lecture 6.1 (2) Flashcards
Hollywood and World War II
films were good for morale; successful in WWII (1941-1945); almost every film studio was back in business and profitable except for United Artists; Hollywood’s biggest years
The Home Front
limits on lots of consumer products-red meat was rationed, no automobiles were being made, severe limit on gasoline, material like rubber only available in limited supply; movies were not limited because it was decided they were good for people
WWII Popular Entertainment
all forms of popular entertainment boomed during WWII (e.g. magazines, newspapers, comic books); paperback and comic books were hugely successful; could get information about war from newsreels; maybe popular because people wanted to get away from world’s problems
Long Runs
films used to be played for a week but now would stay in theaters for up to 6 weeks; people were coming to see films sometimes even multiple times so there was no need to recycle them
Delayed Release
would delay release of a film if the current film was still popular; sometimes films were put on the shelf for months or years after production before release
Troop Screenings
Hollywood delivered film prints to American service men all around the world; could keep them updated on what was going on back home; sometimes troops were sent films that hadn’t even been shown in the US yet including the delayed releases
Hollywood Filmmakers at War
were asked to make movies as part of the war effort; asked by US War Department to prepare a series of films that would be shown to incoming draftees and servicemen; used to bring new soldiers up to speed on America’s perspective on world events and the war; pulled from other countries’ propaganda and documentaries; some films were shown to entire country
Frank Capra’s “Why We Fight”
brought draftees up to speed on relevant war knowledge; some of his films were shown to others outside of the military
John Ford’s “Battle of Midway”
directed several war documentaries for US military including this one about the Battle of Midway
John Huston’s “Battle of San Piedro”
made documentaries for the US military including this one about the the Italian campaign during WWII
William Wyler’s “Memphis Belle”
worked for Army Air Corps; film about bombers over Germany; contains shots of aerial combat footage
William Wyler’s “Let There Be Light”
film about PTSD and shell shock
WWII Training Films
taught soldiers things like how to drive a tank and how to fly a plane
WWII in Newsreels
at least 4 newsreels were released every week; made it possible to see moving images of the war
War Bond Tours
would travel around the US to ask people to contribute to the effort by buying bonds or stamps; bonds-loaning money to the government that will be paid back after the war
United Service Organization (USO)
entertain troops around the world; live entertainment for troops and their families; Bob Hope, three singing sisters, Humphrey Bogart
The Hollywood Canteen
night club in Hollywood; only servicemen and women were allowed inside; maintained by Hollywood stars; headed by Betty Davis and John Garfield; free admission and you could eat and dance all you want; no alcohol; had to be in a serviceperson uniform
War Activities Committee
helped to coordinate the war activities of Hollywood with the US government
WWII in Hollywood Films
hollywood made several war pictures but not a huge genre
The Office of War Information (OWI)
manage flow of info about the war in the US; manage how newspapers, radio, magazines, motion pictures etc. told the story of the war to the US; set up OWI office in Hollywood to regulate/review the Hollywood films that had any war content; films with war content were checked by the Production Code as well as the OWI; didn’t want Hollywood to make the war seem “easy”; prepare US for a long, hard war; reduce heroic type characters
Office of Inter-American Affairs (OIAA)
the good neighbor policy; US wanted South America to stay neutral during the war; lots of Germans there and an appeal for Fascism; Roosevelt didn’t want Nazis to access to raw materials of South America such as oil and uranium; Roosevelt administration created OIAA; movies filmed in South America; movies set in Latin American, Latin American stars such as Carmen Miranda
Pro-Soviet Hollywood Films
US was allied with the Soviet Union so we made films supporting them; these films would come back to haunt Hollywood during the Cold War and the Black Scare
