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Recollections of Joe Geczi

While awaiting transfer back to my former combat unit, I heard some exciting news that a musical show director, a Sgt. Sidney Mills of the Mills Music Publishers of New York City, was organizing a traveling show unit (Special Services) to function as an entertainment unit for the troops in France, very often close to the battle area.  He was in the process of formulating the unit and was soliciting talent and screening applicants.  He was interested in people with musical or entertainment backgrounds.  I was accepted after “finding a violin and playing Czardas by Monti and joined the outfit.  Being a member of this unit, without the least bit of doubt, had given me a new lease on life, because returning to the 9th Infantry Regiment would have finished me off.

Geczi & Laughs Inc. Bus
Joe poses beside the Laughs, Inc. bus in Munster, Germany

After establishing an acceptable program, we began by touring the defense plants in the vicinity of Birmingham and to, hopefully, build an acceptable reputation as a fine show and to become worthy of recognition and eventually to be shipped to France, thereby boosting the morale of the war-weary troops in the field.  We began rehearsing on August 22, 1944.  The shows were always very much in demand by the GI’s.  Our first rehearsals were mini-shows, and since most of us were former combat veterans there was no resentment.  

The following is in simplified form a sketchy history of  “LAUGHS INC.”, Special Service Platoon #7.  Our direct mission as a show unit, consisting of 24 Enlisted Men and 1 Officer, was to travel to all the Replacement Depots, under the GFRS, spending an average of two weeks at each Depot.  There we put on as many performances as the situation allows, usually reporting to Depot Headquarters, we were booked at all the battalions of the depot, including the forward ones where troops going directly to their outfits were in dire need of entertainment.

In the first two months that we were organized, we played in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.  Experiences were many during these visits to various countries and we performed during air raids and enemy artillery shelling.  Traveling roads at night subjected us to strafing and on Christmas Night, we narrowly escaped death when a determined “Jerry” pilot decided to end our tour.  Fortune was with us and his poor piloting enabled us to continue on in our work.  In Belgium and Holland we spent many weeks in cities that were at the time being victimized by the dreaded V-1 and V-2.  We performed on stages which rattled every 10 minutes from vibrations caused by passing flying bombs.  It made sharp contrast to musical numbers and pretty songs and funny stories, but at the same time it made our work more necessary at the moment, so we continued with renewed vigor.

While staying at these depots for two weeks, we played many performances that we called “outside engagements”.  Usually played on our evenings off, or on mornings and afternoons when we were not scheduled, we booked ourselves for units who were not under the GFRS command.  Anxious to entertain as many soldiers as possible, realizing as we did, because of the fact that we had been in combat, and understanding how very much they needed entertainment.  We played for infantry divisions who were only a mile or two behind the lines in a “rest” area.  On one occasion we played for an infantry regiment who had just been on the lines the day before.  It was the most gratifying reception we ever had and we knew when we played and sang and told jokes for those tired, weary-looking men, that they appreciated every minute of it and they proved it by wild cheering and applauding and hearty laughter throughout the show.  

On many afternoons we split our show into two groups, a small band combination accompanying the acts and went to stations and general hospitals and performed for the wounded.  Many the time we gave as many as 20-22 ward shows, each one lasting 40 minutes,  and then at night played our entire show in the hospital theatre for the staff and ambulatory patients.

Our audiences were anywhere from 200 to 2000 and we played for as many as 4000 men in one night.  The running time of our show was from 1 hour and 50 minutes to 2 hours.  Our theatres for showing were varied - from the most luxurious type with full stage, down to buildings greatly resembling large barns.  On one occasion we did a show in a market square of a little French village - it being the only available makeshift theatre.

The composition of our show was one of great variety and we boasted of having every type of vaudeville act available - singers (crooner & South American), dancers (comedy, ballet and tap), accordionist, violinist, magician, singing cowboy, impersonator, roller skater, Hill Billy combination, Master of Ceremonies, comedian and a thirteen piece orchestra all blended to give the boys a fast moving, highly entertaining show, vividly reminiscent of the shows they used to see back home.

This information graciously provided  by Joe's daughter Mageline E. (Geczi) Marziotta