Ho, hum, another trip through Alabama Mosaic, and what do I find? Something of interest, of course.
During World War II the Alabama Army Ammunition Plant operating near Childersburg manufactured gunpowder and other chemicals needed by U.S. Army forces. These products were taken to the Coosa River Ordnance Plant located near Talladega and run by the Brecon Loading Company. The employees of these sites, and others such as the Anniston Ordnance Depot, needed some place to socialize in their free time. The USO Club in Talladega provided such a haven for many of the military personnel and their spouses.
The United Service Organization was founded in 1941 to offer live entertainment to members of the armed forces and their families. Since then volunteers ranging from Hollywood celebrities to local residents have offered their efforts to that mission. The USO became well known during World War II as singers, dancer, comedians, actors and others appeared at military installations stateside and abroad.
The photographs below were taken in 1942 at the USO Club in Talladega. The first two were taken by either Frank Lollar or one of his employees. Lollar opened a photography and camera shop in Birmingham in 1910 and eventually owned at least six stores in the area.
The first photo shows a scene from Noel Coward's play Ways and Means, first performed in London in 1936. The work was a short comedic play and part of a cycle of ten that were intended to be performed over three nights. Coward [1899-1973] was a multi-talented English playwright, director, actor, singer and composer.
Such material would have been appealing to volunteer actors putting on such performances over time at different venues. The Wikipedia entry linked above notes that in World War II alone, "According to historian Paul Holsinger, between 1941 and 1945, the USO did 293,738 performances in 208,178 separate visits. Estimates were that more than 161 million servicemen and women, in the U.S. and abroad, were entertained. The USO also did shows in military hospitals, eventually entertaining more than 3 million wounded soldiers and sailors in 192 different hospitals. There were 702 different USO troupes that toured the world, some spending up to six months per tour.[22] "
You can view a number of other stills put together in a YouTube video.
The facility is now the Spring Street Recreation Center.
