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[[newspaper clipping]] THE OHIO STATE NEWS ^[[18 Dec 48]] 'Operation Happiness' Chalks Up A Direct Hit By GEORGE LAWRENCE MORE THAN 2500 citizens of Columbus and Franklin County walked out of Memorial Hall last Wednesday night gloriously happy as a result of Lockbourne Air Base's presentation at "Operation Happiness." It was a great Christmas present from the airmen to the people of our town. By no means is "Operation Happiness" a polished professional production. But, we feel it is the most entertaining variety show we've ever seen. It was well-paced, pacek with plenty of talent, fine music and amusing humor. In a word, it was tremendous. The only discouraging thing was the fact that everybody didn't get to see this show; for the 35 airmen – including WAF's (Women in the Air Force) and enlisted men – from Lockbourne really put everything they had into "Operation Happiness." Citizens of Columbus can be thankful that they are probably the first and last civilian audience to see it. In the future, "Operation Happiness" will be shown only to airmen in the U.S. and abroad. Individual show-stoppers were: Pfc. Billy Bevins, a local lad, who twirls a baton with genuine skill: Pfc. Ivory Mitchell, who played "Warsaw Concerto" to perfection; Lt. Alvin Downing, who joined Mitchell in a two-piano battle of music and boogie woogie; Pfc. Stanley Mitchell, whose "Staff Car Driver" pantomime was quite unique and most amusing; and Lt. Daniel James, who was tops as master of ceremonies and who did much to add to this superb entertainment with his rendition of "Run Joe." Nearly all of the acts were entertaining. And the show was held in line by the fine and well-tagged Flying Band. There were times when the band out-played the vocalists, but this is not uncommon and did not destroy the warming appeal of "Operation Happiness." *** OTHER NUMBERS in the program (in order of appearance) include: "Gangrene" and "Brushes" by the band, "Tea for Two" by the Manuel & Gilbert tap team; a magician routine by S/Sgt. George Crawley; a feature vocal, "I'll Close My Eyes," by Pfc. Evelyn Matthews, supported by the Skylanders quartet; the Samba and Chorus by Fussa & Smith and the Lockettes; "It's Magic," sung by Pfc. William Chatman; and a very wonderful group of songs by the famous Skylanders, directed by S/Sgt Theodore Hunt, with a solo, "Passing By", sung by T/Sgt. Fred Hicks. Calvin Manuel's tap dancing in "Tappin' In On the QT" was commendable; and Sgt. Charles Cook's "Jitterbug Drill Team" almost stole the show. "Nick's Blues" was sung by Pfc. Nicholson; Clark, Manuel and Gilbert did a comedy skit called "Remote Control," and Verline Jones sang "Stormy Weather." Some amusing moments were seen in the battle of "Bebop Vs. Syncopation." And when the finale came, we knew "Operation Happiness" had appealed strongly to the largest audience it had every played before. As the entire cast joined in singing "Into the Deep Blue Yonder," the citizens of Columbus stood up and cheered these wonderful entertainers "onward and upward!" * * * OUTSTANDING WHKC commentator Paul Frank accepted Lockbourne's gift for the mayor of Columbus from Lt. Francis Collier, public information office at the base, who represented Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Lockbourne's commanding officer. Sponsors of the tremendous variety show were Ross Cleaners, the management and entire staff of radio station WHKC and The Ohio State NEWS. Franklin County Commissioners offered the use of the Memorial Hall for the event. And it was all free! . . . "The greatest 'freebie' we'll ever see," to quote one happy soul as the superbly-entertaining show ended. [[/newspaper clipping]] [[newspaper clipping]] 10 The Columbus Citizen THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1948 [[image - headshot photograph of man]] On the Aisle - - - Premiere of 'Jassy' Recalls A Bunch of Very Smart Greeks ONCE UPON A TIME, better than 2000 years ago, some Greeks had a very smart idea. This was not at all unusual, because the Greeks were the smartest people anywhere around the Mediterranean Sea, which covered a great deal of area indeed. Then, even as now, the theater flourished. Then, even as now, playwrights would get in a jam every so often. They would get a plot well along, with a lot of clever involvements, then they'd find they couldn't unravel the situation. For example, the hero would be facing certain death, with no logical way for him to escape. [[?]] machina fixes things up just in time. "Jassy" is interesting at least half the time, but its extremely slow pace, its wearisome detail and its general air of stuffy refinement are detractions. Both Miss Lockwood and Mr. Sidney give effective performances, however. Miss Lockwood's portrayal of an intelligent, scrupulously honest but vengeful woman is in itself a suitable reason for seeing the film. It will play through Saturday evening at the Beechwold, Boulevard, Esquire, University and Westmont theaters. On the same bill is the ideal Christmas short subject – a cartoon color version of that children's classic, "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer." LOCKBOURNE ARMY AIR BASE gave its Christmas present to Columbus last night in Memorial Hall. It was a free revue, "Operation Happiness." The show is full of talent and bright music. The city owes a vote of thanks to the 80 young ladies and gentlemen on duty at Lockbourne who staged it. [[/newspaper clipping]] [[newspaper clipping]] THE DAYTON HERALD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1848 A.S. KANY'S Let's GO Places What it takes to make a rip-roaring two-hour entertainment without any inhibitions you might find ordinarily in a specialized group is provided in "Operation Happiness." [[image - portrait photograph of Paddy Cliff]] This Tactical Air Command show, with an all-Negro cast of about 50, opened a three-night engagement in the Hilltop theater at Wright-Patterson Field last night. It is the result of month-long efforts on the part of Lt. Col. Joseph F. Goetz, former Dayton boy, now chief entertainment and motion pictures, U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., and his staff. Backed by an excellent 18-piece band, which plays everything from sweet to bee-bop, the revue offers a wealth of talent in widely-separated channels. It is emceed by Lt. Daniel James with such a snappy line of chatter and such finesse as would be welcomed with open arms by the producer of a professional revue. Then follow such acts as soft-shoe tapping, singing, magic, and novelty stunts, too many to recount individually. Among them we would like to mention for special praise Evelyn Matthews and the Airmen's quartet singing "I'll Close My Eyes"; a 24-man glee club called the Skylanders, with super-excellent singing of several rousing numbers; Pfc. Stanley Mitchell with a unique pantomimic act; a jitterbug drill team, and some terrific baton twirling by Corp. Billy. Bevan. Everything is tops, even to the glittering costumes that make this revue a somewhat dress-up affair. + + + [[/newspaper clipping]] [[newspaper clipping]] The Post Script WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE DAYTON, OHIO Vol. 1, Number 13 WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE DAYTON, OHIO Friday, December 17, 1948 HATS OFF TO 'OPERATION HAPPINESS' Thanks and congratulations to personnel of Lockbourne AFB in Columbus, Ohio, for their terrific review "Operation Happiness" presented at Hill Top theater Area B, December 7, 8 and 9. This 60 member all-Airmen musical was produced at Lockbourne in connection with the new USAF entertainment program established by USAF Special Services Branch in Washington, D.C. Special project officer for the review was Lt. Col. Joseph F. Goetz, who produced the 50 man all-soldier show "Flying Varieties" at Wright-Field during World War II. The finest professional equipment available has been produced for this colorful musical which features individual talent rather than trained performers. Strictly Air Force, "Operation Happiness" is a Top Notch production which will bring acclaim to the USAF as well as first rate entertainment to Air Force personnel throughout this country and in overseas areas. [[/newspaper clipping]]
