The Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) was an agency created in 1942 by the United States government to produce radio shows for broadcast to troops fighting overseas in World War II.
Indexes/finding aids (note)
Finding aid available in repository in: *L(Special) 88-31
Provenance (note)
Major portions of the Armed Forces Radio Service collection were donated by the Alan Hewitt Estate.
Portions also donated by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee, among others.
Processing action (note)
Cataloged
Author
United States. Armed Forces Radio Service.
Title
Armed Forces Radio Service collection of broadcast recordings, 1942-1949.
Biography
The Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) was an agency created in 1942 by the United States government to produce radio shows for broadcast to troops fighting overseas in World War II. Created mainly by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee, the AFRS produced and aired a wide variety of programs - comedy, informational, and dramatic programs, among others. The AFRS also aired edited versions of popular commercial radio programs.
The service was first centered in New York, but soon moved to Los Angeles, where many of its most famous programs were produced. Some of these were: Yarns for Yanks, Command performance, Mail call, and weekly broadcasts of concerts of many major American symphony orchestras. Many of the shows, such as Command performance and Mail call, relied on the donation of time and effort by major talent in show business, who thought of appearances on the programs as a way to contribute to the war effort.
The Armed Forces Radio Service continued producing shows after the end of World War II, and was restructured under the broader title of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in the late 1940's.
Indexes
Finding aid available in repository in: *L(Special) 88-31
Provenance
Major portions of the Armed Forces Radio Service collection were donated by the Alan Hewitt Estate.
Portions also donated by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee, among others.