Review of Stage Door Canteen (1943) by Donald "Skull" P — 14 Apr 2008
Patriotic propaganda from an age when that was the glorious norm. Watching this today makes one long for days of innocence, when even warfare could seem noble and positive. Itâ??s odd to long for such a thingâ??but there it is.
The entertainment is a whoâ??s who of the WW II era. I wished Harpo's appearance included some harp playing--he was run off too soon. Loved seeing an extended segment with Edgar Bergen / Charlie McCarthy / Mortimer Snerd! Edgar Bergen was soooo young and quite the brilliant comedian/ performer.
Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, also provides a wonderful moment of tap dancing and comedy. The music is amazing, and the romance stories are engaging and at times bittersweet. Really what you get here is an entertainment variety show with a loose framing narrative, giving you the feel of a few evenings in a USO canteen.
The movie also reminds us of our positive attitudes toward Russians and Chinese allies at this point in our history.
This review of Stage Door Canteen (1943) was written by Donald "Skull" P on 14 Apr 2008.
Stage Door Canteen has generally received positive reviews.
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