This Is the Army

This Is the Army is a 1943 American motion picture produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz. The story and original music were written by Irving Berlin. A wartime musical designed to boost morale in the U.S. during World War II, it features a large ensemble cast, including George Murphy, Joan Leslie, Alan Hale, and Ronald Reagan.

Plot summary

In World War I, the musical Yip Yip Yaphank is a rousing success. During the show, it is learned that the troop has received its orders to ship off to France, and thus the ending number is changed so that the soldiers march through the theater with their rifles and gear and out into the waiting convoy trucks. Jones kisses his new bride on the way down the aisle.

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In the war, several of the soldiers in the production are killed. Jones is injured by a bomb blast and loses the full use of one of his legs, ending his career as dancer. Nevertheless he is resolved to find something useful to do. Sgt. McKee and the bugler also survive.

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Twenty-five years later, with World War II raging in Europe, Jones' son Johnny is drafted into the war. He tells his sweetheart that they cannot marry until he returns, since he doesn't want to make her widow. He grudgingly accepts the order to stage another musical, just as his father did. The show goes on tour around the United States and eventually plays in front of President Roosevelt (unseen) in Washington, D.C.. During the show, it is announced that the Washington, D.C. performance will be the last night, and that afterwards the soldiers in the production will be ordered back to their combat units.

Related Topics:
President Roosevelt - Washington, D.C.

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Johnny's erstwhile fiancé, who has since joined the Red Cross auxillary, appears at the show. During a break in the show, she brings a minister and convinces them that they should marry -- which they do, in the alley behind the theater, with their fathers as witnesses.

Related Topics:
Red Cross - Minister

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