For the Duration” Multimedia Stage
Event to Feature Comedy of Bob Hope on the Very Queen Mary Stage
Where He Performed the “First USO Show”
Long Beach, CA—It’s been called Bob Hope’s “first USO Show.” It took
place on the evening of September 3, 1939 in the First Class Lounge
(now the Queen’s Salon) of the RMS Queen Mary.
And it is the basis for a new multimedia stage event premiering in
that very room on Saturday, February 9 with a gala reception and
dinner as a part of a weekend honoring the Queen Mary’s role in
World War II and the war’s veterans.
Bob and Delores Hope were returning to New York from a visit to his
native England so he could introduce his new wife to his family. It
was no ordinary transatlantic crossing; most people knew war was
imminent in Europe and the luxury liner was overbooked and
overstuffed with passengers fleeing what the expected advance of the
Third Reich’s army on their homelands. They were sailing to freedom.
On that morning, Delores Hope had been upstairs attending morning
Mass. She came back to their cabin and said simply, “We’re at war.”
She had heard British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlains’ BBC
broadcast, picked up on the short wave, announcing that as a result
of the Nazi occupation of Poland, the Empire had declared war on
Germany.
Immediately preparations began on board the Queen Mary to hide it
from the German U-Boats that prowled the North Atlantic Ocean.
Portholes were being painted over. Heavy, dark blackout curtains
were being installed over windows. The ship would run at night
without lights.
It was a nervous time, not only because the passengers knew the
thousand-foot-long ship was the biggest target on the ocean, but
also because they knew this war would affect virtually every person
on the planet.
Bob Hope said that as he walked the decks and through the elegant
rooms of the ship he saw people crying and he had an idea. Using his
natural gift for humor, he would perform a show that evening to try
to lift the spirits of the passengers.
He took his idea to the ship’s captain, Peter Murchie, who readily
agreed.
All that afternoon, Bob Hope wrote gags that he would perform that
evening on the stage of the First Class Lounge. And he did perform,
although he said that trying to dance while wearing a life preserver
was a challenge.
The multimedia stage event “For the Duration,” to have its premiere
during the For the Duration weekend on board the Queen Mary,
February 7-10, will take the audience from that night in September,
1939 through the history of the high and low points of the war using
Bob Hope’s comedy. Along with rare newsreel footage of the war in
both the European and Pacific Theaters, live performances of the
best loved songs of the era will tell the story of valor that won
the battle against tyranny.
The event is sponsored by Trans-Oceanic on board the Queen Mary and
the Union Jack newspaper. Trans-Oceanic operates a shop on the
historic liner that is moored in Long Beach Harbor and which also
produces a number of special events throughout the year. The Union
Jack is America’s only national British newspaper.
For the Duration will also feature an array of seminars and
roundtables related to World War II.
Joanna Doolittle Hoppes, author and granddaughter of Gen. Jimmy
Doolittle—who led the famous first air raid over Japan, memorialized
in the film “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo”—will share her special
knowledge, research, and memories.
Dr. James Steele, professor of architecture at the University of
Southern California, will also speak. Dr. Steele is the author of
the award-winning book Queen Mary, considered to be one of the most
complete and authoritative publications about the ship and its
history.
David and Gloria Main will travel from Southampton, England to lead
a program on the English Home Front During World War II. David Main
was an engineering officer on board the Queen Mary and was a youth
in Portsmouth, England during the war. His wife Gloria was a child
in neighboring Southampton during the war years. Both have vivid
memories of the hardships the war caused for the English population
as Germany sought their submission.
Dennis Leslie, the definitive Gen. Douglas MacArthur of the modern
day, will recreate the distinguished General of the Armies and
Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area.
A roundtable will cover Southern California in World War II, from
the defense industry plants in Long Beach and throughout the
Southland to the blimp base in Tustin.
Other topics to be covered in seminars and roundtables include Pearl
Harbor, Berlin at the End of World War II, The Immortal Chaplains,
and the OSS in the war.
A historic salon will be transformed into a private club for For the
Duration participants, much like an officers’ club.
Throughout the weekend WWII reenactors will provide living history
demonstrations and films and newsreels from the era will be shown.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, February 10.
In addition, a variety of World War II-related vendors will display
their merchandise throughout the weekend.
A special three-night package that includes hotel accommodations in
the ship’s historic hotel rooms is available.
For further information, contact Trans-Oceanic on board the Queen
Mary at 562/499-1772. Information is also available at
www.ForTheDuration.net and Trans-Oceanic.com.
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