1942 was quite the year for obvious reasons. America had entered the war, and while we were raring to go, morale was very low and the news was worse. Bataan fell to the Japanese in April of that year, followed a month later by Corregidor, and many Americans were wracked with guilt that we had to leave our American forces in the Philippines in what was called a “strategic withdrawal.”
On the plus side, America mobilized with lightning speed. Factories were converted into war plants and war bonds were suddenly must-have items. While some men enlisted, most waited for their draft to come up, if it ever did. Better times lay ahead, of course, but our 1942 selves may not have been ready to believe it.
In the meantime, of course, things were humming in Movieland. Now that the moratorium on using the word, “Nazi” was over with and no one had to play nice anymore, well, relatively speaking, we went all out.
Just as with 1941, I had to make some deep cuts (this list was originally twenty-five movies long), but I think we’ve got a pretty good cross-section of what audiences saw that year. Here we go…
Woman of the Year (February 5)
This movie was the first of eight that Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy co-starred in, and it’s not only a battle of the sexes, but of work-life balance and of learning to consider other people. Hepburn and Tracy have the reputation of non-romantic romance, and it’s pretty undeserved, especially once people have seen Woman of the Year. Read my review here.
To Be Or Not To Be (March 6)
Hollywood went from not talking about the Nazis to skewering them, and To Be Or Not To Be is the best example of that, in my opinion. This Ernst Lubitsch comedy follows a Polish acting troupe as they join the resistance, and part of that includes such antics as having one of their number stride down the sidewalk dressed as Hitler. The reactions are very telling. To Be Or Not To Be was Carole Lombard’s last movie, released almost two months after her untimely death.
Yankee Doodle Dandy (June 6)
It’s basically impossible not to recommend Yankee Doodle Dandy, as it’s an enduring classic and must have been highly bracing for audiences during the war. The film was in production at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, and as Joan Leslie remembered later, the entire cast sat listening to the radio as Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war. “I think a prayer goes in here,” James Cagney said when it was all over. Read my review here.
Wake Island (August 11)
Often considered the first true war film of the Second World War, Wake Island was filmed while the actual Wake Island was still under siege. There are plenty of inaccuracies, but for a film that was based around communiques from the island, it’s quite an impressive piece of work. Brian Donlevy, William Bendix, and Robert Preston head up a serviceable and competent cast. Read my review here.
Holiday Inn (September 4)
One of the few holiday musicals to encompass every holiday, maybe the only one, one of Holiday Inn’s bigger claims to fame is that it introduced Irving Berlin’s perennial classic, “White Christmas” to the world. It’s a lot of fun. It’s got plenty of patriotism (in the Fourth of July segment, natch). Fred and Bing are in fine form. Its only misstep is presenting “Abraham” in blackface, but it doesn’t detract much from the film being a classic.
Across the Pacific (September 5)
This film is a cautionary tale about patriotism and loyalty. We were never to be too sure of who we trusted, not matter how harmless they might appear. Across the Pacific was in the midst of production when America entered the war, and the plot was changed at the last minute to accomodate the new circumstances. It was also the last movie John Huston directed before going overseas to serve in the Army. Read my review here.
The War Against Mrs. Hadley (September 23)
Washington, D.C. matron Stella Hadley tries to pretend the war isn’t happening, but she can’t stop the war from happening to her. I’ve talked about this one before more than once, so I hesitate to bring it up again, but it’s a quintissential war film and well-worth seeing if possible. Sure, it’s not on any physical media yet, but it’s shown occasionally on TCM and there is a Lux Radio Theater version widely available.
The Glass Key (October 2)
Based on an original story by Dashiell Hammett, The Glass Key is all about crooked politicians, murder, frame-ups, and endless intrigue. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to ruin it, but it’s so, so good. Alan Ladd fans will be very happy.
For Me and My Gal (October 21)
For Me and My Gal capitalized on the World War One nostalgia that was so popular in the early forties, featuring a twenty-year old Judy Garland and the slightly older George Murphy as vaudevillians during the nineteen-teens. It also marks the film debut of one Gene Kelly, who was fresh from his success in Pal Joey on Broadway. Dancing onscreen was a big change for Kelly, who wasn’t used to hitting marks, but Judy was there to help him out. Read my review here.
The Navy Comes Through (October 30)
One of the early Naval dramas of the war, The Navy Comes Through is about a group of enlistees who share a ship with some Merchant Marines. They’re not too happy about it until they’re thrust into an important mission in which they all get to prove themselves. The movie also focuses on the drama between enlistee and former officer Tom Sands, his commanding officer, Chief Michael Mallory, and Michael’s sister, Myra. Read my review here.
Now, Voyager (October 31)
Just the kind of movie Bette Davis loved to sink her acting teeth into, Now, Voyager is the story of Charlotte Vale, a depressed and oppressed single woman who’s helped out of her caged existence by her sister-in-law Irene and the kindly Doctor Jaquith. She not only learns to stand up to her domineering mother, but meets a man while on a cruise to South America who will change her entire life forever. Read my review here.
Casablanca (November 26)
Like CItizen Kane and Yankee Doodle Dandy, Casablanca is inevitable on any classic film rec list and it’s impossible to leave it out of any World War Two list as well. It’s a lot more than just the romance between Ilsa and Rick, obviously; it’s a movie about people who are stuck in one way or another and who have to find a way to move forward. Refugees are stuck waiting for their visas to America. Ilsa and Lazlo are stuck in close quarters with the Nazis. Rick is stuck in his past. Read my review here.
Journey For Margaret (December 17)
This movie doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention nowadays, which is a shame, because it deals pretty frankly with the effects of the Blitz on little children and what was being done to help kids who were traumatized by the bombing. Partially based on a true story, Journey For Margaret stars Robert Young, Laraine Day, Margaret O’Brien, and Fay Bainter.
Another post is coming out next Wednesday. Thanks for reading, all, and I hope to see you then…
Woman of the Year (DVD and Blu-ray), To Be Or Not To Be (DVD and Blu-ray), Tortilla Flat (DVD), Yankee Doodle Dandy (DVD and Blu-ray), The Pride of the Yankees (DVD and streaming), Wake Island (DVD and Blu-ray), Holiday Inn (DVD and Blu-ray), Across the Pacific (DVD), The Glass Key (DVD and Blu-ray), For Me and My Gal (DVD and Blu-ray), The Navy Comes Through (DVD), Now, Voyager (DVD and Blu-ray), Casablanca (DVD and Blu-ray), and Journey For Margaret (DVD) are available to own from Amazon.
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