Militaria Archive

American USO tours of the China-Burma-India theatre 1944 & 1945

A small collection of 21 Photographs from USO tours of the China-Burma-India theatre 1944 & 1945. Including ; Frances Langford who starred in movies with James Cagney and toured with Bob Hope in Europe. Carole Landis entertained in the China-Burma-India theatre (as did Ray Milland). Landis traveled more than 100,000 miles during the war and spent more time visiting troops than any other actress. She nearly died from amoebic dysentery and malaria she contracted while traveling overseas. In 1945 she starred on Broadway in the musical A Lady Says Yes with Jacqueline Susann, with whom she evidently fell in love and had an affair. Susann purportedly based the character Jennifer North in her book Valley of the Dolls on Landis. Also included is Irish American actor Pat O'Brien who played the priest in the James Cagney film Angels with Dirty faces & in later life fell out of favour with the hollywood system.