Editing Frank Loesser (section)

== World War II era ==
During [[World War II]], he enlisted in the [[United States Army Air Forces]] and continued to write lyrics for films and single songs.<ref name=pbs/> Loesser created the popular war song "[[Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition]]" (1942) inspired by words of navy chaplain Howell Forgy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191843730.001.0001/q-oro-ed5-00004516|title=Howell Forgy - Oxford Reference|website=www.oxfordreference.com|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780191843730.013.q-oro-ed5-00004516 |doi-broken-date=November 1, 2024|access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref> Loesser wrote other songs at the request of the armed forces, including "What Do You Do in the Infantry?" and "[[The Ballad of Rodger Young]]" (1943).<ref name=pbs/> He also wrote "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" for the 1943 film ''[[Thank Your Lucky Stars (film)|Thank Your Lucky Stars]]''.<ref name="Garraty 1988 385"/>

In 1944, Loesser worked as the lyricist on the little-known musical ''Hi Yank!'', performed by and for U.S. soldiers abroad, with music by [[Alex North]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wertheim |first=Albert |title=Staging the War: American Drama and World War II |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2004 |pages=146 |language=English}}</ref> ''Hi Yank!'' was produced by the U.S. Army Office of Special Services as a "blueprint special" to boost the morale of soldiers located where USO shows could not visit. The "blueprint" was a book containing a musical script with instructions for staging the show using materials locally available to deployed soldiers. According to a document at the U.S. Army Centre for Military History, a touring company formed in Italy was slated to produce the musical.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/pdf/610_blueprint.pdf PBS History Detectives; "Blueprint Special", 2008, show transcript, PDF] pbs.org</ref> ''Hi Yank!'' was generally forgotten until 2008 when the [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] ''[[History Detectives]]''  researched the case of a long-saved radio [[transcription disc]].<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/610_blueprintspecial.html PBS History Detectives; "Blueprint Special" Aired: Season 6, Episode 10; 2008] pbs.org</ref> The disc has two songs and a promotional announcement for the show's [[Fort Dix]] premiere in August 1944, when the disc was broadcast there.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/610_blueprintspecial.html Click on player at the bottom to listen to the recording of the Hi Yank soldier musical. (7m37s)] pbs.org</ref>