Palm Springs USO Show
The Debut of the Palm Springs USO Show is scheduled for the evening of February 23 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. It is the Western Premiere of a ten-show season starting in October 2014 that runs through April 2015. Starring comedian Bill Johnson who performs as Bob Hope this patriotic show is a charitable benefit for The USO of Palm Springs and the Bob Hope USO in Los Angeles.
This show features a twelve-piece orchestra with male vocalist, the Girls of Company B who perform as The Andrew Sisters, and of course the comedy skits of Bob Hope as performed by Bill Johnson. It is a nostalgic “Thanks for the Memories” event that is intended to follow the format of the original USO Shows that Bob Hope hosted for fifty years.
Created in 2012, by U.S. Tours, as a benefit to the USO of Virginia Beach this show has given the USO $25,000 to date. The Palms Springs USO Show will receive $10 per person for the premier and a full ten percent of proceeds in the coming theater season.
Coincidental to the announcement by the Palm Springs Follies that this is their final season, the USO Show has released a schedule of Thursday Matinees that are already selling to tour and travel groups. While there is very little comparison to the Follies Vaudeville Show, this Patriotic Salute fills the hole left by their closing.
“With the support of the Palm Springs Tourism community and the USO’s of Southern California, we are excited about the future,” said Bob Cline of U.S. Tours. “I hope this show has a run that lasts until the last troops come home.” Compete details can be found at www.USOShow.com.
The February Premier is a part of three-night tour package produced for and sold by TAP, the Travel Alliance Partners. That package includes Three Shows, Hotels and Meals. While the USO Show is the headliner, there is also a M*A*S*H Bash at the Palm Springs Aviation Museum, and a Las Vegas Rat Pack Show titled “Drinkin’ Singin’ and Swingin’ at the Riviera Hotel. Titled “Memories in the Desert,” the full package is a nostalgic return to the music of the 40’s and 50’s.
“We do this humbly, to support the efforts of a great organization and their important work," said Melinda Marinoff of Palm Springs Vacation Travel who has partnered with U.S. Tours to bring this show West. "You know, a great percentage of America’s soldiers are barely out of High School. It’s a small thing we do, but when we contribute to the USO’s Mission and provide these young men and women with comfort, we feel connected to their anxious families at home; with our help, for just a moment their son or daughter was cared for by the USO.”
Source: U.S. Tours Photo: PalmSpringsUSOShow.com
