Hollywood Canteen

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

Two soldiers on leave spend three nights at a club offering free of charge food, dancing, and entertainment for servicemen on their way overseas. Club founders Bette Davis and John Garfield give talks on the history of the place.

Play trailer3:44

1 Video

38 Photos

Comedy Music Romance War

Two soldiers on leave spend three nights at a club offering free of charge food, dancing, and entertainment for servicemen on their way overseas. Club founders Bette Davis and John Garfield ... Read allTwo soldiers on leave spend three nights at a club offering free of charge food, dancing, and entertainment for servicemen on their way overseas. Club founders Bette Davis and John Garfield give talks on the history of the place.Two soldiers on leave spend three nights at a club offering free of charge food, dancing, and entertainment for servicemen on their way overseas. Club founders Bette Davis and John Garfield give talks on the history of the place.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 3 wins & 3 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 3:44

Official Trailer

Photos38

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Originally conceived by Warner Bros. as a multi-studio (like the Hollywood Canteen) WWII effort with rival studios (Fox, Paramount, MGM, etc.) contributing cameo appearances by its stars. But when other studios balked at having performers appear (even though profits were reportedly earmarked for the war effort), Warner turned it into a single-studio affair.

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.

Quotes
Jack Carson: Don't get your hopes up, he's been Leslie-ized.
Jane Wyman: Oh will you stop, I've been Reagan-ized.

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

Connections
Edited into California at War (2007)

Soundtracks
Don't Fence Me In
(1934)
Music by Cole Porter
Lyrics by Cole Porter and Robert H. Fletcher (uncredited)
Performed by Roy Rogers (uncredited) and danced by Trigger (uncredited)
Also performed by The Andrews Sisters (uncredited)
Also played as dance music by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (uncredited)

User reviews47

Featured review

7/10

Another One For The Boys In Uniform

I've got a weak spot when it comes to these all star extravaganzas which can never be again. With the old Hollywood studio system gone there's no place where all this talent can gather under one roof for the same picture. Put a film like this today it would have the budget of a second world country.

The plots of these things are invariably silly, in this one it's GI Robert Hutton becoming the one millionth serviceman to enter the Hollywood Canteen and he gets an all expense weekend there with the girl of his dreams, Warner Brothers star Joan Leslie. That was part of the mythology of the day, if the film were done at Columbia Rita Hayworth might have been the object of Hutton's desires. That one I can believe a little more.

The Hollywood Canteen in real life was the inspiration and personal project of Bette Davis and John Garfield and they preside over the film and it's many guest stars, mostly from the Warner Brothers lot.

One exception to the rule was Roy Rogers who came over from Republic Pictures and brought the Sons of the Pioneers with him. I wonder what Herbert J. Yates got out of Jack Warner for Rogers's services? Anyway Roy gets to introduce the Cole Porter classic Don't Fence Me In in this film.

Later on the Andrews Sisters sing it and they had a big hit record with Don't Fence Me In with Decca though they sang it with a well known crooner from that other studio Paramount for Decca Records.

Joan Crawford made her first appearance at Warner Brothers in this film after leaving MGM. She dances with GI Dane Clark who after seeing combat in the Pacific faints at the realization he's dancing with JOAN CRAWFORD. Those were the days.

Still I love these films so.