Irving Berlin "THIS IS THE ARMY" Pvt. Burl Ives / Joe Cook, Jr. 1943 Los Angeles

Description

This is a rare January 12th, 1943 playbill from the eleven performance, National Tour engagement of the IRVING BERLIN Soldier Show "THIS IS THE ARMY" at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. (The production opened July 4th, 1942 at the Broadway Theatre in New York City and ran for 113 performances before mounting an ambitious National Tour.) ..... The Benefit for Army Emergency Relief starred an all-soldier cast including composer IRVING BERLIN who performed his classic, "Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In the Morning" (eighth scanned image) ..... Historical Background: In May 1941, ex-Sergeant IRVING BERLIN was on tour
at
Camp Upton
, his old Army base in
Yaphank
,
New York
during
World War I
. There
he spoke with the commanding officers, including
Capt. A. H. Rankin
of Special Services, about restaging his original 1917 Army play,
Yip! Yip! Yaphank
. Gen.
George Marshall
approved a Broadway production of a wartime musical for the army, allowing Berlin to conduct the arrangements and rehearsals at Camp Upton and Sgt. EZRA STONE was selected as director for the new contemporary play. At the insistence of Berlin, the all-soldier revue became a racially-integrated detachment of the Army’s Special Services Division. Originally intended to be a four-week fundraiser, it was so successful that the Broadway run was extended until September 26th, 1942, followed by a national tour and a motion picture. The tour, which raised over two million dollars, was followed by a long stint at camps and bases overseas. Berlin would often accompany the revue and be called on to perform for the troops. In the end, the musical would outlast the war; the last performance given on October 22nd, 1945 on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Berlin donated all of the proceeds from the shows, the sale of sheet music and the film rights to the Army Emergency Relief Fund. (Source: Wikipedia and the National WWII Museum website)
..... In addition to IRVING BERLIN, the cast included Pvt. BURL IVES, Pvt. GARY MERRILL, Pvt. RALPH MAGELSSEN, Pvt. TILESTON PERRY, Pvt. EDWARD O'CONNOR, Pvt. ALAN MANSON, Pvt. JOHN DRAPER, Cpl. CHESTER O'BRIEN, Pvt. PINKIE MITCHELL, Cpl. JAMES MacCOLL, Cpl. EARL OXFORD, Cpl. PHILIP TRUEX, Pvt. JULES OSHINS, Pvt. LARRY WEEKS, Pvt. ROSS ELLIOTT, Pvt. ANTHONY ROSS, Pvt. SCOTT FARNWORTH, Pvt. LEONARD BERCHMAN, Pvt. PHIL KING, Pvt. WILLIAM WYCKOFF, Cpl. ORLANDO JOHNSON, Cpl. HOWARD BROOKS, Pvt. JOE COOK, Jr., Sgt. EZRA STONE, Pvt. ROBERT MOORE and many others
..... CREDITS: Music and Lyrics by IRVING BERLIN ("Music Box Revues", the Marx Brothers' "The Cocoanuts", "Louisiana Purchase", "This is the Army", "Miss Liberty", "Annie Get Your Gun", "Call Me Madam", "Mr. President"); Sets and Costumes designed by Pvt. JOHN KOENIG; Choreographed by Pvt. ROBERT SIDNEY and Cpl. NELSON BARCLIFT; Directed by Staff Sgt. EZRA STONE; Entire Production Staged Under the Personal Supervision of IRVING BERLIN; Produced by UNCLE SAM ..... DETAILS: The 36 page playbill measures 6 7/8" X 9 7/8" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, scenes, musical numbers, program notes and Army related advertising and editorial cartoons, but no cast photos or bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of five small surface abrasions on the back cover where tape was removed and minor edge wear, this playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.