Editing Irving Berlin (section)

====World War II patriotism—"This is the Army" (1943)====
[[File:Irving Berlin aboard the USS Arkansas, 944.jpg|thumb|Irving Berlin singing and conducting aboard [[USS Arkansas (BB-33)|USS ''Arkansas'']], 1944]]
Berlin loved his country, and wrote many songs reflecting his patriotism. Treasury Secretary [[Henry Morgenthau Jr.|Henry Morgenthau]] requested a song to inspire Americans to buy [[war bond]]s, for which he wrote "Any Bonds Today?"<ref name=":0" /> He assigned all royalties to the [[United States Treasury Department]]. He then wrote songs for various government agencies and likewise assigned all profits to them: "Angels of Mercy" for the [[American Red Cross]]; "Arms for the Love of America", for the [[United States Army Ordnance Corps|U.S. Army Ordnance Department]]; and "I Paid My Income Tax Today",<ref>[http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/57008.html Danny Kaye's Musical Tribute to the Income Tax] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826080052/http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/57008.html |date=August 26, 2011 }}, George Mason's History News Network, November 14, 2008, retrieved April 17, 2012</ref> again to Treasury.<ref name=Corliss/>

When the United States joined [[World War II]] after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941, Berlin immediately began composing a number of patriotic songs. His most notable and valuable contribution to the war effort was a stage show he wrote called "[[This Is The Army (musical)|This Is The Army]]". It was taken to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and then on to Washington, D.C. (where President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] attended). It was eventually shown at military bases throughout the world, including London, North Africa, Italy, Middle East, and Pacific countries, sometimes in close proximity to battle zones. Berlin wrote nearly three dozen songs for the show which contained a cast of 300 men. He supervised the production and traveled with it, always singing "[[Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning]]". The show kept him away from his family for three and a half years, during which time he took neither salary nor expenses, and turned over all profits to the Army Emergency Relief Fund.<ref name=McCorkle/>{{rp|81}}

The play was adapted into a movie of the same name in 1943, directed by [[Michael Curtiz]], co-starring [[Joan Leslie]] and [[Ronald Reagan]], who was then an army lieutenant. [[Kate Smith]] also sang "God Bless America" in the film with a backdrop showing families anxious over the coming war. The show became a hit movie and a morale-boosting road show that toured the battlefronts of Europe.<ref name=NYT-Barrett/> The shows and movie combined raised more than $10 million for the Army,<ref name=Corliss/> and in recognition of his contributions to troop morale, Berlin was awarded the [[Medal for Merit]] by President [[Harry S. Truman]]. Berlin's daughter, [[Mary Ellin Barrett]], who was 15 when she was at the opening-night performance of "[[This is the Army]]" on Broadway, remembered that when her father, who normally shunned the spotlight, appeared in the second act in soldier's garb to sing "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning", he was greeted with a standing ovation that lasted 10 minutes. She adds that he was in his mid-50s at the time, and later declared those years with the show were the "most thrilling time of his life".<ref name=NYT-Barrett>[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/20/books/books-of-the-times-recalling-the-somber-man-behind-so-many-happy-songs.html "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Recalling the Somber Man Behind So Many Happy Songs"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (book review), January 20, 1995</ref>