Hollywood Canteen (1944)

Two soldiers on sick leave spend three nights at the Hollywood Canteen before going back to active duty. With a little friendly help from John Garfield, Slim gets to kiss Joan Leslie, whom ... See full summary »

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writer:

Delmer Daves (original screen play)

Stars:

Bette Davis, John Garfield, The Andrews Sisters

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
The Andrews Sisters	...	The Andrews Sisters (as Andrews Sisters)
Jack Benny	...	Jack Benny
Joe E. Brown	...	Joe E. Brown
Eddie Cantor	...	Eddie Cantor
Kitty Carlisle	...	Kitty Carlisle
Jack Carson	...	Jack Carson
Dane Clark	...	Sgt. Nowland
Joan Crawford	...	Joan Crawford
Helmut Dantine	...	Helmut Dantine
Bette Davis	...	Bette Davis
Faye Emerson	...	Faye Emerson
Victor Francen	...	Victor Francen
John Garfield	...	John Garfield
Sydney Greenstreet	...	Sydney Greenstreet
Alan Hale	...	Alan Hale

Storyline

Two soldiers on sick leave spend three nights at the Hollywood Canteen before going back to active duty. With a little friendly help from John Garfield, Slim gets to kiss Joan Leslie, whom he has been dreaming about while in the Pacific. He meets her later at the Farmer's Market. On the third night, Slim is the millionth man into the Canteen, earning him a date with Joan. Slim thinks he's been duped when she doesn't show up at his train. Slim's buddy Sergant dances with Joan Crawford. Canteen President Bette Davis praises the canteen and the war effort. Virtually everyone Warners could spare entertains.

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Plot Keywords:

kiss | soldier | hollywood | reference to ronald reagan | horse | 

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Taglines:

62 Stars in Warners' Biggest Ever!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 December 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ho baciato una stella

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bette Davis and John Gar field are credited with being among of the "founders" of the actual Hollywood Canteen, organizing the entire concept into one of the highlights of many an enlisted man's memory of serving in World War Il. They also played a major role in recruiting movie stars, musical artists and celebrities of every kind to entertain the troops, dance with them, and even staff the Canteen, serving as waitresses, bus boys and dishwashers.

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Goofs

When "Slim" is sightseeing in Hollywood at the beginning of the film his infantry division patch (40th Div) is shown on his left shoulder. However, in one scene (right after the swimming pool), the patch is displayed on his right shoulder.

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Quotes

Sgt. Nowland: Goodbye you wonderful package of animal instinct.
[they kiss passionately]
Studio Guide: Every time I look at the Hollywoodland sign, I'll remember...
Sgt. Nowland: I'll meet you there after the war... and we'll unscrew all the bulbs!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are displayed rising up over "Hollywood Canteen" sign.

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Connections

Features The Hard Way (1943)

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Soundtracks

Hollywood Canteen
(1944) (uncredited)
Music by Ray Heindorf and M.K. Jerome
Lyrics by Ted Koehler
Performed by The Andrews Sisters during the opening credits
Played occasionally in the score

User Reviews

Very entertaining/history/love story

Be ready to sit back and be gloriously entertained for 2 hours. The Hollywood Canteen was a real place that was the idea of John Garfield who enlisted the help of Bette Davis and they took it from there. Bette got Jules Stein (head of Warner Brothers) involved and it really took off from there. Then they made the movie, the bulk of the proceeds went to the Hollywood Canteen. The stars just keep on coming and they all put on a show. Here is your chance to see them virtually in their prime or heading into their prime. Nothing boring here. Then there is the love story between Joan Leslie and Robert Hutton (there was a tremendous chemistry between them on the screen). Sure it would never happen in real life but it certainly would be every soldier's fantasy that it could happen. And that would keep a lot of spirits up in cold fox holes. I can see why it was such a success when it came out. The Hollywood Canteen closed after V-J day. It had $500,000 left in bank account. That was used to set up a foundation to fund projects for the armed services and it is still going today!