BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

grandcyn We remember seeing the original This Is the army many years ago; this was fun to watch both because of the music and dancing and because it captured the patriotic fervor of the time; also there were parts I didn't remember seeing before, e.g. the Stage Door Canteen and Irving Berlin singing ..Hate to Get Up ..though my husband did ( I'm dating myself :-) canteen song the other reviewers described it perfectly and I really don't have anything to add to their comments; except that it was interesting to learn what that reviewer wrote about Yip Yip Yank about which show I knew nothing; I must see if there is a trivia section here; the singers are superb! are they talented servicemen ( the crdits give military rank in front of their names) or Broadway performers who joined or weredrafted into t army?

TxMike I found this older movie on a disk of 4 movies at my public library. I was interested in it for two, nearly equal, reasons. I was born in 1945, right after the war ended, and enjoy seeing movies from the 1940s. And second, I wanted to see a Ronald Reagan movie. When he was California governor in the 1960s his decisions influenced the rest of my life.This movie is a combination of a WW1 Irving Berlin play, "Yip, Yip, Yaphank" (Yaphank, NY, was the location of the Army training facility) and new material for the WW2 portion. The movie uses Berlin songs and Irving Berlin himself appears on stage singing one of them near the end.Most of the movie is musical revue style with both individual performers and big cast stage productions. Many of the actors were actually in the military at the time.There is also a romantic story running through the entire movie, as Lt. Ronald Reagan is Johnny Jones, son of a popular stage performer. He is chosen to be producer for this traveling revue, and has a girl that he wants to marry. But being practical he doesn't want to marry her until after the war because he has seen what happens when a man goes off to war and dies, leaving a widow and possibly children.I enjoyed the movie. Of course it contains a lot of pro-USA war songs, expected for 1942 when it was filmed. It appears actual footage of the Pearl Harbor attack was spliced into this movie. It is interesting and fun to see what was being made right before I was born, and to think how far movie-making has come since then.It was filmed in Technicolor but over the years before this transfer was made for the DVD lots of the color faded badly. Still for what it is the picture and sound are fine.

Neil Doyle What really enhanced my enjoyment of THIS IS THE ARMY last night on TCM is the fact that for once I saw a good, restored print of the wartime Warner Bros. musical and it looked great. The colors were vibrant. JOAN LESLIE never looked so beautiful with her reddish brown hair and the uniformly good cast of contract players headed by RONALD REAGAN, ALAN HALE, STANLEY RIDGES and others mixed well with the assorted real-life soldiers and sailors and marines who made up the bulk of the show. GEORGE MURPHY does a standout job as Reagan's show business father.The Irving Berlin tunes were the film's saving grace. His jaunty "This Is The Army, Mr. Jones," "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning," and other sprightly numbers compensate for the very thin plot that has Reagan and Leslie as wartime sweethearts who don't get together until the final reel after quarreling foolishly about whether or not to tie the knot.Some of the comedy skits between soldiers are beyond corny and fall flat for today's audiences, but as hokey as most of it is, it's still an enjoyable show, especially the sight of beefy men in drag doing their thing with Berlin's irresistible songs. ALAN HALE is especially funny as an overweight soldier forced to take a female part in one of the show's big musical numbers.And, of course, the blackface routine may turn some politically correct spectators off the entire film.Trivia note: It's amusing to see Reagan get excited about the presence of the President of the United States in the audience--someone shown only in a distant shot. Reagan himself was about to occupy the White House for two straight terms at a future time. A rare and ironic moment!

coloradokid719 I first saw this film on cable in the late 1970's, and was mesmerized by the story and the music. Certainly, as many people comment, it is propagandistic, but it is also a masterpiece, showcasing an almost-forgotten time. Irving Berlin is one of this country's most prolific and best-loved songwriters, and this musical extravaganza is an homage to his talent and genius.The cast is unique and wonderful. The main characters are played solidly by "name" stars, but the musical ensemble cast (real U.S. soldiers at the time) are what set this film apart.A reviewer complaining that it isn't "realistic" overstates the point. So what if you think an "average" army base couldn't produce a cast for a show like this. Film is a medium that attempts to suspend reality and let you enter a place, situation, relationship, time period, etc. that you might not otherwise get to experience. It's sometimes the view of one person's "reality," a manifestation of their own "vision."My copy of this film is on a very old (early 80's) VHS copy, a low-end bargain release which is of marginal quality, but I love every minute of it. I certainly hope someone reviews some of the specific DVD choices out there, I'd like to get the DVD before I wear out the VHS!If you enjoy a good flag-waving, patriotic musical, this is a film you will enjoy. If you enjoy Irving Berlin's music, it's a soundtrack you will enjoy. Personally I'd put this on a par with the 1942 film, "Yankee Doodle Dandy," and both films share a few cast members!