
Idea is to give G.I.'s a chance to hear Eastern legit and night club talent. Journal will be cut in New York from October 15 until November 13, a total of more than 12 shows. The four top armed forces radio service shows, Command Performance, Mail Call, Jubilee and G.I. 21, 1944, issue of The Billboard magazine carried a story headlined, "AFRS To Cut 4 Major E.T.s In East 12 Weeks." It reported: Some of the uniformed men had been drafted, then re-routed back to Hollywood and the "Y&Rmy ĭuring at least one interval, however, production shifted to the East Coast. The uniformed staff, representing both army and navy, was supplemented by civilians. Lewis, had been vice president of Young & Rubicam - always known as "Y&R" - the most Hollywood-oriented advertising agency, much top talent was drawn from the agency's productions.

Erik Barnouw wrote:īecause its commandant, Colonel Thomas H.A. Many of the behind-the-scenes military people involved in Mail Call and other AFRS programs had jobs similar to those they had had in civilian life. The mission of the new AFRS was to provide American servicemen 'a touch of home' through the broadcast of American news and entertainment." Among the behind-the-scenes people was Meredith Willson (perhaps best known for writing " The Music Man"), who was the first musical director for AFRS. The Encyclopedia of Radio noted: " Los Angeles was selected as the headquarters because of its proximity to the entertainment industry, which quickly gave its overwhelming support. Mail Call and other AFRS programs were produced in Los Angeles, Calif., with the organization's headquarters at 6011 Santa Monica Boulevard, The location provided access to top-flight entertainers, staff and facilities. 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. Lewis (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. Mail Call was an American radio program that entertained American soldiers from 1942 until 1945, during World War II. Got it? Great! Let’s get into the calls to action you can copy and paste in some common email scenarios.Phil Silvers, Betty Grable and Rags Ragland on Mail Call in 1943 Yes, you can be straightforward and gracious at the same time, and doing so will also help to ease any of your own nerves about being so upfront about what you need. Eliminate any confusion right off the bat by making your timeline clear.įinally, don’t forget to say “thank you” right after your call to action. But, you probably know how irritating it is when somebody sends you something to do with no indication of when they need it by. Next, do include a deadline with your call to action.

Instead, asking something like, “Could you take a look at pages 18-24 and let me know if you have any changes by Wednesday?” provides clear and helpful direction. Sending an email with an 80-page report attached and a blanket request like, “Hey, can you look at this?” will only overwhelm your recipient-which means you probably aren’t going to get a response. Get specific about exactly what you need from that other person. This first one you could probably see coming: Don’t be too general. Guilty as charged? You aren’t alone-which is why I’ve pulled together these simple call-to-action templates that you can copy, paste, and use in your own emails.īefore we get to the templates, let’s cover a few best practices you should keep in mind when using calls to action in your emails. The recipient gets all the way to the end and thinks, “Uhhh, OK… Now what?”

We don’t want to seem like steamrollers, so we send messages that are so politely vague, they end up being completely unclear. However, being explicit about what you need can also feel a little counterintuitive. It makes sense-if there’s nothing you need them to actually do with that email, should you really be sending it? You’ve probably heard the advice that every single email you send should include a clear call to action for the recipient.
