Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II (1991 TV Movie) User Reviews

Not quite as long as I would have liked...and that's a good sign about a documentary.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 4 March 2023]

This hour-long documentary was made by American Movie Classics long ago...when the channel actually was all about classic movies. The channel's host, Bob Dorian, introduces it and the documentary itself is narrated by Tony Randall. It discusses the way that Hollywood responded to WWII. It begins by talking about a few of the stars who volunteered to fight but most of the film is about the USO, Hollywood Canteen, radio broadcasts and Bob Hope's travels doing what Hollywood does best...entertains. Much of it is interesting and informative though a few of the remembrances were quite touching...and might bring a tear to your eye.

While I did enjoy this, I really wish it had been longer as there was MUCH that film couldn't talk about...such as the cartoons made for the US military, OTHER stars who fought in the war as well as the various films that really captured the spirit of the time, such as "Since You Went Away". Still, wanting more is a good sign that I enjoyed it!

Great documentary featuring interviews with those involved

[natalie_marie_82 · 10/10 · 3 June 2018]

This was a really great documentary about how Hollywood stepped up during WWII. There have been other documentaries produced about this period, but Stars and Stripes features interviews with surviving stars that volunteered, like Bob Hope and Frances Langford. There are some poignant moments in the interviews, and some funny behind-the-scenes stories. There are clips of war-time movies, some of the shows done for the troops, and moments in hospitals; all of which are not usually shown in other documentaries. I have been hoping that this would be rereleased onto a streaming service like Amazon Prime, as I have found a lot of little-known documentaries there. I have even contacted AMC, but received a standard computerized response. Maybe someday...