BLUEPRINT SPECIAL

AIRED: Season 6, Episode 10
THE DETECTIVE: Elyse Luray
THE PLACE: Washington, D.C. and Virginia

THE CASE:

A WWII veteran from Chico, California owns a unique souvenir from his time as a young GI. While stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, he picked up a 16-inch acetate recording of a promo for a soldier musical called “Hi Yank.”

The recording starts with a director's introduction explaining the musical is a “blueprint special” created by GIs for GIs to be performed anywhere in the world. Our contributor has heard of United Service Organization shows to support troops by boosting morale, but never a “blueprint special” musical.

Could this recording be a piece of forgotten history?

History Detectives meets with U.S. Army archivists and historians to find out if this disk was connected to the American war effort.

Hi Yank Musical
Listen to the full recording of the Hi Yank soldier musical.

Blueprint Special (PDF File 1.04MB)
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Think you have a case for the History Detectives? Send us your mystery here.