The Second World War has been referred to as "a radio war," simply because radio was such an integral part of relaying information to the public about bond drives, rationing, the latest news, and other aspects of living on the home front, but radio was probably the most special for Americans on the frontlines. Imagine … Continue reading During World War Two: On the Air
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 … Continue reading During World War Two: Women, Children And Animals First
During World War Two: Remember the Last War?
Believe it or not, World War One nostalgia was big during World War Two, or at least Hollywood tried to make it that way. Shocking, right? My parents were both little kids during the war and even they were shocked when I told them, but it was a legit thing, although it's not often talked … Continue reading During World War Two: Remember the Last War?
During World War Two: That’s Entertainment
As we all know, it's a tradition to send celebrities to entertain our troops. I can't speak to how it would feel to be deployed and suddenly see, say, Robin Williams or Gary Sinise, but I have a slight idea of how it feels to get an unexpected lift when one is exhausted, far from … Continue reading During World War Two: That’s Entertainment
During World War Two: Christmas Anytime
Due to wartime shortages, Christmas was leaner than it otherwise might have been. Kids were given toys made out of paper and wood instead of metal, and the public was encouraged to give war bonds as Christmas presents. Christmas movies, however, were not in short supply, only they could come out at any old time … Continue reading During World War Two: Christmas Anytime
During World War Two: All the Folks At Home
Those who were on American soil, and for that matter, Canadian soil during the war had a different kind of battle to face, as well as an odd kind of limbo. At first there were practice blackouts in major cities and fear that Japanese and German ships would make their way to our shores, but … Continue reading During World War Two: All the Folks At Home
During World War Two: Thirteen Wartime Shorts
Hollywood's involvement in the war effort went beyond movies, canteens, and bond tours. There were also quite a few shorts produced by Hollywood stars and studios because, to paraphrase something Frank Capra once said, films are excellent teaching tools. Americans were told all the time to buy war bonds, to be careful of what they … Continue reading During World War Two: Thirteen Wartime Shorts
During World War Two: The Good Neighbor Policy
One major aspect of the Second World War is the concept of the Good Neighbor, as Europe and Asia were closed off in more ways than one. Hollywood took advantage of this dynamic, of course, since all things south-of-the-border and tropical were huge trends with audiences, which brought on a shift in how Latin America … Continue reading During World War Two: The Good Neighbor Policy
During World War Two: My Little Pin-Up Girl
Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth weren't the only stars who sat for pin-ups during the war; their photos were simply the most popular. The idea of pin-ups (technically, they were just photos of women) were nothing new by the Second World War. Victorians and Edwardians, of course, had French postcards, which ranged from fully-clothed women … Continue reading During World War Two: My Little Pin-Up Girl
During World War Two: John Huston
We've come to the last of our five directors who went overseas during World War Two. John Huston was the youngest of the lot. Like his contemporaries, Huston distiguished himself during the war by making documentaries, and while they mostly did all right, one was too fake while another was too real. John Huston was … Continue reading During World War Two: John Huston
During World War Two: Frank Capra
Frank Capra often stood alone. He was an underdog. He had no choice. He was, however, also a teacher of high ideals and human worth, and connected with his audience in ways the more cynical were always surprised at and maybe a little jealous. Born in 1897 in the Sicilian town of Palermo, Italy, Capra … Continue reading During World War Two: Frank Capra
During World War Two: William Wyler
William Wyler was born Willi Wyler on July 1, 1902 in Mülhausen in the Alsace-Lorraine region of what used to be Germany and is now France. He was initially not supposed to work in movies, as his apparent destiny was to inherit his father's haberdashery business. His training included college in Paris and a job … Continue reading During World War Two: William Wyler
During World War Two: John Ford
John Martin Feeney seemed born ready for a fight. He didn't start out wanting to direct films but to join the United States Navy, and upon graduation from Portland High School in Maine he applied to the Naval Academy. When Feeney was rejected, he went to Hollywood and worked as an apprentice to his older … Continue reading During World War Two: John Ford
During World War Two: George Stevens
For the next five months, we're going to do a series within a series, because one big aspect of Hollywood's response to the Second World War is all the major and not so major industry professionals who went into uniform. Four of Hollywood's top directors served in the Army and one in the Navy, and … Continue reading During World War Two: George Stevens
During World War Two: It’s An Expat Thing
Hollywood was rife with actors, directors, writers, and others who had fled Europe when Hitler came to power and who still had relatives living under Hitler's thumb. Those who stayed behind, especially if they were Jewish, were subjected to the same treatment as anyone else, often dying by execution, in prison or in death camps … Continue reading During World War Two: It’s An Expat Thing
During World War Two: Five Wartime Holiday Songs
There's no doubt the war felt harder around the holidays. Not only were people missing their loved ones, but there were shortages of many materials so everyone had to get creative. Handmade gifts were big, and children's toys were often made out of paper and wood instead of plastic and metal. However, stuff wasn't always … Continue reading During World War Two: Five Wartime Holiday Songs
During World War Two: Any Bonds Today?
We all know that during the war bond sales were huge. Reminders to buy war bonds were literally everywhere from magazines to ads to the ending credits of movies to billboards. My hometown paper used the words, "Buy War Bonds" so often that it was practically a design element. Anything that could carry text was … Continue reading During World War Two: Any Bonds Today?
Taking Up Room 