Stage Door Canteen

The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers were largely unpaid, volunteering their talents as a way of supporting the morale of American troops during the war. Several women in leadership with the ATW played a critical role in establishing the Stage Door Canteen, including actress Nedda Harrigan and ATW co-founders Louise Heims Beck and Antoinette Perry. The canteen opened March 2, 1942 and operated seven nights a week in the previously unoccupied 'Little Club' under the 44th Street Theatre at 216 West 44th Street in Manhattan.

The official estimate of attendance on the canteen's opening night was 1,250, with 200 "actresses of varying importance" as hostesses and 75 "'name' actors" as busboys.

The canteen's popularity led to the establishment of other canteens throughout the United States as well as London and Paris.

Services

In addition to shows, the canteen offered off-duty military personnel opportunities to unwind in various ways, including dancing with hostesses and female entertainers, eating, and writing letters home. Food was provided free. Between 5 p.m. and midnight daily, the canteen served 200 gallons of coffee, and 5,000 cigarettes were smoked.

In media

The original Stage Door Canteen inspired a CBS Radio series (1942–45) and a 1943 film. The film was made by RKO Pathe Studios, using a replica of the New York venue on the studio's Culver City, California, site.

The film This Is the Army (1943) and the Broadway play from which it was adapted include a scene set at the Stage Door Canteen. During that scene, Earl Oxford sang the song "I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen" in both versions. The song "speaks of the fleeting love that many of the men felt when they had to leave the canteen, never to see these beautiful women again." The most popular recorded version of the song was made by Sammy Kaye and his orchestra, with Don Cornell singing. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard chart.

Partial list of performers and public speakers who volunteered at the Stage Door Canteen

A-B

• Ruth Aarons ^@wp

• Brian Aherne ^@wp

• Vanoye Aixens
• Frank Albanese ^@wp

• Ellen Albertini Dow ^@wp

• Judith Allen ^@wp

• Pauline Alpert
• Adrienne Ames ^@wp

• Elaine Anderson Steinbeck ^@wp

• Amy Arnell ^@wp

• Don Arrès
• Jean-Pierre Aumont ^@wp

• Jim Backus ^@wp

• Kenny Baker (American performer) ^@wp

• Rose Bampton ^@wp

• Billy Banks (singer) ^@wp

• Margaret Bannerman ^@wp

• Joe Baque
• Irina Baronova ^@wp

• Robert R. Barry ^@wp

• Diana Barrymore ^@wp

• Ethel Barrymore Colt
• James Barton (actor) ^@wp

• James K. Baxter ^@wp

• Frank Behrens
• Ralph Bellamy ^@wp

• Constance Bennett ^@wp

• Pauline Betz ^@wp

• Arthur Blake (actor) ^@wp

• Joan Blondell ^@wp

• Margaret Bonds ^@wp

• Victor Borge ^@wp

• Ruthanna Boris ^@wp

• Betty Brewer ^@wp

• Berry Brothers ^@wp

• Betty Bryant ^@wp

• Norman Budd ^@wp

• Billie Burke ^@wp

• Charles Butterworth (actor) ^@wp

C

• Maureen Cannon (singer) ^@wp

• Una Mae Carlisle ^@wp

• Earl Carroll ^@wp

• Sid Catlett ^@wp

• Stanley Catron
• Ethel Cave-Cole
• Marguerite Chapman ^@wp

• Lucia Chase ^@wp

• George Church
• Harry Clark (actor) ^@wp

• Tiny Clark
• Madeleine Clive
• Imogene Coca ^@wp

• Grant Code
• Olga Coelho
• Eddie Cole ^@wp

• Jack Cole (choreographer) ^@wp

• Emil Coleman and His Orchestra
• Blanche Collins
• Jack Collins (actor) ^@wp

• Ted Collins (manager) ^@wp

• Jerry Colonna (entertainer) ^@wp

• Betty Comden ^@wp

• Perry Como ^@wp

• Frances Comstock
• Walter Compton (broadcaster) ^@wp

• The Condos Brothers ^@wp

• Billy Conn ^@wp

• Irving Cohn ^@wp

• Nadine Conner ^@wp

• Walter Connolly ^@wp

• Ray Conniff ^@wp

• The Continental Trio
• Melville Cooper ^@wp

• John Frederick Coots ^@wp

• George Copeland ^@wp

• Peggy Corday
• Irwin Corey ^@wp

• Ann Corio ^@wp

• Irene Corlett
• Diosa Costello ^@wp

• William Cottrell
• Alan Courtney
• Diane Courtney
• Herbert Cowans ^@wp

• Jeanne Coyne ^@wp

• The Cresta Blanca Carnival
• Cyril Critchlow
• Stumpy Cromer ^@wp

• Bob Cronin and his NBC orchestra
• Roy Cropper
• Milton Cross ^@wp

• Margaret Cuddy
• Xavier Cugat ^@wp

• Marion Cumbo ^@wp

• Frank Cunkle

D

• Donald Dame
• Lili Damita ^@wp

• Danny Daniels ^@wp

• Helene Daniels
• Les Damon ^@wp

• Emery Darcy
• Jeanne Darrell
• Colette D'Arville ^@wp

• Howard Da Silva ^@wp

• Bette Davis ^@wp

• Evelyn Daw ^@wp

• Mary Margaret McBride ^@wp

• Deep River Boys ^@wp

• Carol Deis
• Albert Dekker ^@wp

• Jack De Leon
• The DeMarco Sisters ^@wp

• Jacques de Menasce ^@wp

• Clark Dennis
• Anita de Palma
• Clarence Derwent ^@wp

• Romolo de Spirito
• Ragini Devi ^@wp

• Annamary Dickey ^@wp

• Artella Dickson
• Muriel Dickson ^@wp

• Adam and Jane Di Gatano
• Tommy Dix
• Lee Dixon
• Doris Doe
• Bill Doggett ^@wp

• Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) ^@wp

• Don Carney ^@wp

• Doris Doree ^@wp

• Jimmy Dorsey ^@wp

• Tommy Dorsey ^@wp

• Larry Douglas
• Helen Dowdy ^@wp

• Jessica Dragonette ^@wp

• Alfred Drake ^@wp

• Ruth Draper ^@wp

• Vernon Duke ^@wp

• Ralph Dumke ^@wp

• Katherine Dunham ^@wp

• Artie Dunn
• Jack Dunphy ^@wp

• Bob Dupont
• Jack Durant
• Ed Durlacher
• Eleanor Durkin

E-F

• Ed East
• Dan Eckley
• Ted Eddy and his Orchestra
• Dorothy Edwards (actress) ^@wp

• Eddie Edwards (musician) ^@wp

• Joan Edwards (radio singer) ^@wp

• Kent Edwards ^@wp

• Leo Edwards (composer) ^@wp

• Penny Edwards (actress) ^@wp

• Maurice Eisenberg ^@wp

• Duke Ellington ^@wp

• Leonard Elliott ^@wp

• Edwina Eustis Dick ^@wp

• Nanette Fabray ^@wp

G-H

• Betty Garrett ^@wp

• Lillian Gish ^@wp

• Benny Goodman ^@wp

• Tiny Hill ^@wp

• Alfred Hitchcock ^@wp

• Celeste Holm ^@wp

• Laurel Hurley ^@wp

I-K

• José Iturbi ^@wp

• Chubby Jackson ^@wp

• Dean Jagger ^@wp

• George Jessel (actor) ^@wp

• Irene Jordan
• Chandra Kaly and His Dancers
• William Kapell ^@wp

• Maria Karnilova ^@wp

• Danny Kaye ^@wp

• Sammy Kaye ^@wp

L-M

• Carole Landis ^@wp

• Betty Lawford ^@wp

• Gertrude Lawrence ^@wp

• Bert Lee ^@wp

• Oscar Levant ^@wp

• Ethel Levey ^@wp

• Cappy Lewis
• Liberace ^@wp

• Dwight Marfield
  
• George Marsh (musician) ^@wp

• Catherine Mastice
  
• Maria Montez ^@wp

N-O

• Cornelia Otis Skinner ^@wp

P-R

• Gregory Ratoff ^@wp

• Marisa Regules ^@wp

S-T

• Akim Tamiroff ^@wp

• Georgie Tapps
  
• Marilyn Taylor Gleason
  
• Jean Tennyson
  
• Joyce Terry
  
• Kay Thompson ^@wp

• Lawrence Tibbett ^@wp

• Sophie Tucker ^@wp

• Frank Tuohy ^@wp

• Kay Twomey ^@wp

U-W

• Fred Uttal
  
• Margaret Valdi Curtis
• Astrid Varnay ^@wp

• Barry Wood (singer) ^@wp

• Peggy Wood ^@wp

• Barbara Woodell ^@wp

• Ilene Woods ^@wp

• Monty Woolley ^@wp

• WQXR-FM ^@wp

• Betty Wragge ^@wp

• Sonja Wronkow
  
• Jane Wyman ^@wp

• Keenan Wynn ^@wp

• Nan Wynn ^@wp

X-Z

• Ben Yost
  
• Roland Young ^@wp

• Henny Youngman ^@wp

• Alexander Zakin ^@wp

• Don Zelaya
  
• Vera Zorina ^@wp

• George Zoritch ^@wp

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