During World War Two: Women, Children And Animals First

We all know that the home front during the war was by no means idle and everything changed almost overnight. Women did the jobs that men left behind, often in addition to maintaining a household. Children sold war stamps and organized scrap drives. No one was ever supposed to quite forget the war, not that they could, with reminders literally everywhere they looked. One popular banner ominously read, “EVERY MINUTE COUNTS.”

We also know that Hollywood was no different, as plenty of changes were made. One thing that becomes readily apparent in World War Two-era movies, especially later in the war, is how many movies were centered around women, children and animals, sometimes called “pastoral pictures” because they were often set in the country. This happened for one obvious reason: So many male stars were otherwise engaged in fighting the war.

That doesn’t mean these films were entirely bereft of romantic leading men, obviously. Robert Young was a fixture, as were such players as Van Johnson, John Garfield, and Robert Walker, all of whom were exempted from service for various reasons. Hollywood had to tread very lightly during the war as it seemed as though the men of Hollywood were getting special treatment while their fellow Americans were sent off to fight and possibly die for their country.

What’s interesting is that Hollywood kept the reasons these actors stayed out of the military under wraps during the war, even though in most cases it wasn’t hard to figure out. Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, and James Cagney were too old and therefore exempted from the draft. John Garfield had a heart defect brought on by rheumatic fever. John Wayne didn’t enlist, a decision he regretted later. Van Johnson was classified as 4-F due to a serious car accident in 1943. None of this was for the public to know.

The less obvious reason for pastoral and female-centric movies, though, is that movies starring women, children, and animals often reminded both Americans and servicemen overseas of home and of more idyllic times, even if a movie’s subject matter still involved the war. A gentle story can go a long way when it comes to providing escape, and Hollywood got plenty of mileage out of these films. They were also relatively simple, inexpensive to make. and generally always successful. As Roddy McDowall remembered later,

Anything made during the war, you could put out anything at all. Some of the studios were making the same film over and over again. It didn’t matter. They were a triumph of brilliant, well-oiled organization.

Without further ado, here is a baker’s dozen of the many films from that time of well-oiled organization:

Journey For Margaret (1942)

Journey For Margaret centers on war correspondent William White’s real experiences in London during the Blitz. While it seems to be a relatively simple film about a little girl named Margaret who’s among the thousands of children left orphaned, traumatized and homeless during the bombing, it was also meant to impress upon Americans what our allies across the sea were going through and the tremendous cost they were already paying.

The Hard Way (1943)

This gritty film follows Katherine and her very controlling sister, Helen, the latter of whom has her sights set on putting Katherine in show business, and she doesn’t care who she steps on to get there. Joan Leslie and Ida Lupino put in very passionate performances, ably assisted by Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson. Read my review here.

Slightly Dangerous (1943)

Lana Turner plays Peggy Evans, a bored fountain attendant who knows her job so well she can make a banana split blindfolded. She has a fight with Stuart, her boyfriend and boss, and skips town, leaving behind what people think is a suicide note. Naturally, people suspect Stuart, who goes after Peggy, only to discover she’s passed herself off as the long-lost daughter of a wealthy businessman. Her cover story? Amnesia.

So Proudly We Hail! (1943)

A highly successful film starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, and Veronica Lake, So Proudly We Hail! tells the story of Army nurses in Bataan and Corregidor and is partly based on the recollections of real-life Army nurse Juanita Hipps. So Proudly We Hail! also features future Superman George Reeves and goofball Sonny Tufts and was nominated for four Academy Awards. Read my review here.

Cry ‘Havoc’ (1943)

Another film about Army nurses, Cry ‘Havoc’ was based on a mildly successful play and featured around a mix of character actresses and those who normally played romantic leads, although there’s no romance, at least none that we see (One of the characters is secretly married to the guy in the map room). Look for Robert Mitchum in his film debut as a dying soldier. Read my review here.

Lassie Come Home (1943)

One of the most successful of the pastoral movies during the war, Lassie Come Home was definitely for the kids, starring youngsters and classmates Roddy McDowell and Elizabeth Taylor. I haven’t seen this one yet, but clips from it always show up in documentaries whenever the war is mentioned, so someday I hope to.

The Song of Bernadette (1943)

1943 was the ninetieth anniversary of Bernadette Soubirous’s famous visions, so it was a very natural time to release The Song of Bernadette. The film was based on a wonderful nonfiction novel by Franz Werfel, who fled the Nazis during the late thirties and sheltered for a time in Lourdes, where, amazingly enough, eyewitnesses to Bernadette’s visions still lived. The movie features a luminous Jennifer Jones as the title character and plenty of steady character actors such as Charles Bickford. Read my review here.

Millions Like Us (1943)

A straight-ahead propaganda film from Britain, Millions Like Us follows Celia, a city girl who’s assigned to work in an aircraft factory. While it’s an interesting portrayal of England during the war, Millions Like Us doesn’t seem to go anywhere and the characters are paper-thin, with not much to distinguish one from another. When it ends, it just ends, and there doesn’t seem to be much of a point beyond the unspoken “Keep calm and carry on.”

Two Girls And A Sailor (1944)

June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven play sisters Patsy and Jean Deyo, who both come from a long line of show people. They host a canteen at their house every night, until a mysterious benefactor makes it possible for them to open a fancy canteen with a large stage and plenty of prestigious acts. Oh, and there’s a guy they both like, John Dykman Brown III, played by Van Johnson. This movie is a ton of fun and spawned a hit song of the time, “A Love Like Ours.” Read my review here.

Bathing Beauty (1944)

Esther Williams’ debut was quite the smash hit, although her leading man, Red Skelton, has more screen time than she does. Still, the film gave the public an excellent idea of what Williams could do, both in the water and out of it, and it’s a lot of crazy fun with some great music and wall-to-wall schtick. Find my full review here.

Keep Your Powder Dry (1945)

This film was practically a PSA for the WACs and the story isn’t too shabby. When socialite and party girl Valerie Parks is told she won’t receive her inheritance unless she keeps her nose clean, she decides to join the WACs, thinking she’ll stay in just until she’s got her money. Much to her surprise, she not only finds that the Army agrees with her, but Army brat and fellow WAC Leigh Rand doesn’t, making for lots of fireworks. Read my review here.

National Velvet (1944)

I don’t know about anyone else, but the first time I saw National Velvet I didn’t know that it was released during the war. The film is so timeless and hits every note so correctly that it really hasn’t aged in almost eighty years. That’s pretty amazing. Elizabeth Taylor was really maturing as an actress and Mickey Rooney is great as her racing coach, decades before he would school Alec Ramsey in The Black Stallion.

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945)

This film came out just as the war ended, and like many films of that period, was shown to troops on the battlefront. Its story of a Wisconsin farming community must have seemed blissfully serene to a war-weary public and battle-weary servicemen, even when the plot veers into the tragic and upsetting. Much of the movie is dominated by Margaret O’Brien, who plays Selma Jacobson and Butch Jenkins, who plays her cousin Arnold Hanson, although the grownups get in on the action as well. Read my review here.

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Women, children and animals weren’t the only pinch hitters during the later part of war, as other changes had to be made, but that’s another subject for another time.

Another post is coming up on Friday, and as always, thanks for reading, all, and I hope to see you then…

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Journey For Margaret (DVD), The Hard Way (DVD), Slightly Dangerous (DVD), So Proudly We Hail! (DVD), Cry ‘Havoc’ (DVD), Lassie Come Home (DVD), The Song of Bernadette (DVD), Millions Like Us (DVD and YouTube), Two Girls And a Sailor (DVD), Bathing Beauty (DVD), Keep Your Powder Dry (DVD), National Velvet (DVD and Blu-ray), and Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (DVD) are available to own from Amazon.

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Bibliography

MGM: When the Lion Roars. Director: Frank Martin. Narrator: Patrick Stewart. Turner Entertainment, 1992.