lecture 6.1 (2)

Question 1

Hollywood and World War II

Answer 1

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

Question 2

The Home Front

Answer 2

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

Question 3

WWII Popular Entertainment

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Long Runs

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Delayed Release

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Troop Screenings

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Hollywood Filmmakers at War

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Frank Capra’s “Why We Fight”

Answer 8

brought draftees up to speed on relevant war knowledge; some of his films were shown to others outside of the military

Question 9

John Ford’s “Battle of Midway”

Answer 9

directed several war documentaries for US military including this one about the Battle of Midway

Question 10

John Huston’s “Battle of San Piedro”

Answer 10

made documentaries for the US military including this one about the the Italian campaign during WWII

Question 11

William Wyler’s “Memphis Belle”

Answer 11

worked for Army Air Corps; film about bombers over Germany; contains shots of aerial combat footage

Question 12

William Wyler’s “Let There Be Light”

Answer 12

film about PTSD and shell shock

Question 13

WWII Training Films

Answer 13

taught soldiers things like how to drive a tank and how to fly a plane

Question 14

WWII in Newsreels

Answer 14

at least 4 newsreels were released every week; made it possible to see moving images of the war

Question 15

War Bond Tours

Answer 15

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

Question 16

United Service Organization (USO)

Answer 16

entertain troops around the world; live entertainment for troops and their families; Bob Hope, three singing sisters, Humphrey Bogart

Question 17

The Hollywood Canteen

Answer 17

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

Question 18

War Activities Committee

Answer 18

helped to coordinate the war activities of Hollywood with the US government

Question 19

WWII in Hollywood Films

Answer 19

hollywood made several war pictures but not a huge genre

Question 20

The Office of War Information (OWI)

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Office of Inter-American Affairs (OIAA)

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Pro-Soviet Hollywood Films

Answer 22

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