIETY FOR THE SERVICEMEN In 1944,Truman Gibson, civilian aide to the secretary of war, and Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis Sr. expressed great excitement over the activities of the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). Two of the most influential black Americans involved in the war effort, Gibson and Davis indicated that the AFRS was making a “great contribution” and that the program was “easily the best from an administrative point of view.”¹ This high praise is not surprising, given the AFRS’s achievements in featuring black Americans on the radio. As part of its innovative program schedule to meet the entertainment needs of American soldiers, the AFRS developed Jubilee, an all-black variety show employing famous and talented musicians and comedians. Acknowledging the interests of black troops and the moraleboosting potential of individuals such as Duke Ellington and Lena Horne, the AFRS asserted that racialized programming was important to radio’s wartime function. Thus, Jubilee became part of the larger mission of the AFRS, as stated by the commanding officer, Tom Lewis: “Radio, by holding to the ideal of its charter—by faithfully serving public interest, convenience and necessity—can be the democratic voice of free America speaking to its own people . . . and to the freedom-loving people of the world.”² Like the promotion of Joe Louis, the creation of Jubilee was part of the government’s wartime agenda to recognize black Americans through cultural programs. Particularly in theWar Department, administrators agreed that the best way to feature black individuals on the radio was to develop shows based mostly on music. After experimenting with the variety format in the program “America’s Negro Soldiers,” officials believed that popular black comedians, actors, and musicians could neutralize the subject of racial inequality. When the AFRS staff developed Jubilee, they could rest 160 VARIETY FOR THE SERVICEMEN easy, believing in the benign effects of popular entertainment. Employing luminaries such as Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson , and Lena Horne, the program’s administrators attempted to cool down the heated subject of racial inequality with familiar black voices. Jubilee represents a unique model in wartime government-sponsored culture as a show that would exclusively feature African Americans. Neither its creators, military audiences, nor black political leaders objected to the show’s racial separatism. In part, this seeming acceptance may be a result of the auditory nature of radio—that Jubilee audiences never actually saw the African American cast. Whereas all-black films such as Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather, both musical spectacles featuring famed jazz performers, received a great deal of criticism from both the NAACP and government officials, administrators did not regard Jubilee as anathema to...

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