The Stage Door Canteen was a real wartime New York restaurant and nightclub for servicemen, and this movie recreates its atmosphere as it tracks the romantic adventures of a group of soldiers on leave. It also provides a feast of entertainment as star performers from the worlds of big band jazz, comedy, classical music and show business keep the customers satisfied. The guest stars: Katharine Hepburn, Yehudi Menuhin, Johnny Weissmuller The Bands: Count Basie (feat. Ethel Waters), Xavier Cugat, Benny Goodman, Guy Lombardo. This literally star-studded musical drama was largely financed by Theatre Guild, with all proceeds going to various wartime fundraising concerns. Most of the story takes place at the Stage Door Canteen, a Manhattan-based home away from home for soldiers, sailors and marines (the real-life Canteen on 44th street was too busy to lend itself to filming, thus the interiors were recreated in Hollywood). Within the walls of this non-profit establishment, servicemen are entertained by top musical, comedy and dramatic acts, and waited on by such Broadway luminaries as Lunt and Fontanne, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Cowl, Katherine Cornell, Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Sam Jaffe and Paul Muni. Though the plotline-one of the Canteen servers, a girl named Eileen (Cheryl Walker) falls in love with one of the visiting soldiers (William Terry), despite the establishment's strict "no dating" rules-is merely an excuse to link together a series of specialty acts, it is superbly and touchingly directed by Frank Borzage. Not all of the film has weathered the years too well: particularly hard to take is Gracie Fields' cheery ditty about "killing Japs!" For the most part, however, the film works, and the guest performers-including bandleaders Kay Kyser, Guy Lombardo and Xavier Cugat, comedians Ray Bolger, Harpo Marx, George Jessel and Ed Wynn, and singers Ethel Waters and Kenny Baker-are in fine fettle. If nothing else, Stage Door Canteen offers the only appearance on film of the great Katherine Cornell, who offers a vignette of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Incidentally, the actor playing "Texas," Michael Harrison, later gained fame as cowboy star Sunset Carson. (Hal Erickson) NTSC, Dolby Digital, 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo, Black & White