| Verna: USO Girl | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Genre |
|
| Written by | Albert Innaurato |
| Directed by | Ronald F. Maxwell |
| Starring | Sissy Spacek William Hurt |
| Theme music composer | Jerome Kern, George Gershwin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Ron Maxwell |
| Cinematography | Beda Batka |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company | KQED |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | January 25, 1978 |
Verna: USO Girl is a 1978 American made-for-television biographical musical-drama film produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and broadcast nationwide by PBS as part of the Great Performances series on January 25, 1978. [1]
Contents
Based on a Paul Gallico story, [2] it focuses on untalented singer-dancer Verna Vane, who fervently believes that a U.S.O. tour overseas will put her on the road to superstardom. Although she's more willing than able, her brave self-confidence wins the hearts of the beleaguered GI audiences. They embrace the dauntless Verna because she, like them, is risking her life for the sake of the American dream.
Verna's fellow troupe members include Eddie, a second-rate vaudevillian, and would-be chanteuse Maureen, who encourages Verna (of whom she observes, "She's invented a new way to sing flat and dance clumsy") to set aside her show business fantasies and accept a proposal of marriage offered by Army engineering captain Walter.