Throughout the semester in my “Re-Writing History” course, it’s been eye-opening to analyze and explore different portrayals of American history communicated via a vast array of media forms. I’ve enjoyed comparing and contrasting perspectives of creators, as well as focusing on the voices of the marginalized population. I decided that writing a blog post on the representation of American history gave me a perfect excuse to revisit the Off-Broadway cast recording of the musical The Hello Girls and reflect on the show’s poignant themes, plot, presentation, and accuracy.
A little over a year ago, I received a text from my friend asking (begging) for me to join her to see a new musical titled, The Hello Girls. I looked up the synopsis - a female army unit, World War I, French lyrics, a based-on-historical-events narrative, etc. Having just finished two week’s worth of final exams, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the thought of voluntarily spending my Saturday night sitting through what I thought would be another dry history lesson. After all, I’ve seen many historical plays throughout my lifetime and, let’s just say that not every piece is as engaging as Hamilton. Nevertheless, there I was, sitting front row beside my friend at 59E59 Theatres, Playbill in hand. Little did I realize that for the next 2 hours and 15 minutes, I’d witness one of the most impactful, inspiring retellings of American history.
The musical follows five young women after they are enlisted in the US Army during World War I. The lead protagonist, Grace Banker, serves as the levelheaded chief operator of the first female switchboard unit. Her team consists of naive Idaho farmgirl Helen Hunt; determined housewife Bertha Hunt; underage, feisty, French immigrant Louise LeBreton; and sardonic New Yorker Suzanne Prevot. Together, these women became vital components of the war, acting as telephone operators on the front line. They adapt to the intensity and danger of war while constantly having to prove their worth as female soldiers to a surrounding army of skeptical men.
In class, we analyzed many “unpopular” perspectives: the gay, black prostitute in Portrait of Jason, the not-black-and-white complexities of the 60’s experience from Joan Didion and Michael Herr’s works, or Focault’s argument against the repressive hypothesis of sexual history. The Hello Girls is relevant to this pattern as it seeks to share the experiences of a misunderstood, oppressed group during a major historical period.
In this play, the women are the main characters driving the story forward in an age where feminism was still a novel idea. They face incredible discrimination and mockery from male soldiers and leaders including General Pershing and Lieutenant Riser who don’t acknowledge the women’s skills and constantly disrespect them. In the musical number “Switchboard Lessons,” Prevot is made to spend time tutoring fellow male soldiers in switchboard operations (who mock her the entire time) due to an increased demand for telephone operators at the front line. Banker boldly confronts her commanders on the hypocrisy of this situation - the girls must waste their time tutoring inexperienced male soldiers rather than serve on the front line themselves.
The team takes immense risks to convince others of their capability and fight for their country. Following the war, the military refused veteran benefits for these women for the next sixty years since honorable discharges required being male. By the time this decision was changed, the majority of the 223 Hello Girls had since died.
A lesson from the course that helps us understand the relevance of this play is the unexpected realities of war shown in Dispatches, Dr. Strangelove, and Ken Burns’ Vietnam War docuseries. In these works, we are exposed to real testimonies and snapshots from wars which typically contradict the public’s general understanding of the event. In the same way that Dispatches reveals the so-often immature, apathetic American soldier of the Vietnam War, The Hello Girls unveils the female underdog soldiers who rarely received recognition. It showed us the humanity of these female soldiers in both their struggles and triumphs.
One hundred years later, the play gives these women a voice they weren't allowed to have during the war. Most importantly, this piece helps us reshape our previous, limited views of World War I, allowing us to think deeper about relevant themes like the female existence, soldier identity, and American war.
By Brielle Cayer
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