Marlene Dietrich, German-Born Film Star, Patriot Supported US Troops During WW2

[appalachiablue]

- My favourite part of Marlene's career was her time in the American army during World War II. This is my little tribute to that. Lights: Running with the Boys.
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- USO: 'Why Marlene Dietrich Was One of the Most Patriotic Women in World War II', 2020.

Actress. Singer. Spy. USO Tour Veteran. Marlene Dietrich was many things to many people, but to our service members overseas during World War II, she was a morale-boosting entertainer willing to go above and beyond – right to the front lines – to support our nation’s military. Through her USO Camp Show tours, she brightened the lives of many soldiers, sailors and airmen, and she became one of the iconic faces of women in World War II. Here are 5 ways Dietrich supported American troops – and the USO – during World War II:

1. Marlene the Patriot: Dietrich had an impressive, lifelong career as an Academy Award-nominated actress, singer and entertainer. Although she began performing in small, vaudeville skits in Berlin, she would eventually move onto a career in the theater and later the silver screen. After moving to Hollywood in 1930, she became incredibly popular in American films alongside famous actors such as James Stewart, John Wayne and Fred MacMurray. When the U.S. entered World War II, Dietrich was one of the first celebrities to join the American war effort. She quickly went on tour across the United States selling war bonds and campaigning for support of the troops among the people at home.

2. Marlene the Spy: In 1937, Dietrich – who was then a German citizen – was approached by Nazi representatives and asked to star in propaganda films for the Third Reich. Supposedly, Adolf Hitler himself personally requested that she support the cause. Dietrich, who was staunchly anti-Nazi, refused. Two years later, she renounced her German citizenship and applied for U.S. citizenship – and the Nazis branded her as a traitor. In British wartime radio broadcasts sent over German airwaves, Dietrich spoke directly to her former countrymen: “Hitler is an idiot.”

Dietrich also worked with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.), the predecessor of today’s CIA, to record a series of anti-Nazi albums, using propaganda to weaken the morale of Nazi troops. The broadcasts of these songs and interviews were meant to create tension between the Axis Powers. The U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey “discovered that the programs were just as devastating to German morale as an air raid.” As these broadcasts continued, more and more Germans and Italians began to doubt Nazi and fascist propaganda, and despite Nazi efforts to outlaw the albums, Dietrich’s “Lili Marlene” song was a hit among Nazi troops....
More, https://www.uso.org/stories/2414-marlene-dietrich-most-patriotic-women-in-world-war-ii



- Dietrich meeting with injured American soldiers.

[NBachers]

1. I still get a kick out of the movie Hollywood Canteen. In fact, I think I'll go watch it tonight.

[appalachiablue]

2. Good idea, thanks for the reminder.