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IMDbPro

Stage Door Canteen

  • 19431943
  • PassedPassed
  • 2h 12m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
William Terry and Cheryl Walker in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
ComedyMusicMusical
"Dakota" Smith (William Terry), a young soldier on a pass in New York City, visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theatre and movies appear and host a recreational c... Read all"Dakota" Smith (William Terry), a young soldier on a pass in New York City, visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theatre and movies appear and host a recreational center for servicemen during the war. Dakota meets a pretty young hostess, Eileen Burke (Ch... Read all"Dakota" Smith (William Terry), a young soldier on a pass in New York City, visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theatre and movies appear and host a recreational center for servicemen during the war. Dakota meets a pretty young hostess, Eileen Burke (Cheryl Walker), and they enjoy the many entertainers and a growing romance.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
    • Frank Borzage
    • Delmer Daves(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Cheryl Walker
    • William Terry
    • Judith Anderson
    • Frank Borzage
    • Delmer Daves(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Cheryl Walker
    • William Terry
    • Judith Anderson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 40User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars

    Photos17

    William Terry and Cheryl Walker in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Sunset Carson, Lon McCallister, Alan Mowbray, and William Terry in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Sunset Carson, Lon McCallister, and William Terry in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Leonard Harper, Edna Mae Harris, Ruby Richards, Bonita Purdue, Leah Benner, and Verna Richardson in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Lon McCallister in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Harpo Marx, William Terry, and Cheryl Walker in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    William Terry and Cheryl Walker in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Merle Oberon in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Edgar Bergen, Cheryl Walker, and Charlie McCarthy in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    William Terry and Cheryl Walker in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Gracie Fields in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    Sunset Carson, Margaret Early, Lon McCallister, Marjorie Riordan, William Terry, and Cheryl Walker in Stage Door Canteen (1943)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cheryl Walker
    Cheryl Walker
    • Eileen Burke
    William Terry
    William Terry
    • Dakota Smith
    Judith Anderson
    Judith Anderson
    • Judith Anderson
    Kenny Baker
    Kenny Baker
    • Kenny Baker
    Tallulah Bankhead
    Tallulah Bankhead
    • Tallulah Bankhead
    Ralph Bellamy
    Ralph Bellamy
    • Ralph Bellamy
    Edgar Bergen
    Edgar Bergen
    • Edgar Berger
    Charlie McCarthy
    Charlie McCarthy
    • Charlie McCarthy
    Ray Bolger
    Ray Bolger
    • Ray Bolger
    Ina Claire
    Ina Claire
    • Ina Claire
    Katharine Cornell
    • Katherine Cornell
    Gracie Fields
    Gracie Fields
    • Gracie Fields
    Lynn Fontanne
    Lynn Fontanne
    • Lynn Fontaine
    Helen Hayes
    Helen Hayes
    • Helen Hayes
    Katharine Hepburn
    Katharine Hepburn
    • Katharine Hepburn
    Hugh Herbert
    Hugh Herbert
    • Hugh Herbert
    Jean Hersholt
    Jean Hersholt
    • Jean Hersholt
    George Jessel
    George Jessel
    • George Jessel
      • Frank Borzage
      • Delmer Daves(original screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Features the only movie appearance of Katharine Cornell (Herself).
    • Quotes

      Katharine Hepburn: He knows what he's fighting for. He's fighting for the kind of world in which you and he can live together in happiness and peace and love. Don't ever think about quitting. Don't ever stop for a minute... working, fighting,praying until we've got that kind of a world. For you, for him, for your children... for the whole human race. Days without end. Amen.

    • Crazy credits
      All rights granted by the American Theater Wing which gratefully acknowledges and credits the producers, stars and members of all the theatrical unions, guilds, crafts and associations for their participation in the creation and continuance of the original Stage Door Canteen.
    • Alternate versions
      Many prints run at 93 minutes, cutting out many performances.
    • Connections
      Featured in Showbiz Goes to War (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      The Girl I Love to Leave Behind
      (1943)

      Music by Richard Rodgers

      Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

      Sung and Danced by Ray Bolger (uncredited)

      Reprised as dance music near the end

    User reviews40

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Big stars, small cameos, good film...
    STAGE DOOR CANTEEN, of course, is set during WWII, and its main locale is the canteen of the film's title that is run and staffed by stars of the cinema and stage. The New York version of the Hollywood Canteen set up on the West Coast by Bette Davis and others, the Stage Door Canteen welcomes the boys in uniform when they're on leave, giving them a little comfort, a little entertainment, a little taste of home. Although STAGE DOOR CANTEEN really is about the big-name entertainment involved (with cameos by top-billed stars like Katharine Hepburn, Harpo Marx and Ray Bolger among others), it tries also to tell a heartwarming tale of the bravery of the boys who must fight, if necessary to the death, so that the rest of their country might live in peace. The loyal and brave Dakota (William Terry) stumbles into love with the initially selfish, haughty Eileen (Cheryl Walker); young California (Lon McAllister) keeps missing out on his first kiss with Jean (Marjorie Riordan) and Tex (Sunset Carson) wants to go back west with Ella Sue (Margaret Early) when the fighting's done. It all revolves around the idea of the boys having something--someone--to fight for overseas, someone to write home to, someone to come home to.

    In that sense, the film succeeds; I was actually rather moved by the final words each boy left for his girl at the end of the film. That doesn't mean the film isn't a little saccharine though; it *has* to be--it was meant to be a morale booster during the 1940s (including, as it does, songs about shooting down Japanese planes and marching into Berlin). It rides on the strong wave of American patriotism at the time, reflecting and hoping to add to it, and even hints at an internationalism unheard of these days (the crowd cheers for Russian soldiers and carries Chinese pilots on their shoulders in tribute to their bravery). If you strip it of these time-bound scenes, however, the message and the courage remains, which is what makes STAGE DOOR CANTEEN still a film that one can enjoyably sit through not just for the glamorous star cameos. It's sweet when California keeps trying to kiss Jean and missing out (including an incredibly frustrating final attempt when someone cuts in on them when they're dancing!), and you feel just as dejected as Eileen must when she realises that Dakota *isn't* coming back this time. (Let us, for now, leave aside the fact that I can't seem to find a redeeming quality in Eileen beyond the fact that she's willing to break the canteen rules to make it up to Dakota for being mean to him at first.)

    The big-name entertainment in STAGE DOOR CANTEEN really can't be faulted: there are appearances by the orchestras of Benny Goodman, Xavier Cugat and Count Basie (to name just a few!); cameos by Merle Oberon, Katharine Cornell and Alan Mowbray; and a pretty literal striptease that ends way too soon for the boys' liking by Gypsy Rose Lee. My favourite numbers would be 'We Mustn't Say Goodbye' and 'Don't Worry Island', alongside Yehudi Menuhin's beautiful rendition of 'Ave Maria' (unfortunately given under some quite terrible lighting) and the very funny opening act with Edgar Bergen and Charlie. As, essentially, the final act, Hepburn gives her few words great weight and is as striking as ever with her five minutes (tops!) of screen time.

    All in all, STAGE DOOR CANTEEN is great fun to watch. It'd be even better fun if one knew all of the people making cameos in it--I could only half-guess at most of them, and I'm sure I missed many many others. A sweet, patriotic film made with a very definite purpose, and if you make allowances for that purpose, it's easy to accept the overdoing of the message, and appreciate the film for what it is... good, clean entertainment!
    helpful•31
    0
    • gaityr
    • Oct 17, 2002

    FAQ18

    • Cheryl Walker---Was She "Secretly" Married?
    • "Lord's Prayer"----to be Censored?
    • Elsa Maxwell----Were Her Scenes Censored?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 22, 1943 (United Kingdom)
      • United States
      • English
      • Russian
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Fox News NY Studios - 48th Street & 6th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Sol Lesser Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 12 minutes
      • Black and White

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