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George Murphy, Joan Leslie, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, George Tobias ... see more see more... , Julie Oshins , Charles Butterworth , Dolores Costello , Una Merkel , Stanley Ridges , Rosemary De Camp , Ruth Donnelly , Frances Langford , Gertrude Niesen , Kate Smith , Ilka Gruning , Joe Louis , Tom D'Andrea , Herbert Anderson , Ezra Stone , Earl Oxford , Philip Truex , Murray Alper , Warner Anderson , Irving Bacon , Irving Berlin , Jimmy Butler , Frank Coghlan Jr. , Jimmy Conlin , Richard Crane , John Day , Ross Elliott , Ross Ford , Art Foster , Hank Henry , John James , Henry Jones , Fred Kelly , Joe E. Lewis , Alan Manson , Victor Moore , Patsy Moran , Dorothy Peterson , Allen Pomeroy , Arthur Space , Ernest Truex , Pierre Watkin , Doodles Weaver , Jack Young , Jackie Brown , Richard Irving , Gene Nelson , Leah Baird , John Draper

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 in... read more read more...stances, 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. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

60% liked it

561 ratings

PG, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Michael Curtiz

Release Date: August 14, 1943

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DVD Release Date: March 8, 2005

Stats: 46 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (46)


  • August 16, 2010
    This Film has President Ronald Reagan in it, a very talented guy. Its a little while before he appears. Its made during WWII so its not as dramatic as most movies of Combat during that Era. Still with President Reagan in it deserves 3 1/2 stars.
  • October 30, 2006
    LOVE Irving Berlin's music! Cute story to go with it, & u get to see a future president talk about how cool it is to be seen by a president. LOL ^_^

Critic Reviews


David Cornelius
December 4, 2008
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com

A great Fourth of July movie, big and bold and proud. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
November 11, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

As American as apple pie. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

August 8, 2006
New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Pat Graham
January 1, 2000
Pat Graham, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

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This Is the Army : Watch Free on TV


This Is the Army Trivia


  • In what movie did this quote come from: "This is my Boomstick!"  Answer »
  • ***This Comedy is About A Misfit Who Finds Himself in Over His Head After Joining The Army***  Answer »
  • (1993) This movie is great because it shows that you can't escape zombies back in time. In the "Evil Dead" movies, Ash somehow manages to travel back in time. What is the name of the third movie in this trilogy?  Answer »
  • Now I swear, the next one of you primates who even touches me. I'll kill you!" what movie is this quote from  Answer »

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