In this 1936 reminiscence, American entertainer Elsie Janis (1889 – 1956) toots her own horn in recalling some of the experiences she had during the six months in which she sang and cracked wise before the American military deployed in France during the First World War; the Doughboys adored her:
“No one had more gags or told more stories about the brass hats than Elsie. No one ever called the gang up front to sit in the high-and-mighty officers’ seats, because the brass hats were a little late, but Elsie. No one cracked more bad gags about generals and their chateaux. I knew instinctively that riding them was an exercise the gang would excel at, if permitted. So, I rode in where the gang couldn’t…”
