GUEST: “USO Hitler” Actor James Payton

The camera pulls back, revealing Steve Rogers marching on a treadmill in a Hollywood studio, a filmed backdrop of a battlefield flickering behind him. Extras dressed as soldiers march in sync, their boots thudding rhythmically. The director, perched behind the camera, barks, “Cut. Guys, don’t look at the camera.”

The chorus girls, glittering in their costumes, resume their song, their voices bright and urgent. “♪We can’t ignore there’s a threat and a war we must win♪”

Steve, in his star-spangled suit, grips his shield and faces the theater crowd. “Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy’s gun,” he says, with increasing confidence.

A montage unfolds, showcasing the troupe’s performances across packed theaters. The male chorus, in army uniforms, belts out, “♪Who’ll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berlin? Who will redeem, heed the call for America? Who’ll rise or fall, give his all for America? Who’s here to prove that we can? The star-spangled man with a plan♪”

In one theater, Senator Brandt and his assistant sit in the audience, scanning the cheering crowd, nodding with approval at the fervor. Steve, center stage, speaks earnestly. “We all know this is about trying to win the war. We can’t do that without bullets and bandages, tanks and tents. That’s where you come in. Every bond you buy will help protect someone you love.”

An actor dressed as Adolf Hitler creeps up behind the chorus line, his exaggerated sneer aimed at Steve’s back. Kids in the audience shout, “Turn around! He’s right behind you!”

Steve continues. “Keep our boys armed and ready, and the Germans will think twice about trying to get the drop on us.” He swings a theatrical haymaker, and the Hitler actor collapses dramatically, a cymbal crashing in sync. The kids erupt in wild applause.

The male chorus continues, “♪Stalwart and steady and true…” as the staged fight repeats in city after city—Buffalo, Milwaukee, Philadelphia—each punch landing with a cymbal crash, the crowd’s cheers growing louder with every performance.