This Is the Army (1943)

In WW I dancer Jerry Jones stages an all-soldier show on Broadway, called Yip Yip Yaphank. Wounded in the War, he becomes a producer. In WW II his son Johnny Jones, who was before his ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Casey Robinson (screenplay), Claude Binyon (screenplay),

Stars:

George Murphy, Joan Leslie, George Tobias

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Murphy	...	Jerry Jones
Joan Leslie	...	Eileen Dibble
George Tobias	...	Maxie Twardofsky
Alan Hale	...	Sgt. McGee
Charles Butterworth	...	Eddie Dibble
Dolores Costello	...	Mrs. Davidson
Una Merkel	...	Rose Dibble
Stanley Ridges	...	Maj. John B. Davidson
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Ethel Jones
Ruth Donnelly	...	Mrs. O'Brien
Dorothy Peterson	...	Mrs. Nelson
Frances Langford	...	Frances Langford
Gertrude Niesen	...	World War One Vocalist
Kate Smith	...	Kate Smith
Ronald Reagan	...	Johnny Jones (as Lt. Ronald Reagan)

Storyline

In WW I dancer Jerry Jones stages an all-soldier show on Broadway, called Yip Yip Yaphank. Wounded in the War, he becomes a producer. In WW II his son Johnny Jones, who was before his fathers assistant, gets the order to stage a knew all-soldier show, called THIS IS THE ARMY. But in his pesonal life he has problems, because he refuses to marry his fiancée until the war is over.

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Plot Keywords:

show | military | blackface | man dressed as woman | world war two | 

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Taglines:

It's your own army - in the army's own show!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Irving Berlin's This Is the Army

Filming Locations:

Stage 1, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is the only one to star a U.S. President, a U.S. Senator, a state governor and two Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild. Ronald Reagan was President of the U.S. from 1981-1989, Governor of California from 1967-1975 and President of SAG from 1947-1952 and 1959-1960; George Murphy was Senator from California 1965-1971 and President of SAG 1944-1946. They filmed the movie prior to having been elected to any of the offices mentioned.

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Goofs

The uniform worn by Gertrude Niesen in the opening sequence is strictly of a 1943, not 1917, design, complete with padded shoulders and knee length skirt, and totally inappropriate to the 1917 era.

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Quotes

Jerry Jones: Will you marry me tonight?
Ethel: Well, of course.
Jerry Jones: Wonderful. Congratulations, darling, you're a war bride. I've just been drafted.

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Crazy Credits

"This motion picture is distributed for the benefit of the US Army emergency relief fund"

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Connections

Referenced in McHale's Navy: Movies Are Your Best Diversion (1962)

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Soundtracks

"This Time"
Written by Irving Berlin
Sung by Robert Shanley and Chorus

User Reviews

A Flag Waving Original

This is The Army is patriotic. It is non-stop music from end to end. Ray Heindorf did an excellent job with the montages of music that are constantly heard throughout the picture. It's a treat to hear Irving Berlin sing his own song "O How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning" with its original verse and chorus.

The print I saw was duplicated from a 35mm print. One can only hope that Warners will restore this film to its original glory. It is a piece of history and its loss would be terrible.

If you plan to rent it, dont get a copy in black and white. The costumes are beautiful in color. The color prints currently available have marginal problems due to the condition of the original master print. Dont let this put you off seeing this. It's well worth the flaws.

Oh yes, there are only a handful of women in the entire production. I warned you.