Ella Fitzgerald's USO Camp Shows M-1 Liner
In 1941 the USO (United Service Organizations) launched a Camp Shows program to provide United States military personnel with special performance entertainment. Authorized by the War and Navy Departments, these Camp Shows began at home and extended worldwide to all theaters of operations during World War II (1939-1945). The shows highlighted some of the era's most famous stars, including performances from leading African American musicians. The M-1 helmet liner featured here was worn by the “First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald, in a USO Camp Show. The liner is characteristic of the standard military issue liners of the period with a olive drab paint finish and cotton twill suspension. All the interior components are intact. Featured on the front is a hand painted USO insignia, which consists of a white eagle painted on a red banner with the initials “USO” on the eagle’s breast and “Camp Shows” beneath the wing. With the helmet is a recreation pass given to Pfc. Jose R. Lopez of the 4458th Quartermaster Service Company, Sixth U.S. Army Group.
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, though she spent most of her young life in New York. Ella had a colorful childhood in New York, often taking illegal jobs in order to help out with the family finances. She ran numbers for gangster lotteries and even acted as a police spotter for prostitutes. But her life changed at the age of fifteen when she went to an amature night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Intending to dance, Ella got nervous upon taking the stage and decided to sing. The Apollo crowd loved her. After the performance she began performing in Harlem’s jazz district where she caught the eye of some of the era’s great jazz musicians.2
In 1935, Ella Fitzgerald met Chick Webb, a drummer who had a local band. Under Webb’s direction Ella took her career to new heights, selling over 1,000,000 records by the end of the decade. Ella launched a solo career during World War II (1939-1945) and performed numerous times overseas.3 She also participated in the USO Camp Shows program for American service men and women. Ella continued to perform until her last show at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1991. Throughout her career she recorded over 200 albums, performed with some of the century's greatest artists, and received numerous awards. By the time of her death at the age of 79 in 1996, Ella Fitzgerald was recognized as one of the greatest and most influential female singers of all time.4
| United States | World War II |
| Infantry Helmet | 1943 |
| Firestone Tire & Rubber Company | |
| USH-32-1107 | |
