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| Warner Bros. and the Homefront Collection (Irving Berlin's This Is the Army / Thank Your Lucky Stars / Hollywood Canteen) | 
| Actors: Irving Berlin, George Murphy, Ronald Reagan, Joan Leslie, Bette Davis
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $25.27
You Save: $14.71 (37%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $25.27
Avg. Customer Rating:  (4 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1699
Format: Box Set, Black & White, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 376 minutes
Number Of Items: 3
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 1
MPN: WARD027308D
UPC: 085391188247
EAN: 0085391188247
ASIN: B001D7T44C
Release Date: November 11, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 great movies September 26, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Finally "Thank your lucky star" and "Hollywood canteen" are on DVD.
I already had a VHS but this is the final set.
It's wonderful to see Hollywood in the past, Hollywood unfortunately
forever lost. This is Hollywood as we remember. I hardly wait Nov 11
 HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN and THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS are wonderfull memories for ME. August 19, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
REVIEW OF THE FORTHCOMING WARNER BROTHERS RELEASES = NOVEMBER 11th 2008
HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN and THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS.
Starring JOAN LESLIE.
The good news from my favourite Hollywood movie studios: appeared on my web site this morning: WARNER BROTHERS are releasing Three of their finest War time productions onto DVD.
HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN made in 1944 was a superb moral boosting film made to cheer up both the troops serving in far away places, and also as a reassuring movie for the families at home that people in the film industries cared for their fellow countrymen worldwide in these dark days of World War 2.
I remember this film when it was first released: and queueing up for a few hours to get into see it my city cinema.
This escapism has remained in my mind for over 60 years... and I have rated it as my ultimate all time favourite film, and its followed by THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS which by coincidence is my second all time favourite.
The plot synopsis is very well engineered in its premise, and the two leading players in the movie Joan Leslie and Robert Hutton perform this short four day story admirably.
It beguines in the Pacific War torn theatre of operations, were a group
Of soldiers are watching an open air movie at night during a lull in bombing raids from Japanese Aircraft..... And they just happen to be watching a Hollywood musical starring Joan Leslie.
Robert Hutton and his friend ! another fantastic actor DANE CLARKE, are in the audience when all hell breaks loose during an attack Air Raid, which results in the two soldiers being casualties of War are shipped back to a Stateside hospital in Los Angeles.
Robert Hutton reminisces about his love of Joan Leslie to his colleague
Whilst they are convalescing, and pretty soon we see them getting a four day pass; which takes them into down-town Hollywood area.
After several hours of site seeing they eventually end up by chance, at the Hollywood Canteen.... a watering hole for armed servicemen of all nationalities, here we beguine to meet dozens of the Warner Brothers Stars
Who work voluntary shifts entertaining the visiting servicemen?
This is a fantastic array of talent... for older movie buffs.
Eventually as the story progresses: John Garfield another Hollywood great ably supported by the legendary BETTE DAVIS.... arrange for our film lead player, Robert Hutton, to meet his penultimate dream girl, Joan Leslie.
They go out on a couple of dates: and fall dynamically in love with one another....... until his time comes to return to his Army unit....
The closing scenes to this movie are embedded in my mind to this day as they kiss on the station: saying their goodbyes......I will always love you Joan Leslie, exclaims Robert Hutton.
Little did I know that I would live this moment in reality 55 years later in my life : but I did? When I visited Joan Leslie at her home in California on several occasions.
Through my work as a Photographic Journalist for the VARIETY CLUB of GREAT BRITAIN
A Children's Charity.... I met up with Joan Leslie ( Caldwell ) in Los Angeles, and befriended her and her then husband Doctor Bill Caldwell.
We became very good friends and I subsequently visited her at her home in the Los Angels suburbs... on several occasions in the late 1990s.
We spent many hours talking about Miss Leslies fabulous career at Warner Brothers which stated in the late 1939 period... her movie big break came playing opposite Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino in the classic film. HIGH SIERRA.... And Joan became an overnight major Warner Brothers STAR.
.
She played again with Ida Lupino in another block-buster movie the HARD WAY. Yet again a classic.
During the War years she appeared in YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, with James Cagney, Then she was cast in RHAPSODY IN BLUE.... the biopic story of Legendary GEORGE GERSWIN.
THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS..... was another superb made moral flag waver for the nation.
All of Warners highest actors where assembled for this STAR STUDDED movie.
All doing there party pieces: this is a mind BLOWING experience watching this film.... I defy any single person who likes musical films to find a fault with this !
My only minor comment about this is that it should have been made in Technicolor: this is Dynamic Dazzling Entertainment at its best from beginning to its cavalcading finally two and a half hours of the greatest pleasure movies can throw at YOU.
I am THRILLED it's out on DVD and I urge everyone who loves good movies to see these TWO MOVIES.... if you don't like them ? I will refund your money ! ! !
The reviewer is pictured with Joan Leslie at her home.
Endeavoured to incert Two pictures : but I dont know if Amazon allow this ?
Why not Thousands Cheer too? August 11, 2008
5 out of 14 found this review helpful
Since Warners Bros. has the MGM package now why not put Thousands Cheer (1943) in this collection. This was MGM's wartime patriotic entry with most of their stars in it (Judy, Mickey, Lucille Ball, Ann Sothern, Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell) with a slim plot with Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson as the stars.
Good set of musicals from the WWII era August 3, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
These are three musical comedies from the WWII era. It's been some time since I've seen "This is the Army". I've seen the other two pretty recently. I intersperse the press releases with my own remarks.
This is the Army (1942)
Press release:
Irving Berlin showed his abiding love for his adopted country with, among other cultural accomplishments, decades of Broadway hits, the unofficial national anthem "God Bless America" and the World War II spirit-lifter This Is the Army. On stage it featured 350 real-life GIs, giving their singing-and- dancing all to raise nearly $2 million (then an astronomical sum) for Army Emergency Relief.
My remarks:
Irving Berlin actually sings in this one - and not too well. According to one story, after Berlin sang "Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning", one stagehand was overheard saying to another, "If the guy who wrote that could've heard how this guy just sang that song, he'd roll over in his grave." I got this story from someone over at imdb, but I can believe it happened. Great music, but a rather weak storyline. However, you have to remember at this point it was early in the war and the outcome was yet unknown. With everything on the line, people needed this kind of escapist entertainment.
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
Press Release:
Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, and Dinah Shore come out to play in the joyous World War II-era Thank Your Lucky Stars. A breezy, behind-the-Hollywood-scenes story about young talents hoping for a big break glitters with specialty numbers featuring Golden Era greats.
My remarks:
The best of the three films in the bunch, this film does something that nothing else on DVD does to my knowledge - gives us a large dose of Eddie Cantor. Eddie Cantor insists upon being chairman of the Cavalcade of Stars benefit show, in return for the use of his vocalist, Dinah Shore. Eddie keeps disrupting the show and insisting on doing things his way. To complicate matters, there is a certain cab driver who very closely resembles Eddie. In fact, he can't get hired as an actor because of the close resemblance. Eddie does a great job of playing both roles. Other stars performing in the film as themselves include Olivia De Havilland, John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan, and Jack Carson.
Hollywood Canteen (1944)
The real Hollywood Canteen was the invention of John Garfield and Bette Davis. It was a place where the stars did not only the performing but also waited on the troops. This is a light romantic tale involving a couple of soldiers spending three nights at the Canteen before they must return to duty. As with the other movies, the main reason to watch is the great entertainment provided by the Warner stars.
BONUS FEATURES
New Warner at War Documentary
Star/Historian Commentary
Outtake Song and Restored Overture
Exit Music on Irving Berlin's This is the Army
PLUS - On All Three: Warner NIght at the Movies:
Gallery of Music/Patriotic Shorts
Cartoons
Newsreels
Trailers
This looks to be a great collection and I'm looking forward to viewing both the movies and the extras.
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