Stage Door Canteen

United Artists, 1943
Starring Cheryl Walker, Lon McAllister, William Terry, and Marjorie Riordan
Directed by Frank Borzage
Music by various

Every city and large town had a canteen or club during the war years where military personnel could get a meal, listen to top bands, and dance the night away with woman volunteers. They were places the service people could forget their troubles for a while. Some of the canteens in larger cities were staffed by genuine stars and celebrities doing their bit for the war effort, including the Stage Door Canteen in New York City where the best and brightest of Broadway did their all for the troops. How does the story of a soldier who falls in love with one of the volunteers look now? Let's head to the Stage Door Canteen with waitress and acting hopeful Eileen (Cheryl Walker) and find out...

The Story: Eileen and her roommates Jean (Marjorie Riordan) and Ella Sue (Margaret Early) are volunteers at the Canteen. They talk to and dance with the soldiers, but they're not supposed to become intimate with them. Eileen, though, can't help falling in love with sweet Dakota (William Terry). She's really there to catch the eye of a Broadway producer and get a part...but when she finally does, she wonders if it's really worth while without her soldier.

The Song and Dance: This may have the most eclectic selection of cameos from any of the wartime semi-revues. Fans of theater history may find this of particular interest, as it features the only film appearance of stage star Katherine Cornell and rare bits by other theater luminaries like Helen Hayes, Alfred Lunt, Lynne Fontanne, and Ina Claire. As slight as the story is, it's still an improvement over the ridiculous plot of Star Spangled Rhythm. It feels real and authentic to the era, helped by the leads being played by non-stars. I also appreciate how the Chinese servicemen were treated. They were among America's allies during World War II, so they're spoken to with respect and a refreshing lack of stereotypes.

Favorite Number: Ray Bolger gets a cute dance routine cribbed from the show he was starring in on Broadway at the time, By Jupiter, "The Girl I Loved to Leave Behind." Singer Lina Romay and Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra spoof the Latin mania in the early 40's with "She's a Bombshell from Brooklyn." Lanny Ross performs the Oscar-nominated "We Mustn't Say Good-Bye" with the Freddy Martin Orchestra, while Kenny Baker does a lovely "Goodnight Sweetheart" with Benny Goodman and his Orchestra. Ethel Waters sings a frisky "Quicksands" with Count Basie and His Orchestra. Peggy Lee made her mark with the classic blues ballad "Why Don't You Do Right?" with Benny Goodman.

Trivia: The real Stage Door Canteen was too busy entertaining servicemen for filming, so the movie was made at Fox Pathe Studios in New York and RKO Pictures in Hollywood.

Most of the money from the film went to the Canteen and the American Theater Wing who operated it.

What I Don't Like: As with Star Spangled Rhythm, this is very much a film of its time. The word "Jap" is thrown around pretty frequently, especially by British star Gracie Fields in her big "Machine Gun Song" number. Neither the music nor most of the cameos are as memorable as the ones in Star Spangled Rhythm or other wartime musicals. If you're not a fan of theater history or don't know anything about older movies or theater stars, you'll probably be more baffled than anything. There's also the fact that the movie looks pretty cheap compared to the big-budget studio revues; the focus is on the stars and story, not the bounty.

The Big Finale: Fascinating if you're a fan of theater or film history or the history of World War II.

Home Media: It's in the public domain, so you can find it pretty much anywhere, including streaming for free with a subscription to Amazon Prime. Make sure to look for the 132 minute print; some prints run 93 minutes and cut out a lot of numbers.

DVD
Amazon Prime