Stage Door Canteen
I watched Stage Door Canteen in bits and pieces over the last few days. It was one I taped during my Memorial Day tape-a-thon, and it came right after Above and Beyond, a cheesy WWII movie starring Robert Taylor (best known [to me at least] as Johnny Eager). I'm saving that one for another day.
So, Stage Door Canteen. It's all about the fabled Stage Door Canteen that served young servicemen in New York City during WWII. Apparently, lots of famous people actually worked there, and the movie is jam-packed with appearances by various famous people, my favorites being Johnny Weissmuller, Katherine Hepburn, and Gypsy Lee Rose, who sadly does not take it all off.
While watching the movie, you follow four soldiers who have twenty-four hour passes. Dakota, hailing from one of the Dakotas, California, the young, innocent, never-been-kissed boy, a guy from down South named Tex, and Jersey. Jersey's the only one with a girl, and he ends up getting married by the end of the film and not enjoying the Stage Door Canteen. Too bad for him, because Dakota, Tex, and California all end up meeting wonderful hostesses who make their last days before leaving worthwhile. California even manages to have his first kiss on the dance floor and Dakota warms up a chilly hostess (called a heel by her roommates!) by the end of their third twenty-four hour pass.
Basically, Stage Door Canteen follows the same theme as Two Girls and a Sailor, as kind of a musical revue. There are lots of songs and dances by popular musical groups of the day, and a plethora of movie and stage stars popping up.
The plot is terribly thin, but it's entertaining enough. I don't think I'll ever feel the need to watch it again, but I felt like it gives a good flavor for the era. Stage Door Canteen is from 1943, back when the war was less certain, and it gives the feeling that people really did care about the soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen and what happened to them.
So, Stage Door Canteen. It's all about the fabled Stage Door Canteen that served young servicemen in New York City during WWII. Apparently, lots of famous people actually worked there, and the movie is jam-packed with appearances by various famous people, my favorites being Johnny Weissmuller, Katherine Hepburn, and Gypsy Lee Rose, who sadly does not take it all off.
While watching the movie, you follow four soldiers who have twenty-four hour passes. Dakota, hailing from one of the Dakotas, California, the young, innocent, never-been-kissed boy, a guy from down South named Tex, and Jersey. Jersey's the only one with a girl, and he ends up getting married by the end of the film and not enjoying the Stage Door Canteen. Too bad for him, because Dakota, Tex, and California all end up meeting wonderful hostesses who make their last days before leaving worthwhile. California even manages to have his first kiss on the dance floor and Dakota warms up a chilly hostess (called a heel by her roommates!) by the end of their third twenty-four hour pass.
Basically, Stage Door Canteen follows the same theme as Two Girls and a Sailor, as kind of a musical revue. There are lots of songs and dances by popular musical groups of the day, and a plethora of movie and stage stars popping up.
The plot is terribly thin, but it's entertaining enough. I don't think I'll ever feel the need to watch it again, but I felt like it gives a good flavor for the era. Stage Door Canteen is from 1943, back when the war was less certain, and it gives the feeling that people really did care about the soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen and what happened to them.
posted by Rebecca at 5:42 PM
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