Hollywood Canteen (1944)

73% of users liked it
(405 ratings)

The West Coast's answer to Broadway's Stage Door Canteen, the Hollywood Canteen was created as a GI morale-booster by film stars Bette Davis and John Garfield. The Canteen was established so that Our Boys on leave in Tinseltown could have a good time with good food and good dancing -- and, as a… More The West Coast's answer to Broadway's Stage Door Canteen, the Hollywood Canteen was created as a GI morale-booster by film stars Bette Davis and John Garfield. The Canteen was established so that Our Boys on leave in Tinseltown could have a good time with good food and good dancing -- and, as a bonus, rub shoulders with their favorite movie personalities, who functioned as waiters, chefs, busboys and dancing partners. Since the 1944 all-star flick Hollywood Canteen was produced by Warner Bros., it was only to be expected that the celebrities seen herein would consist mostly of Warner Bros. contract players. The frail plot concerns a soldier on medical leave (played by Robert Hutton) who falls in love with lovely leading lady Joan Leslie (played by Joan Leslie) while visiting the Canteen. Bette Davis and John Garfield are on hand to emcee the Canteen's variety acts, and to act as cupids for the Hutton/Leslie romance. The "supporting cast" includes the likes of The Andrews Sisters, Jack Benny, Joe E. Brown, Eddie Cantor, Sidney Greenstreet, Paul Henreid, Peter Lorre, Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan, Roy Rogers, S.Z. Sakall, Barbara Stanwyck, and the Jimmy Dorsey and Carmen Cavallaro musical aggregations. Virtually everyone involved donated their salaries to the Canteen fund--even Jack Benny. As with most of these patriotic wartime star rallies, the results are a mixed bag: the best sequences include Benny's violin "duel" with Joseph Szigeti and Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers introducing Cole Porter's Don't Fence Me In. Hollywood Canteen won three Oscar nominations, more for its good intentions than its inherent excellence. Still, don't pass up the opportunity when this "movie star salad" shows up on cable TV. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 3 min.
Directed By: Delmer Daves
Written By: Delmer Daves
Genres: Romance, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 15, 1944 Wide
On DVD: Nov 11, 2008

Critic Reviews

David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
The countless musical performances and celebrity cameos keep everything moving wonderfully, but it's the underlying tale that leaves us smiling wide.

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

meaningless as storytelling but a great chance to see almost every star on the warners lot in the 40's.

Cast
            
            The Andrews Sisters
            
            Robert Hutton as Slim

            Jack Benny as Guest

            Joan Leslie as Herself

            Julie Bishop as Herself

            Bette Davis as Herself

            John Garfield as Himself

            Betty Brodel
            
            Barbara Brown as Mrs. Brodel

            Sydney Greenstreet as Himself

            Joan Crawford as Guest

            Joe E. Brown as Himself

            Eddie Cantor as Himself

            Kitty Carlisle as Herself

            Jack Carson as Himself

            Dane Clark as Sergeant

            Helmut Dantine as Himself

            Faye Emerson as Herself

            Victor Francen as Himself

            The Golden Gate Quartet
            
            Mary Gordon
            
            Alan Hale as Himself

            Paul Henreid as Guest

            Andrea King as Herself

            Peter Lorre as Himself

            Ida Lupino as Guest

            Irene Manning as Herself

            Eddie Marr as Dance Director

            Joan McCracken as Herself

            Chef Joseph Milani
            
            Dolores Moran as Herself

            Janis Paige as Angela

            Eleanor Parker as Guest

            William Prince as Himself

            John Ridgely as Himself

            Roy Rogers as Himself

            Zachary Scott as Guest

            Robert Shayne as Himself

            Alexis Smith as Guest

            Sons of the Pioneers
            
            Barbara Stanwyck as Guest

            Craig Stevens as Himself

            Theodore von Eltz as Director

            Donald Woods as Himself

            Jane Wyman as Guest

            Betty Alexander as Herself

            Lynne Baggett as Herself

            Betty Bryson as Dancer

            Carmen Cavallaro as Himself

            Jimmy Dorsey as Himself

            James Flavin as Marine Sergeant

            Angela Greene
            
            Jonathan Hale as Mr. Brodel

            Bill Kennedy
            
            Dorothy Malone as Herself

            Johnny Mitchell
            
            Dennis Morgan as Guest

            Virginia Patton as Herself

            Joyce Reynolds as Herself

            S.Z. Sakall as Himself

            Lynne Shane
            
            John Sheridan
            
            Mark Stevens as Soldier on Deck

            Ray Teal as Captain

            Colleen Townsend
            
            Trigger the Horse
            
            George Turner as Dancer

            Richard Erdman as Soldier on Deck

            Errol Flynn
            
            Rudy Friml as Orchestra Leader

            Patty Andrews as Herself

            Nora Lou Martin as Herself

            Marianne O'Brien
            
            Laverne Andrews as Herself

            Maxene Andrews as Herself

            Joseph Szigeti
            
            Rosario & Antonio
            
            Paul Brooke
            
See full cast