Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942, Warner Bros.) James Cagney plays George M. Cohan, Walter Huston is Jerry Cohan (George's father), and Eddie Foy, Jr. plays himself --- Lots of music and dancing in this cleaned up version of the life of George M. Cohan. Cohan was a composer, singer, dancer, producer, director, author and star of musicals on stage. (okay, so there are other errors too like no visible mountains from Providence, RI, in the opening scene, the American flag should have had fewer stars --- not 48!, etc. Still, the music, songs and dancing are wonderful). My girls pull this movie out periodically and for days afterward are singing "Over There". This is also a cleaned up way to learn about vaudeville. B & W, 126 minutes.
Tin Pan Alley (1940) with Alice Faye as Katie Blane, Betty Grable as Lily Blane, Jack Oakie as Harry Calhoun, John Payne as Francis Aloysius 'Skeets' Harrigan --- black and white / 94 minutes
Sergeant York (1941, Warner Bros.) Gary Cooper is Alvin York, Walter Brennan --- A country sharp shooter, Alvin York, becomes a WWI hero when he single-handedly attacks and captures a German position at Argonne using a turkey shoot strategy. (2 hr 17 min)
The Dawn Patrol (1938) B & W, 103 minutes --- Cast: Errol Flynn as Captain Courtney; Basil Rathbone is Major Brand; David Niven is Lt. Douglas 'Scotty' Scott; and Barry Fitzgerald as Bott --- In 1915 France, Major Brand commands the 39th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. The young airmen go up in bullet-riddled "crates" and the casualty rate is appalling, but Brand can't make the "brass hats" at headquarters see reason. Insubordinate air ace Captain Courtney is another thorn in Brand's side...but finds the smile wiped from his face when he rises to command the squadron himself. Everyone keeps a stiff upper lip. An excellent film about the anguish commanders have when sending pilots into battle and how the pilots cope with their fear and anger. Wartime commanders have the nasty job of sending men to do battle, often resulting in their death. In this film, flight commander Basil Rathbone gets telephone orders from the high command for the morning flights, and relays these to squadron commander Errol Flynn, who has the unenviable job of picking the men for the job. Complaining about the men's inexperience or the rickety planes does no good, since it is their duty to do as they are told, and everyone obeys. On this particular day, Flynn has to pick two replacement pilots who have little experience, which often means their death. It was odd to hear one pilot who was not picked remark "Lucky devils" as the two who were picked entered their planes, when I thought "Poor devils." This show of bravado seems to be just a mask for their fear. We hear the men often singing a song with a last line ending "Hoorah for the next man who dies." As fate would have it, the realities of possible death shake up both Flynn and Niven. Flynn is made flight commander and is ordered to put every available man in the air to stave off a big push by the Germans. And one of the new replacements is Niven's kid brother, Morton Lowry, with only nine hours of training experience. Nivens pleads with Flynn not to send him up, but there can be no exceptions and orders must be followed. To make matters worse, the feared German flying ace, Von Richter (Norman Willis), has joined the German flying force. Lowry didn't have a chance, and his death causes a deep rift in Niven's and Flynn's friendship. It is mended weeks later when Niven volunteers for a near suicide mission to fly alone and bomb a German armament dump 60 kilometers inside the German lines. Flynn gets Niven drunk and goes in his place, but three German planes, including one piloted by Von Richter, goes after him.
The African Queen (1951) Riverboat owner and captain, Humphrey Bogart, is persaded to attack an enemy warship in WWI by a missionary, Katheryn Hepburn. Color, 105 minutes.
World War II
Tora, Tora, Tora (1970, 20th Century Fox) Joseph Cotton as Henry L. Stimson, E.G. Marshall as Lt. Col. Bratton, James Whitmore as Admiral William F. Halsey, and Jason Robards as General Short --- This movie is about the events that lead up to the attack and the attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941 told from the both American and Japanese point of view. (Tora ! Tora ! Tora ! is the Japanese signal for attack). (Can you spot ... as the bombers fly over Scofield Barracks they do so over the white cross which was erected in the memory of the folk that were about to be "killed"? Many US Navy ships during the attack were not commissioned until the 1960s and 1970s?) Rated G, color, 144 minutes.
Mrs. Miniver (1942) with Greer Garson as Kay Miniver, Walter Pidgeon as Clem Miniver (black and white/134 minutes) --- WONDERFUL movie about a family in a village in England dodging the bombs
The Longest Day (1962, 20th Century Fox) International Cast --- John Wayne plays Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort, Eddie Albert is Col. Tom Newton, Richard Burton portrays Flight Officer David Campbell, Sean Connery is Pvt. Flanagan, Mel Ferrer is Maj. General Robert Haines, Henry Fonda plays Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Peter Lawford is Lord Lovat, and Paul Anka plays a U.S. Ranger. In short, there are 48 international stars in this movie by Darryl F. Zanuck --- The events of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, (6 June 1944) and the planning that went before it. There are many English sub-titles as actors/actresses speak German and/or French. (Did ya know ? ... Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort's compound fractured ankle would have been accompanied by bleeding and no weight could have put on it. German general Max Pemsel says: "Wir haben starke RADAR-störungen" or We have strong radar interference. The word "radar" could not have been used as it is possible that it was not even known in Germany in 1944.) B & W, 180 minutes.
Patton (1970, 20th Century Fox) Patton is played by George C. Scott --- Some say George Patton was the only Allied General truly feared by the Nazis. He outmanuevered Rommel in Africa and after D-Day led his troops in an unstoppable campaign across Europe. (However, Patton was probably his own worst enemy, i.e., rebelliousness and mercurial personality). Based on the book Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago and A Soldier's Story by five star General Omar N. Bradley. (Can you spot ... the tanks used in North Africa were post war tanks? the opening speech delivered by Patton on 4 June 1944 shows him as a four star general while he was still a lieutenant general? Patton would not have orders and decorations on him awared by various European countries until after the war? The prayer for good weather was on the back of a small Christmas card printed December 11 five days before the Battle of the Bulge and said "these immoderate rains" versus "this immoderate weather"? Patton awards the Purple Heart in front of a two panel curtain at the foot of the bed, and yet when he moves away, it becomes a single panel curtain.) Rated PG, color, 172 minutes.
Stalag 17 (1953, Paramount Pictures) William Holden as Sefton and Otto Preminger plays Oberst Von Scherbach --- The movie takes place in a German Prisoner of War camp. All escapes from the camp have failed. A spy in the ranks of the POWs is suspected. B & W, 120 minutes, drama.
Miracle of the White Stallions (1963, Walt Disney Productions) Robert Taylor plays Colonel Podhajsky --- Fascinating story of how prize Viennese Lipizzaner stallions are saved from the Nazis in WWII. Knowing how Patton fancies himself a horseman, maybe he can help? Again, borrow this movie from your Church, friend, and/or the library as this video is from Walt Disney Productions. Color, 93 minutes, family, drama.
Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958, 20th Century Fox) Ingrid Bergman plays Gladys Aylward --- Based on the book Small Woman by Alan Burgess. True story of an English female missionary, Gladys Aylward, to China. The country is attacked by the Japanese. She leads children in a dangerous journey through enemy territory --- fascinating story. Color, 158 minutes.
The Fighting Sullivans (1944, 20th Century Fox/Realart Pictures, Inc.) Anne Baxter plays Katherine Mary Sullivan --- Based on a true story. The five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, live through the Great Depression and then are sent to the Pacific during WWII. They die fighting side by side in Guadalcanal when a torpedo sunk their cruiser. (This is the reason why relatives are no longer allowed to fight with one another --- a whole family name can be wiped out). B & W, 112 minutes, drama.
Battle of Britain (1969, Spitfire) Sir Laurence Oliver plays Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Michael Caine is Squadron Leader Canfield, Trevor Howard portrays Air Vice Marshall Keith Park, Nigel Patrick is Group Captain Hope, and Christopher Plummer plays Squadron Leader Harvey --- Learn how the British RAF (Royal Air Force) fought off the German Luftwaffe invasion. Color, 133 minutes.
The Battle of Britain (1943) This is the official US government's stand regarding Great Britain's resistance against the Nazis after the Dunkirk evacuation. B & W, 54 minutes, documentary.
Flight for Freedom (1943, RKO Pictures) Rosalind Russel plays Tonie Carter (Amelia Earheart?) and Fred MacMurray is Randy Britton --- This movie is a thinly veiled attempted biography of Amelia Earheart (in this movie named Tonie Carter). Many at the time connected the disappearance of Amelia Earheart with secret work she was doing for the US Navy. B & W, 102 minutes.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, Columbia Pictures Corporation/ Horizon Films) William Holden plays Shears and Alec Guiness is Colonel Nicholson --- Based on a true story of POW soldiers being forced to build a railway bridge for the Japanese. Color, 155 minutes.
The Scarlet and the Black (1983) starring Gregory Peck as a Catholic Monsignor trying to rescue Jewish people, and Christopher Plummer as the nazi who tries to defeat him. The ending is so powerful, concerning Love and forgiveness. I can't do a commentary justice as I haven't seen it for awhile, but you'll be glued to your seat watching it. Lots of heroism, standing up for one's beliefs, etc. Made for TV. (2 hr 25 min )
Gentleman's Agreement Gregory Peck pretends to be Jewish to write about bigotry for his magazine. Very interesting, showing various subtle and open types of prejudice. B & W, 118 minutes, drama.
The Great Escape (1963) Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist type prisoners of war are all put in an 'escape proof' camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the film is played for comedy as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use boats and trains and planes to get out of occupied Europe. Color, 169 minutes, adventure.
Cast overview,: Steve McQueen as Capt. Virgil Hilts "The Cooler King"; James Garner is Hendley "The Scrounger"; Richard Attenborough plays Bartlett "Big X" ; James Donald portrays Ramsey "The SBO"; Charles Bronson is Danny Velinski 'Tunnel King' ; Donald Pleasence is Colin Blythe "The Forger"; James Coburn as Sedgwick "Manufacturer"; Hannes Messemer plays Von Luger "The Kommandant"; David McCallum is Ashley-Pitt "Dispersal" ; Gordon Jackson portrays MacDonald "Intelligence" ; John Leyton is Willie "Tunnel King"; Angus Lennie as Ives "The Mole"; Nigel Stock as Cavendish "The Surveyor"; Robert Graf is Werner "The Ferret"; and Jud Taylor as Goff
Interesting Stuff:
(1) Paul Brickhill, who wrote the book from which the film is
based, was piloting a Spitfire aircraft that was shot down over
Tunisia in March 1943. He was taken to Stalag Luft III in Germany,
where he assisted in the escape preparations.
(2) The individual incidents in the film are mostly true, but
were rearranged as to both the timing and the people involved.
(A note at the start of the film acknowledges this.) For instance,
of the 76 who escaped, there were indeed 3 who got away and 50
who were murdered in reprisal, but the murders occurred in small
groups, not all at once. (14 Germans were executed after the war
for their parts in them.)
(3) Wally Floody, real-life "tunnel king" (he was transferred
to another camp just before the escape), served as a consultant
to the filmmakers, almost full-time, for more than a year.
(4) The real-life escape preparations involved 600 men working
for well over a year. The escape did have the desired effect of
diverting German resources, including an ongoing effect in that
the number of guards was doubled after the Gestapo took over the
camp from the Luftwaffe.
(5) The real-life escape was on the night of March 24, 1944, and
the ground was snow-covered. The German town near the prison camp,
called Neustadt in the film, was really Sagan (now Zagan, Poland).
(6) Charles Bronson, who portrays the chief tunneler, brought
his own expertise to the set: he had been a coal miner before
turning to acting and gave director Sturges advice on how to move
the earth
(7) Several cast members were actual P.O.W.s during World War
II. Donald Pleasence was held in a German camp, Hannes Messemer
in a Russian camp and Til Kiwe and Hans Reiser were prisoners
of the Americans.
Factual Errors:
(1) In the opening sequence, during which Allied POWs arrive at
the camp and dismembark from trucks, Luftwaffe guards are holding
their Schmeisser MP-40 9mm machine pistols at the ready, except
for one who's clearly holding a US-issue M-3 .45-calibre "grease
gun," a weapon no German soldier would be issued.
(2) The head Luftwaffe Sergeant greets the British Group Captain
by introducing himself as a "Hauptscharführer."
Hauptscharführer was not a Luftwaffe rank, but rather a senior
enlisted rank of the SS.
(3) While there were Americans in the camp when the escape preparations
were begun, in real life none of them were among the 76 who escaped
because they had all been transferred to another camp by then.
(4) Since the US and Germany are both in the war in July, the
movie must be set in the summer of 1942, 1943, or 1944. In none
of those years was there a new moon during the period July 7-9
as is stated twice.
(5) The railway logo is incorrect; Traffic signs are clearly post-war;
The motorcycle that Hilts uses in his escape attempt was a 1960s
British Triumph 650; Motorcycles change in closeup shots; Sedgwick
is shown reading "Liberation", a newspaper not published
during the German occupation of France.
Joan of Paris (1942) An RAF squadron is brought down over occupied France. The flyers get to Paris in spite of the fact that the youngest, Baby, is injured. He must be hidden and his wounds cared for. Not only do the flyers have to evade the Nazis, bu the Gestapo already has issued orders for their arrest. B & W, 91 minutes, drama. Cast: Michèle Morgan as Joan; Paul Henreid as Paul Lavallier; Thomas Mitchell as Father Antoine; Laird Cregar as Herr Funk; May Robson as Mlle. Rosay; Alexander Granach as Gestapo Agent; Alan Ladd as Baby; Jack Briggs as Robin ; James Monks as Splinter; Richard Fraser as Geoffrey; Paul Weigel as Janitor; John Abbott as English Spy
13 Rue Madeleine (1946) OSS agents are trained and begin work behind enemy lines in WWII. James Cagney as Bob Sharkey. Thriller, B&W, 95 minutes.
Escape to Victory (1981) In World War II, a group of Nazi officers come up with a propaganda event in which an all star Nazi team will play a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War in a Soccer (Football) game. The Prisoners agree, planning on using the game as a means of escape from the camp. It has Michael Caine as Captain John Colby, Sylvester Stallone is Robert Hatch, Max von Sydow plays Major Karl von Steiner, and Pelé (a soccer great) portrays Luis Fernandez. A promotion piece for the movie says ... Set in a Prisoner of War Camp in World War 2 the movie has brought together some of the finest soccer players of all time including Pelé, Bobby Moore and Ossie Ardiles (to mention a few). The movie is a classic of the Allies versus the Germans. The aim is for the Allies to somehow Escape from the POW camp (as the movie title may suggest). A very young Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine play excellent roles along the way to having a number of prisoners (mainly extremely well-known soccer stars) form a soccer team to have a friendly game against the Camp guards. Along the way this becomes blown out in the sense of a friendly game and becomes a matter of typical World War II propaganda that the Nazi's which to exploit. With the soccer stars in this movie as you would expect a soccer match develops with interesting results. The movie has interesting twists and keeps you poised until the end.
Watch on the Rhine (1943) Nazi agents chage an underground German resistance fighter and his family to Washington. Bette Davis, Paul Lukas, Lucile Watson. D: Herman Shumlin. BW 112m.
Where Eagles Dare (1969) An Allied team sets out to free an American officer held by the Nazis in a mountain-top castle. Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure. D: Brian G. Hutton. C 156m. LBX CC, Action/Adventure.
The Guns of Navarone (1961) British agents sent to occupied Greece in order to destroy two huge and well guarded guns. Gregory Peck as Captain Keith Mallory, David Niven portrays Corporal Miller, Anthony Quinn is Colonel Andrea Stavros, Anthony Quayle plays Major Roy Franklin and James Darren as Private Spyros Pappadimos . Color 158. Drama.
Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) with Clark Gable, Jack Warden and Don Rickles --- brilliant story (black and white, 1 hour 33 minutes)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961, United Artists) Spencer Tracy is Judge Dan Haywood, Burt Lancaster is Ernst Janning, Richard Widmark plays Colonel Tad Lawson, Marlene Dietrich is Madame Bertholt, Maximilian Shell plays Hans Rolfe, Judy Garland is Irene Hoffman, and Montgomery Clift is Rudolf Peterson --- A drama based on the Nazi war crime trials in occupied Germany. Listening to the arguments of the defence and prosecuting attorneys is quite fascinating. WARNING: Actual Nazi concentration camp war film footage is shown. You may opt not to allow your children to see this movie until they are emotionally mature. B & W, 190 minutes.
The Stranger (1946) with Orson Welles, Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson. A Nazi war criminal escapes to a small town, marries a local girl but has difficult with a federal agent that has been waiting for him (95 minutes)
World War II Comedies
I Was A Male War Bride (1949) In post WWII Germany, Captain
Henri Rochard (French army), and Lieutenant Catherine Gates (American)
are sent to stop a black marketeer. Initially the officers can
bearly tolerate each other, but end up falling in love. This begins
the bureaucratic nightmare of getting married. The War Bride's
act which allows the spouse of American military personnel to
enter the USA has to be used by Cary Grant when Ann Sheridan is
called back to the USA. B& W, 103 minutes, Comedy.
Operation Petticoat (1959) Submarine commander (Cary Grant)
finds himself an unwilling rescuer of stranded military nurses.
Prior to leaving the island, Cary Grant finds he badly needs primer
for his ship. Unfortunately, the primer and ship ends up being
pink. Neither the Japanese nor the Americans know what to think!
(Tony Curtis as Lieutenant Nicholas Holden). Color, 124 minutes
Father Goose (1964) Cary Grant, Leslie Caron. A comedy
about a man on an isolated island to spot enemy planes during
the war who ends up protecting a teacher and her female students.
Color, 118 minutes.
To Be or Not to Be (1942) with Jack Benny, Carol Lombard, and Robert Stack. Comedy about a group of Polish stage performers whose theater is shut down by the Nazis (99 min)
No Time for Sergeants (1958) with Andy Griffith as Will Stockdale, Myron McCormick as Sergeant Orville C. King ... black&white, 119 minutes
Caught in the Draft (1941) with Bob Hope as Don Bolton, Dorothy Lamour as Tony Fairbanks (black & white, 82 minutes)
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) A pilot and spoiled heiress
are stuck in the desert. James Cagney, Bette Davis, Harry Davenport.
D: William Keighley. BW 92m
World War II Stories
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1988, BBC/WonderWorks) based on the book by C. S. Lewis --- To escape WWII bombings in London, the Pevenses four children evacuate to a country house of an eccentric old professor. They step into a magical world called Narnia filled with mythical creatures both evil and good. Only Aslan can bring victory and freedom back to the land of Narnia. This classic is recorded in Standard Play mode, the highest quality available for video. In a strange castle in the English countryside, four children open the door of an old wardrobe - and find themselves trasported to the magical kingdom of Narnia! Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund soon discover that the evil White Witch has kept narnia in never-ending winter and turned all her enemies to stone. Aslan the lion king leads the fight against her power Only the four children, however, hold the true key to defeating the evil witch. 2 hr 54 min
Prince Caspian (1989, BBC/WonderWorks) based on the
book by C. S. Lewis --- Continues the adventure in Narnia. The
magical land of Narnia is ruled by the corrupt King Miraz. His
nephew Prince Caspian calls on Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund to
help him defeat Miraz and restore Narnia to its former glory.
Years later, Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, and obnoxious cousin Eustace
set sail to rescue the six lords who were banished by Caspian's
evil uncle. Their adventures lead them to a golden lake, a giant
sea serpent, a fierce dragon and finally, the edge of the world.
This high quality version of the classic is on two tapes. 2 hr
54 min
The Silver Chair (1990, BBC/WonderWorks)
based on the book by C. S. Lewis --- Continues the adventure in
Narnia. Eustace is summoned back to the magical land of
Narnia with his new friend Jill. Many years have passed since
Eustace's last visit. King Caspian is old and frail. The mysterious
disappearance years ago of his son, Prince Rilian, has remained
unsolved. Aslan the lion charges the children to embark on a perilous
journey through enchanted lands of giants and witches to find
Rilian and bring him home. This high quality version of the classic
is on two tapes. 2 hr 54 min
Request: Any recommendations for World War movies? If so, e-mail us your ideas by here