Show-Business at War (1943)

A multi-studio effort to show the newsreel audience the progress of the Hollywood war effort.

Director:

Louis De Rochemont

Stars:

Carole Lombard, Walt Disney, John Ford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Carole Lombard	...	Herself (archive footage)
Walt Disney	...	Himself
John Ford	...	Himself
Darryl F. Zanuck	...	Himself
Irving Berlin	...	Himself
Alfred Lunt	...	Himself
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo	...	Themselves
Jack Benny	...	Himself
Olivia de Havilland	...	Herself
Marlene Dietrich	...	Herself
Deanna Durbin	...	Herself
Hedy Lamarr	...	Herself
Al Jolson	...	Himself
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Himself
Carole Landis	...	Herself

Storyline

A look at the many ways Hollywood contributes to the war effort. Stars and studio heads are in the service, cinematographers train soldier and sailors, John Ford heads a military film office, first-run films are shipped around the world for showing at bases, radio and movie personalities make stateside appearances, well-knows actors sell war bonds, actresses dance with servicemen at the Hollywood Canteen, and intrepid stars make overseas trips to entertain troops near the front. From training films to propaganda to morale boosting: Hollywood does it all.

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Plot Keywords:

war bond | canteen | radio | actor | hollywood canteen | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 May 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

The March of Time Volume IX, Issue 10

Company Credits

Production Co:

Time

Technical Specs

Runtime:

17 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Prints of this short film survive in the Library of Congress, and the UCLA Film and Television Archives.

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Crazy Credits

All credited cast members are identified by the narrator, except the 'Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo' (qv), which is identified by a sign at the venue where they perform.

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Connections

Features This Is the Army (1943)

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Soundtracks

"Du und Du, Op. 367 (You and You)"
(uncredited)
From "Die Fledermaus"
Music by Johann Strauß
Performed by Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra

User Reviews

Unfortunately, you get barely a glimpse of many of the famous stars...

One of the MARCH OF TIME shorts devoted to the participation of movie stars in the war effort during WWII, this is interesting but somewhat of a letdown in showcasing some of the famous movie stars in the cast.

Those who do get extended coverage are mostly radio stars like Jack Benny, Rochester, Mary Livingston, Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy and Ginny Simms, or entertainers like Al Jolson who does his corny "Mammy" routine before an audience of cheering soldiers.

But you get barely a glimpse of Olivia de Havilland dancing with a soldier, Linda Darnell serving refreshments at the Hollywood Cantine, Loretta Young at the bedside of a wounded soldier, Carole Lombard selling war bonds on her last public appearance, or Hedy Lamarr participating in a skit where a soldier gets to kiss the movie star. Marlene Dietrich, Deanna Durbin, Irene Dunne, Anne Shirley, Martha Raye and others get very brief notice. Surprisingly, there is no clip showing Bob Hope or Bing Crosby who both were famous for entertaining the troops.

But overall, the short does a good job of showing how important entertainment was to the men and women in uniform who comprised the most appreciative audience these performers ever had.