Irving Berlin In " THIS IS THE ARMY " Max Showalter 1944 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:12531494 | Date: 1940 - 1949 |
| Music Subgenre: Broadway Musicals | Product Type: Playbills |
| Original / Reproduction: Original - Northern Ireland | Genre: Theatre Memorabilia |
This is a rare January 13th, 1944 programme (playbill) from the International Tour engagement of the IRVING BERLIN All-Soldier Show "THIS IS THE ARMY" at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (The production opened July 4th, 1942 at the Broadway Theatre in New York City and ran for 113 performances before mounting ambitious National and World Tours.) ..... The Benefit Performance starred an all-soldier cast including composer IRVING... BERLIN who performed his classic, "Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In the Morning" (third 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. MAX SHOWALTER, Cpl.. LARRY WEEKS, Cpl. RALPH MAGELSSEN, Sgt. ALAN MANSON, Sgt. GENE BERG, Cpl. JOHN DRAPER, Sgt. JULES OSHINS, Cpl. WILLIAM ROERICH, Pfc. HANK HENRY, Pfc. HENRY JONES, Pfc. ARTHUR GILMOUR, Pvt. JOHN HENDERMAN, Pvt. DANIEL LONGO, Sgt. JAMES BURRELL, Sgt. ZINN ARTHUR, Pfc. WILLIAM COLLIER, Pvt. JAMES FARRELL, Pvt. ROGER KINNE, Pvt. ORVILLE RACE, Pvt. DONALD McCRAY, Pvt. EARL LIPPY, Pvt. CARL NICHOLAS, Cpl. PINKIE MITCHELL, Sgt. SIDNEY SALZER, Sgt. MAURICE KELLY, Pvt. NELSON BARCLIFT, Sgt. RICHARD IRVING, Cpl. JACK LENNY, Pfc. EUGENE JARVIS, Pvt. CHARLES DICKSON, Pvt. CHARLES TATE, Pvt. ALFRED DANIELL, Sgt. JOSEPH JOHNSON, Cpl. CLARENCE JAEGER, Cpl. PHIL KING, Pfc. CARMINE CAPUOZZO, Pfc. WOJCIKOWSKI, Pfc. STEPHEN LA MARR, Pfc. NORMAN STUART, Pfc. RICHARD BROWNING, Pvt. RICHARD REEVER, Cpl. PETE NUGENT, Pvt. JAMES CROSS, the ALLON TRIO 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 designed by Pvt. JOHN KOENIG; Costumes designed by Pvt. JOSEPH FRETWELL III; Choreographed by Pvt. ROBERT SIDNEY; Entire Production Staged Under the Personal Supervision of IRVING BERLIN; Produced by THE UNITED STATES ARMY ..... DETAILS: The six panel, bi-fold playbill measures 3 3/8" X 8" inches (10" X 8" inches when opened) and includes full production credits, cast list, scenes, musical numbers and program notes, but no cast photos or bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of moderate creasing, light soiling and minor edge wear, this rare 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.
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