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Thanks

Mail Call from the United States of America was primarily played to the American soldiers of WWII and featured an amazing array of celebrities. Some of the best and brightest stars of radio came out to entertain our men in uniform when they needed it most. The guest stars include comedians Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, Tito Guizar and Groucho Marx; starlets Dinah Shore, Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis, and Judy Garland; and comic duos Burns and Allen, among others.

Then men who served in the military during WWII could request stars that they wanted to hear on the show. The show is primarily comedy to help the soldiers forget about their wartime woes and remember the America they were fighting to preserve.

See also the Command Performance and Request Performance.

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Please enjoy these 49 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
06.03.1946	yvonne de carlo fred macmurray david street
10.13.1948	peggy knutson orson welles betty grable	+ Program #320. AFRS origination. The King Sisters start the show with, "The Isle Of Capri."
03.14.1945	nelson eddy cass daley andrews sisters	+ Program #136. AFRS origination. Nelson Eddy sings, "Rise and Shine." Jerry Lester, the famous surg...
08.23.1944	nelson eddy burns and allen jeanette macdonald
11.24.1943	lucille ball harry richman kay thompson laurel and hardy	+ Program #66. AFRS origination. Kay Thompson sings, "Yes, Indeed!" Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy do ...
03.08.1944	lionel barrymore connie haines eddie cantor	+ Program #81. AFRS origination. A tribute to servicemen from the state of Pennsylvania. The Pied Pi...
01.31.1945	june allyson ozzie nelson danny thomas	+ Program #129. AFRS origination. The date above is the recording date. The program was released in ...
04.11.1945	judy garland merry macs bob hope	+ Program #140. AFRS origination. Judy Garland sings, "Love." Judy wishes for Clark Gable to visit, ...
05.17.1944	judy garland jimmy durante bing crosby
02.21.1945	jack carson frances langford jerry colonna	+ Program #133. AFRS origination. Frances Langford sings, "There Goes That Song Again."
04.04.1945	jack carson dick powell smart set	+ Program #139. AFRS origination. The first tune is, "Exactly Like You." Claire Trevor recalls "Murd...
03.07.1945	jack benny paulette goddard claudette colbert	+ Program #135. AFRS origination. The Smart Set sings, "El Rancho Rio Grande." Jack gets four dates ...
01.05.1944	jack benny judy garland johnny mercer delta rhythm boys	+ Program #72. AFRS origination. A program of special greetings to the fighting men of Illinois. The...
N/A	jack benny chico marx celeste holm	+ Program #173. AFRS origination. The first tune is, "June Is Bustin' Out All Over."
03.27.1946	groucho marx kenny baker kathryn grayson	+ Program #188. AFRS origination. Kenny Baker starts the program with, "With A Song In My Heart." Gr...
08.26.1943	groucho marx irene manning paulette goddard	+ Program #53. AFRS origination. The program was released in September or October, 1943. The first t...
01.09.1943	groucho marx betty grable judy garland	+ Program #19. AFRS origination. Judy Garland sings, "I Never Knew," then teaches Jose to swing. Bet...
01.22.1947	gloria dehaven groucho marx bing crosby	+ Program #231. AFRS origination. The program sounds like a series of recordings from earlier broadc...
04.18.1945	ginny simms robert benchley harold peary	+ Program #141. AFRS origination. Ginny Simms sings, "In The Still Of The Night." Robert Benchley le...
05.20.1946	george murphy virginia obrien burns and allen
06.30.1943	george jessel paulette goddard tommy dorsey	+ Program #44. AFRS origination. After Georgie takes a phone call from mama, the Music Maids sing, "...
08.09.1944	frank sinatra rudy vallee fred allen mary livingstone	+ Program #104. AFRS origination. A tribute to the state of Maine. Rudy Valle sings, "The Maine Stei...
03.21.1945	frank morgan harpo marx burns and allen rita hayworth	+ Program #137. AFRS origination. Joan Merrill appears for the first time on the program and sings, ...
04.25.1949	frances gifford danny thomas	+ Program #340. AFRS origination. The first tune is, "Temptation." Danny Thomas does a comedy routin...
07.15.1943	edward g robinson dick powell ann miller	Program #46. AFRS origination. Marion Hutton sings a medley, starting with, "I've Heard That Song Be...

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Mail Call was an American radio program that entertained American soldiers from 1942 until 1945, during World War II. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas A.H. Lewis (the commander of the Armed Forces Radio Service) wrote in 1944, "The initial production of the Armed Forces Radio Service was 'Mail Call,' a morale-building half hour which brought famed performers to the microphone to sing and gag in the best American manner." The program featured popular entertainers of that day, such as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, and Dinah Shore, performing musical numbers and comedy skits to boost the morale of soldiers stationed far from their homes. Lewis added, "To a fellow who has spent months guarding an outpost in the South Seas, Iceland or Africa a cheery greeting from a favorite comedian, a song hit direct from Broadway, or the beating rhythm of a hot band, mean a tie with the home to which he hopes soon to return. Mail Call and other AFRS programs were produced in Los Angeles, California, with the organization's headquarters at 6011 Santa Monica Boulevard.

MAIL CALL