This Is the Army

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Overview

The splashy, star-studded This is the Army is based on the Irving Berlin Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was a reworking of Berlin's WW1 "barracks musical" Yip Yip Yaphank. In both instances, the cast was largely comprised of genuine servicemen, many of them either recently returned from fighting or on the verge of heading off to war. The Hollywood-imposed storyline concerns Jerry Jones (George Murphy), a member of the original 1918 Yip Yip Yaphank cast. His showbiz career curtailed by a leg ...
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Overview

The splashy, star-studded This is the Army is based on the Irving Berlin Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was a reworking of Berlin's WW1 "barracks musical" Yip Yip Yaphank. In both instances, the cast was largely comprised of genuine servicemen, many of them either recently returned from fighting or on the verge of heading off to war. The Hollywood-imposed storyline concerns Jerry Jones (George Murphy), a member of the original 1918 Yip Yip Yaphank cast. His showbiz career curtailed by a leg injury, Jerry becomes a producer during the postwar era. When the US enters WW2, Jerry gathers together several other cast members from the 1918 Berlin musical to help him stage a new all-serviceman show, titled (what else?) This is the Army. The show-within-a-show framework is able to accommodate a romantic subplot, involving Jerry's son Johnny (Ronald Reagan, later a political comrade-in-arms of George Murphy) and Eileen Dibble (Joan Leslie), the daughter of Yip Yip Yaphank alumnus Eddie Dibble (Charles Butterworth). Some of the best moments in This is the Army are from the Broadway production itself, though the lengthy Alfred Lunt-Lynn Fontanne imitation and incessant "gay" jokes may have been too smart for the room in 1943. Guest stars include boxer Joe Louis, Kate Smith (singing "God Bless America," naturally) and Irving Berlin himself, who steals the show with his plaintive rendition of "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." All profits for the stage and film version of This is the Army went to the Army Emergency Relief Fund, which also controlled the rights to the film. Long withheld from TV distribution, the film finally hit the small screen when it lapsed into Public Domain in the mid-1970s.
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Special Features

[None specified]
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 8/31/2004
  • UPC: 089218603197
  • Original Release: 1943

    • Rating:

  • Source: Alpha Video
  • Time: 1:54:00
  • Format: DVD

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
George Murphy Jerry Jones
Joan Leslie Eileen Dibble
Ronald Wilson Reagan Johnny Jones
Alan Hale Sgt. McGee
George Tobias Maxie Stoloff
Charles Butterworth Eddie Dibble
Julie Oshins Ollie Twardofsky
Dolores Costello Mrs. Davidson
Una Merkel Rose Dibble
Stanley Ridges Maj. Davidson
Rosemary de Camp Ethel
Ruth Donnelly Mrs. O'Brien
Frances Langford Cafe Singer
Gertrude Niesen Singer
Kate Smith Herself
Ilka Gruning Mrs. Twardofsky
Joe Louis Himself
Tom D'Andrea Tommy
Herbert Anderson Danny Davidson
Ezra Stone Soldier
Earl Oxford Soldier
Philip Truex Soldier
Murray Alper Soldier
Warner Anderson Sports Announcer
Irving Bacon Waiter
Leah Baird Old Timer's Wife
Irving Berlin Himself
Jackie Brown Mike Nelson
Jimmy Butler
Frank Coghlan Jr.
Jimmy Conlin Dancer
Richard Crane
John Day
John Draper
Ross Elliott
Ross Ford
Art Foster
Hank Henry
Richard Irving
John James Soldiers at Camp Cook
Henry Jones Soldier-Singer
Fred Kelly
Joe E. Lewis
Alan Manson
Victor Moore
Patsy Moran Marie Twardofsky
Gene Nelson
Dorothy Peterson Mrs. Nelson
Allen Pomeroy
Arthur Space
Ernest Truex Fathers of Soldiers
Pierre Watkin Stranger
Doodles Weaver Soldier on Cot
Jack Young Franklin D. Roosevelt
Technical Credits
Michael Curtiz Director
George J. Amy Editor
Irving Berlin Songwriter
Claude Binyon Screenwriter
Jack Cosgrove Special Effects
Leo F. Forbstein Musical Direction/Supervision
Bert Glennon Cinematographer
Ray Heindorf Musical Direction/Supervision
John Hughes Art Director
Orry-Kelly Costumes/Costume Designer
Sol Polito Cinematographer
LeRoy J. Prinz Choreography
Casey Robinson Screenwriter
Robert Sidney Choreography
Max Steiner Score Composer
Hal B. Wallis Producer
Jack L. Warner Producer
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Scene Index

Side #1 --
2. Chapter 1 [22:12]
3. Chapter 2 [25:07]
4. Chapter 3 [24:53]
5. Chapter 4 [15:35]
6. Chapter 5 [14:20]
7. Chapter 6 [9:16]
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Menu

Side #1 --
   Play
   Chapter Index
   Catalog
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Customer Reviews

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