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THIS IS THE ARMY – Irving Berlin and Ray Heindorf

December 4, 2023 Leave a comment

GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Original Review by Craig Lysy

The Broadway play “This Is The Army” by James Coll and Irving Berlin was very successful, and Warner Brothers Studio executive Jack L. Warner decided to bring the story to the big screen in a patriotic effort to boost public morale during World War II. Warner and Hal B. Wallis purchased the film rights, would oversee production with a $1.87 million budget, Michael Curtiz was tasked with directing, and Casey Robinson and Claude Binyon would write the screenplay. A cast for the ages was assembled, including, as themselves: Irving Berlin, Frances Langford, Joe Louis, Kate Smith, and Ezra Stone. Joining them would be George Murphy as Jerry Jones, Joan Leslie as Eileen Dibble, George Tobias as Maxie Twardofsky, Alan Hale as Sergeant McGee, and Ronald Reagan as Corporal Johnny Jones. Read more…