Stage Door Canteen (1943)

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writer:

Delmer Daves (original screenplay)

Release Date:

22 January 1944 (Mexico)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance | War

Plot:

"Dakota," a young soldier on a pass in New York City, visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous...

Plot Keywords:

Stage Door Canteen | Hostess | Soldier | New York City | Star

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Judith Anderson	...	Herself
Kenny Baker	...	Himself
Tallulah Bankhead	...	Herself
Ralph Bellamy	...	Himself
Edgar Bergen	...	Himself
Charlie McCarthy	...	Himself
Ray Bolger	...	Himself
Ina Claire	...	Herself
Katharine Cornell	...	Herself
Gracie Fields	...	Herself
Lynn Fontanne	...	Herself
Helen Hayes	...	Herself
Katharine Hepburn	...	Herself
Hugh Herbert	...	Himself
Jean Hersholt	...	Himself
George Jessel	...	Himself
Gypsy Rose Lee	...	Herself
Alfred Lunt	...	Himself
Harpo Marx	...	Himself
Elsa Maxwell	...	Herself
Yehudi Menuhin	...	Himself
Ethel Merman	...	Herself
Paul Muni	...	Himself
Merle Oberon	...	Herself
George Raft	...	Himself
Lanny Ross	...	Himself
Martha Scott	...	Herself
Ethel Waters	...	Herself
Johnny Weissmuller	...	Himself
Ed Wynn	...	Himself
Henry Armetta	...	Himself
Benny Baker	...	Himself
Helen Broderick	...	Herself
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Himself
Jane Darwell	...	Herself
William Demarest	...	Himself
Virginia Field	...	Herself
Vinton Freedley	...	Himself
Ann Gillis	...	Herself
Lucile Gleason	...	Herself (as Lucille Gleason)
Vera Gordon	...	Herself
Virginia Grey	...	Herself
Sam Jaffe	...	Himself
Allen Jenkins	...	Himself
Roscoe Karns	...	Himself
Tom Kennedy	...	Himself
Otto Kruger	...	Himself
June Lang	...	Herself
Betty Lawford	...	Herself
Bert Lytell	...	Himself - Canteen Master of Ceremonies
Aline MacMahon	...	Herself
Horace McMahon	...	Himself (as Horace MacMahon)
Helen Menken	...	Herself
Peggy Moran	...	Herself
Ralph Morgan	...	Himself
Alan Mowbray	...	Himself
Elliott Nugent	...	Himself
Patrick O'Moore	...	Australian
Franklin Pangborn	...	Himself
Helen Parrish	...	Herself
Brock Pemberton	...	Himself
Selena Royle	...	Herself
Marion Shockley	...	Lillian
Cornelia Otis Skinner	...	Herself
Ned Sparks	...	Himself
Bill Stern	...	Himself
Arleen Whelan	...	Herself
Dame May Whitty	...	Herself
Count Basie	...	Himself - as Conductor of the Count Basie Orchestra
Xavier Cugat	...	Himself - as Conductor of the Xavier Cugat Orchestra
Benny Goodman	...	Himself - as Conductor of the Benny Goodman Orchestra
Kay Kyser	...	Himself - as Conductor of the Kay Kyser Band
Guy Lombardo	...	Himself - Conductor of the Guy Lombardo Orchestra
Freddy Martin	...	Himself - as Conductor of the Freddy Martin Orchestra (as Freddie Martin)
Cheryl Walker	...	Eileen Burke
William Terry	...	Dakota Smith
Marjorie Riordan	...	Jean
Lon McCallister	...	California Jack Gilman
Margaret Early	...	Ella Sue
Sunset Carson	...	Tex (as Michael Harrison)
Dorothea Kent	...	Mamie - Jersey's Girl
Frederick Brady	...	Jersey Wallace (as Fred Brady)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kay Kyser Band	...	Themselves
Count Basie and His Orchestra	...	Themselves (as Count Basie Orchestra)
Benny Goodman Orchestra	...	Themselves
Guy Lombardo Orchestra	...	Themselves
Freddy Martin Orchestra	...	Themselves
Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra	...	Themselves (as Xavier Cugat Orchestra)
Harry Babbitt	...	Kay Kyser Band Singer (uncredited)
Dave Barbour	...	Himself (uncredited)
Julie Conway	...	Kay Kyser Band Singer (uncredited)
Jane Cowl	...	Herself (uncredited)
Helen Dumas	...	(uncredited)
Trudy Erwin	...	Kay Kyser Band Singer (uncredited)
Dorothy Fields	...	Herself (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	Dubious Army Sergeant (uncredited)
Arlene Francis	...	Herself (uncredited)
Mack Gray	...	Waiter (uncredited)
George E. Green	...	Himself - Freddy Martin Orchestra Member (uncredited)
Eddie Hall	...	Soldier on Train (uncredited)
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Captain Robinson (uncredited)
John James	...	Don Brandt - Marine with Virginia Grey (uncredited)
Virginia Kaye	...	Herself (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Marine (uncredited)
Jack Lambert	...	Sailor Cutting In with Ina Claire (uncredited)
Gertrude Lawrence	...	Herself (uncredited)
Peggy Lee	...	Herself - Benny Goodman Orchestra Singer (uncredited)
Jack Martin	...	Kay Kyser Band Singer (uncredited)
Sully Mason	...	Himself - Kay Kyser Band Singer (uncredited)
George Mathews	...	Marine Sergeant with Ray Bolger (uncredited)
Marian Moore	...	(uncredited)
Elizabeth Morgan	...	(uncredited)
Caleb Peterson	...	Johnny Jones (uncredited)
Francis Pierlot	...	Minister at Jersey's Wedding (uncredited)
Ruth Roman	...	Girl (uncredited)
Lina Romay	...	Xavier Cugat Orchestra Singer (uncredited)
Johnny Roventini	...	Johnny - Bellhop 'Living Tradmark' for Philip Morris Cigarettes (uncredited)
Mortimer Snerd	...	Himself (uncredited)
Arthur Walsh	...	Jitterbugging Soldier (uncredited)
Jesse White	...	Himself (uncredited)
Max Williams	...	Kay Kyser Band Singer (uncredited)
Matt Willis	...	Sergeant on Train (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Borzage

Writing credits
Delmer Daves		(original screenplay)

Produced by
Frank Borzage	....	producer
Barney Briskin	....	associate producer
Sol Lesser	....	producer

Original Music by
Freddie Rich

Cinematography by
Harry J. Wild		(director of photography) (as Harry Wild)

Production Design by
Harry Horner

Art Direction by
Hans Peters

Set Decoration by
Clem Beauchamp		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Irving Berns	....	makeup artist
Mel Berns	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lew Borzage	....	assistant director
Virgil Hart	....	assistant director

Art Department
Victor A. Gangelin	....	interiors (as Victor Gangelin)

Sound Department
Hugh McDowell Jr.	....	sound technician (as Hugh McDowell)

Casting Department
Leonard Harper	....	casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Albert Deano	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Hal C. Kern	....	supervising editor (as Hal Kern)

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director
Fletcher Henderson	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
Radie Harris	....	talent coordinator

Production Companies

• Sol Lesser Productions (as Principal Artists Productions)

Distributors

• United Artists (1943) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Classics (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Omega Productions (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (video)
• Critics' Choice Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• GoDigital Media Group (2009) (USA) (all media) (Digital)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Punto Zero (2009) (Italy) (DVD) (as Enjoy Movies)
• Reel Media International (2007) (USA) (all media)

Other Companies

• American Theatre Wing  all rights granted by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #9216) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Sol Lesser Productions

Trivia:

According to the book 'The Films of World War II' by Joe Morella, Edward Z. Epstein & John Griggs, this movie " . . . was a superstar-studded tribute to the American Theater Wing, which had founded and operated the Stage Door Canteen for the purpose of entertaining servicemen in New York City. The canteen received a percentage of the film's profits so 'Stage Door Canteen' was in reality a big benefit . . . a lot of money was raised for the actual Stage Door Canteen." Moreover, in a review, Bosley Crowther at the time wrote in 'The New York Times' that "90 per cent of the profits [from this film] are to go to the support and advancement of the American Theatre Wing."

Movie Connections:

Featured in Showbiz Goes to War (1982) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Don't Worry Island

The perfect cinematic reflection of an era.

I am old enough to have seen Stage Door Canteen when it first appeared.It was a morale booster, and nothing more than a delightful musical with a lot of big bands and performers. But after more than 50 years, it is not only a wonderful piece of nostalgia, but the perfect reflection of an era and of the spiritual climate of the war years. It is now that I can understand that the miracle is that Frank Borzage was called to direct it. All the classic Borzage feeling is present, and the sentimental master was able to make gold out of Delmer Daves' sentimental dialog. I wonder why these two gifted gentlemen did not collaborate again. I strongly recommend that every old timer who remembers the war years, the forties, the music, the bands and the feeling, should see again this picture which has become a magnificent piece of authentic nostalgia. I own it and intend to see it again and again.