Hollywood Canteen (1944)

Set during WWII, a soldier (Robert Hutton) and his army buddy (Dane Clark) spend their three day leave in Hollywood. At the Hollywood Canteen, the soldier meets his movie star crush Joan Leslie (Joan Leslie) and they fall in love. Directed by Delmer Daves (A SUMMER PLACE). Oy! What a stinker! The corny plot is pure tedium but the only reason to watch the movie today is for the countless cameos by just about every star under contract to Warner Brothers at the time. If only the stupid plot didn't get in the way. The movie wants to assure us that movie stars are just ordinary people who wanted to do their bit for the war effort and to be fair, the Hollywood Canteen was the brain child of Bette Davis and John Garfield (both in the film playing themselves) where soldiers and other military personnel, both the U.S. and its allies, could be entertained while being served food and entertainment by Hollywood personalities. As the soldier in the middle of it all, Robert Hutton is a real pill, a cipher on the screen. The massive cast includes Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Jane Wyman, Jack Benny, Eleanor Parker, Roy Rogers, Zachary Scott, Ida Lupino, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Kitty Carlisle, Janis Paige, Eddie Cantor, Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, The Andrews Sisters, Paul Henreid, Alexis Smith, Dolores Moran, S.Z. Sakall, Irene Manning, Joan McCracken and Helmut Dantine.