When Clark Gable came back from the his overseas service, MGM was, of course, chomping at the bit to put him in a movie and recapture some of the old magic. Adventure was the name of that first movie, and Greer Garson was Gable's costar, with "Gable's back and Garson's got him!" as the tagline. … Continue reading Not the Same Mr. Gable
During World War Two: Wrapping Up
We have come to the end, friends, in more ways than one. September 2, 2025 marked the eightieth anniversary of the formal Japanese surrender. Eighty years ago, millions of people watched as Emperor Hirohito signed the peace declaration with General Douglas MacArthur looking on. And now my series, "During World War Two" is officially wrapping … Continue reading During World War Two: Wrapping Up
During World War Two: Postwar Movie Recs
Almost immediately after the ending of the war, and for that matter, even before that, Hollywood tried to make sense of it and offer commentary on all that happened. Of course, countless movies have been made about the war, too many for any one listing, and some are done better than others. This list, however, … Continue reading During World War Two: Postwar Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1946 Movie Recs (And a Short Watchlist)
OK, this might seem kinda like cheating because the war ended in 1945, but a lot of the films on this list were in production while the war was still going on, so they count. Obviously, this rec list is a lot shorter than past years, but this post has something those other lists haven't … Continue reading During World War Two: 1946 Movie Recs (And a Short Watchlist)
During World War Two: 1945 Movie Recs
In 1945 with the war finally nearing its end, Americans were exhausted but starting to feel buoyant again. While the war news remained grim, and with the further confirmation of Nazi atrocities and Japanese atrocities, even more grim, but we were now on the downhill slope. It helped that movies, while many still reflected the … Continue reading During World War Two: 1945 Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1944 Movie Recs
How is it that our 1944 recs list is longer than the one for 1943? Yet here we are. There was a lot of crazy stuff happening that year, movie-wise and news-wise, so obviously this list isn't exhaustive. I saw a bunch of movies in IMDb's advanced search results that I want to add to … Continue reading During World War Two: 1944 Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1943 Movie Recs
1943 was, obviously, the height of the war, and it was also the year in which the most war-related movies were released in the United States, with a whopping one-hundred eighty-seven films. Yep, it was pretty hard to get away from the war, but escapism was occasionally a thing as well, and there were a … Continue reading During World War Two: 1943 Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1942 Movie Recs
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 … Continue reading During World War Two: 1942 Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1941 Movie Recs
1941 has always seemed like the calm before the storm to me in terms of how the war was playing out, at least for America, which was rather insulated. Europe was mostly taken over by the Nazis, Japan was greedily eyeing the various parts of Asia, and Hitler stupidly decided to invade Russia in Operation … Continue reading During World War Two: 1941 Movie Recs
For the Boys
Strike up the band... Big star showcases were a staple of the World War Two era, and one of them was 1943's Thousands Cheer. MGM's trade paper, The Lion's Roar, declared, "On all the Broadways of America, there’s a milling to get into the most extravagant extravaganza in years entitled “Thousands Cheer”." On one hand, Lion's hyperbole is … Continue reading For the Boys
During World War Two: 1940 Movie Recs
1939 gets all the buzz as the most successful year in film history, and rightly so, but 1940 sported quite a few gems of its own. As World War Two was now a thing, movies naturally included references to it in some way, although, as we've discussed in the past, studios tended to shy away … Continue reading During World War Two: 1940 Movie Recs
During World War Two: 1939 Movie Recs
To wrap up the "During World War Two" series, and I can't believe we're wrapping it up because I LOVE it, I thought it would be nice to pick my Top Ten or Top Twelve recommendations for every year of the war. These will be in chronological order, so ranking won't be a thing. I'll … Continue reading During World War Two: 1939 Movie Recs
Songs, Schtick and Not Much Else
Remember the 1941 Abbott and Costello movie, Buck Privates? Maybe. Remember 1942's Private Buckaroo? No? There's a good reason for that. Two, actually. One, it stinks. Two, it has no plot, but we'll do our best. It all opens at a club, where Henry James is giving out with Helen Forrest and his orchestra on "You Made Me … Continue reading Songs, Schtick and Not Much Else
During World War Two: Since the War
The end of the war is almost as overwhelming a topic as the war itself, as that's obviously where we are now, albeit with the war getting farther and farther into the past. Unfortunately, the war is barely taught in schools today, at least in the United States, and the number of people who directly … Continue reading During World War Two: Since the War
During World War Two: The Strangest War Movie Ever
What if, God forbid, the Axis had won? It's safe to say that no one liked thinking about that too much. However, the possibility was always in the background waiting to rear its terrifying head. It didn't help that at the beginning of the war we were finding Japanese subs on America's west coast, or … Continue reading During World War Two: The Strangest War Movie Ever
My British Buddy
Britannia rules the waves... After V-E Day, Brits were, for the most part, feeling pretty good. There was still a lot of recovery to be done, to be sure, but the fighting in Europe was over and they didn't have to worry about running out to an Anderson shelter or sending loved ones off to … Continue reading My British Buddy
During World War Two: Aftermath
As we talked about last month, Americans knew they had a big job ahead, even after the war ended. It wasn't just a matter of bringing our servicemembers home, but of rebuilding both their lives and helping to rebuild a world that had been devastated by the war. Instead of war bonds, Americans were now … Continue reading During World War Two: Aftermath
Taking Up Room 