Thu 9/1 @ 7PM
It’s time for another edition of The Musical Theater Project’s Movies at Home, hosted by artistic director and committed musical theater lover Bill Rudman.
This month’s selection is Stage Door Canteen from 1943, “featuring more stars (in cameos) than you can see in the heavens,” says Rudman. Among them: Tallulah Bankhead, Ray Bolger, Helen Hayes, Katharine Hepburn, Gypsy Rose Lee, Ethel Merman, Katharine Cornell, Bette Davis, Harpo Marx, Charlie McCarthy and Judith Anderson. And more!
The pretext for their appearances is the titular canteen, a World War II entertainment venue in New York City’s Broadway district that catered to servicemen. The flimsy “plot” involves a fleeting romance between a serviceman and hostess at the canteen, but there’s lots and lots of music by legendary bands led by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Guy Lombardo and Xavier Cugat among others.
You know the drill: first you watch the intro that Rudman posts on TMTP’s YouTube site. Then you go online and watch the film, which is available on numerous streaming services. (He says the versions vary from 95 to 132 minutes and you should watch the longest one you can find.)
Finally, join him on Zoom to talk about the film. Here’s the link. The discussion is free and open to all.