ABSTRACT
The second world war gave Broadway fresh impetus. Prosperity, or something that passed for it, was back again, and a big new audience, composed partly of servicemen, had discovered the legitimate theatre. At the Stage Door Canteen and in their tours of army camps here and abroad, theatre folk had discovered that their gifts as entertainers were valuable to morale. A fresh ardor pervaded Broadway, and each new musical show seemed to be more exciting than it actually was.
