Hollywood War Films, 1937–1945

From 1937 through 1945, Hollywood produced over 1,000 films relating to the war. This enormous and exhaustive reference work first analyzes the war films as sociopolitical documents. Part one, entitled “The Crisis Abroad, 1937–1941,” focuses on movies that reflected America’s increasing uneasiness. Part two, “Waging War, 1942–1945,” reveals that many movies made from 1942 through 1945 included at least some allusion to World War II.

Film historian and media propaganda specialist Michael S. Shull currently teaches film history at George Washington University and teaches mass communications at Montgomery College (both in the Washington, D.C., area). He lives in Germantown, Maryland.
David Edward Wilt is a librarian at the University of Maryland in College Park. He is also the author of The Mexican Filmography (2003). Together they coauthored Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939–1945 (second edition, 2004).

Michael S. Shull and David Edward Wilt
Format: softcover (7 x 8.75)
Pages: 488
Bibliographic Info: 91 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006 [1996]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2854-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2178-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Introduction      1

Part One: The Crisis Abroad, 1937–1941
1. Dim Clouds Behind the Glitter: American Feature Films Reflecting an Awareness of World Events, 1932–1936      7
2. The Slide Towards Belligerency: An Overview, 1937–1941      11
3. With Their Guard Down: The Nye Committee      16
4. Contraband Messages: References Within Films to World Events      19
5. Films Against War and American Involvement in Conflict Overseas      22
6. Hollywood’s “Good Neighbor Policy” Toward Latin America      29
7. Americanism: The Promotion of “American Ideals” Through Films with Historical Settings      33
8. Service Pictures: In Peace and Preparing for War      36
9. Espionage: The Fifth Column Lurks Behind the Screen      41
10. Cinematic Vigilance Against the Totalitarian Regimes      46
11. Stop Hitler Now! Isolationism Dies in Hollywood After the Fall of France      56
12. Cinematic Cheering for the Sentimental Favorites: Pro-French and Pro-English Films Come to the Front      60
13. Hollywood’s Selectees on the March      67
14. Non–Feature Length Films Reflecting an Awareness of World Events, 1933–1941      73

Filmography to Part One      81
Abbreviations Used in the Filmography      81
War Related American Films, 1937–1941      84
Discernible Biases Found in Films, 1937–1941      84
Frequency of Topical References in Films, 1937–1941      85
Filmographic Entries, 1937–1941      87

Part Two: Waging War, 1942–1945
15. Fighting Fascism on the Cinematic Front: The Seductive Language and Imagery of Film Propaganda      139
16. Reluctant Heroes: America’s Armed Forces as Depicted in Films      161
17. “We’re in This Together”: America’s Minorities and the War Effort      188
18. “United Nations”: Hollywood’s Portrayal of America’s Allies      195
19. Images Americans Loved to Hate: Germans, Japanese and Italians on Screen      213
20. Soldiers Without Uniforms: Wartime Resistance Films      235
21. “Loose Lips Sink Ships”: Spies, Saboteurs and Traitors      246
22. Scrap Happy: Home Front Activities on Film      254
23. Soldiers of the Home Front: The Battle of Production      258
24. Deprivation for the Duration: Rationing and Shortages      264
25. “Turn Out That Light!”: Home Defense      268
26. The Junior Army and Youth Running Wild      270
27. Two Hour Furloughs: The Lighter Side      273
28. When the War Is Over: Postwar Planning      282

Filmography to Part Two
Abbreviations Used in the Filmography      287
War Related American Films, 1942–1945      290
Yearly Survey of Films’ War Relevancy      291
Frequency of Topical References in Films, 1942–1945      292
Frequency of Pejorative References in Films, 1942–1945      296
Filmographic Entries, 1942–1945      298

Filmographic Appendices
A: Feature Length Films Named as Pro-War Propaganda by Gerald Nye and Other Noninterventionists      411
B: American Feature Films Reflecting an Awareness of International Issues, 1932–1936      411
C: American Film Serials Reflecting an Awareness of the World Crisis, 1937–1945      413
D: Selected American Fictional Short Subjects Reflecting an Awareness of the World Crisis, 1937–1945      413
E: British Features with References to the World Crisis Released Through American Studios, 1937–1945      415
F: Possibly Relevant Films      422
G: Films Released in October–December 1945 Containing War-Relevant Material      427

Notes to the Introduction, Numbered Chapters, and Appendices      429
Bibliography      447
Index to Page Numbers in the Text      455
Index to Entry Numbers in the Filmographies      465

“greatly furthers our understanding of wartime society in America…comprehensive…. Recommended…definitive”—Library Journal; “provides information on an amazing number of films…no other book comes close…. Recommended”—Choice.