#759) Why We Fight (1942-1945)

#759) Why We Fight (1942-1945)

OR “World War II 101”

Directed by Frank Capra (All parts), Anatole Litvak (Parts 2-3, 5-7), and Anthony Veiller (Part 4)

Written by Veiller (Parts 1, 5, 7), Eric Knight (Part 1), Julius & Philip Epstein (Parts 2-7), and Anatole Litvak (Part 5)

Class of 2000

This is easily the most oversimplified post I’ve ever written: a seven-hour distillation of World War II distilled even further into a blog post. Every sentence of this post could be its own write-up, but we’ve got to keep things moving, and I encourage you to treat this post as the proverbial tip of the iceberg regarding World War II.

The Plot: “Why We Fight” is a seven-part film series created by Frank Capra for the US Department of War to educate the American military on how World War II came to be and what exactly we’re fighting for. Each film in the series focuses on a different aspect of the war, with episodes devoted to Hitler’s rise in Germany, the Nazi invasion of Poland and France, and the brave fighting from our allies in Britain, Russia, and China. After seven hours of wartime propaganda, you may not agree with its heavy-handedness, but you will understand why we fought.

Why It Matters: The NFR write-up is mostly a rehash of the films’ contents and Capra’s limited resources while making them, highlighting the editing of newsreel footage. An essay by Dr. Thomas W. Bohn gives more historical context and praises the series as “the finest documentary films of World War II”.

But Does It Really?: I’ve watched many NFR films over the years dealing with WWII, but “Why We Fight” is the only one that attempts an extended overview of the entire war. While no single film could possibly succeed at this, “Why We Fight” is the closest we’ll ever get. It’s long and at times unsettling, but the series is an indispensable account of the war while it was in progress, with a bounty of newsreel and documentary footage showing what it was like (albeit the manipulated, American mythologized version). “Why We Fight” is NFR-worthy for its preservation of the sights, sounds, and ideals of the war, but I would hold off on watching all seven of these unless you’re really into WWII (or the NFR).

Wow, That’s Dated: We’ll cover the films’ most egregious bits of propaganda as we go, don’t you worry.

Seriously, Oscars?: Two of the “Why We Fight” films received Oscar attention. “Prelude to War” was one of 25 nominees and four eventual winners for Best Documentary Feature in 1942, the first year that category was presented. “The Battle of Russia” was nominated the next year, losing to another war documentary from our allies in Britain: “Desert Victory”.

Other notes

  • Immediately following America’s official entrance into WWII in December 1941, Oscar winning director Frank Capra was among the countless Hollywood artists who enlisted in the U.S. military to help fight. Upon enlisting, Capra was commissioned the rank of Major and assigned to work with Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall. Unhappy with the underwhelming and incohesive morale lectures given to Army soldiers before deployment, Marshall commissioned Capra to make a series of films to replace these lectures and explain to soldiers why and what they were fighting for. With limited fundings, Capra and his team (including the writers listed above, editor William Hornbeck, and composer Dimitri Tiomkin) utilized available newsreels, documentaries, and battlefield footage to assemble the “Why We Fight” series.
  • While Walter Huston is often cited as the sole narrator of “Why We Fight”, he is conspicuously absent for most of the series. In those instances, narrating duties go to Anthony Veiller, one of the series’ writers and co-directors. A handful of other narrators pop up throughout “Why We Fight”, including Warren J. Clear, a high-ranking U.S. military diplomat, and one of many people who the quote “There are no atheists in foxholes” is attributed to.

Prelude to War (1942)

  • As the title suggests, “Prelude to War” shows us the global events that led to WWII in 1939, primarily the growth of Germany, Italy, and Japan under the dictatorships of, respectively, Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito. The film points to Mussolini’s fascist regime and Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria as the starting points of the war, though most of the time is spent showcasing Hitler’s rise in Germany. All of this is intercut with actions taken by America and the League of Nations to ignore the warning signs and stay out of another war. 
  • Overall, this is a very powerful start to the series. If Capra had only made this film, he would have fully succeeded in his goal to explain…well, why we fight. Admittedly, the reason “Prelude to War” spoke to me was the parallels between what this film shows us of 1930s Germany and what’s happening in 2025 America. We are in so much trouble.
  • On a related note, with America having been politically divided against itself for the last decade, I can’t imagine a film in 2025 bringing together all of modern America to fight a common enemy like “Why We Fight” (hell, we couldn’t even band together to fight COVID).
  • The film’s most memorable recurring imagery is a map of the world with black ink spreading across the Axis countires, eventually spreading to the different countries they have conquered (or plan to). This animation was done by Walt Disney Productions, part of the WWII propaganda they cranked out during the war to stay afloat.
  • “Prelude to War” was well received by Chief of Staff Marshall and, more importantly, President Franklin Roosevelt, who ordered that the film receive a nationwide theatrical release. After a delay from the Office of War Information, “Prelude to War” hit theaters in May 1943, where it was met with low box-office and mixed reactions from a nation that was already well-aware of why they were fighting.

The Nazis Strike (1943)

  • Part Two focuses on Hitler’s decade-long strategy for world domination, taking inspiration from the “Heartland theory” that whoever controls the “old world” (Afro-Eurasia) controls the world. The infiltration of fascist groups into the western world is covered, as is the Nazis’ invasions of Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland in 1938-1939. If you thought “Prelude to War” was pure propaganda, strap in.
  • This seems like a good time to mention that “Why We Fight” includes clips from “Triumph of the Will”, Leni Riefenstahl’s controversial 1935 Nazi propaganda movie; one of the most influential films in cinema history and one of many important movies ineligible for the NFR. I have seen “Triumph” only once, during a documentary class I took in college. I fell asleep mid-viewing and let me tell you there is nothing worse than being awakened by a 20-foot projection of Hitler yelling at you.
  • You most likely know the Nazi invasion of Austria from the role it plays in “The Sound of Music”, and fellow NFR enthusiasts will remember the Czechoslovakia invasion being touched upon in “Czechoslovakia 1968”.
  • This film’s most controversial section is its depiction of the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939. The film echoes many of the myths being presented at the time about the Polish army’s seemingly ineffectual fight against the Nazis, which is greatly exaggerated here to emphasize Hitler’s growing power. For a depiction of this invasion from the Polish perspective, see fellow NFR entry “Siege“. “The Nazis Strike” also downplays the Russian invasion of Poland, claiming it was a counterattack on Germany. The truth is way more complicated than I can get into here, but this more positive spin on Russia’s involvement stems from Russia being our ally at the time of this film’s production (we see much more of this in “The Battle of Russia”).

Divide and Conquer (1943)

  • After Poland is invaded, England and France declare war on Germany. Not wanting a two-front war, Hitler heads west and spends spring 1940 taking over the neutral countries of Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium. “Divide and Conquer” concludes with the devastating surrender of France to the Germans in June 1940 despite the concentrated efforts of the Allied army.
  • With the exposition of the first two films out of the way, “Divide and Conquer” focuses primarily on the attacks, with an emphasis on battleground footage, including villages being destroyed and the dead bodies of innocent citizens. Each country’s invasion is paired with a corresponding quote from Hitler promising he wouldn’t attack them. This is easily the most depressing of the “Why We Fight” films so far.
  • Despite the especially downer subject matter, “Divide and Conquer” does try to end on a positive note, with a deus ex machina in the form of the Dunkirk evacuation, and the inspirational leadership from France’s Charles de Gaulle.

The Battle of Britain (1943)

  • Hitler sends his aerial warfare to attack Britain in late 1940, but the British fight back with the resilience of their people and the strength of the Royal Air Force. Just as the Battle of Britain was a turning point for Allied forces, “The Battle of Britain” is a turning point in “Why We Fight”, becoming an inspirational tale of perseverance in the face of the Nazis.
  • Compared to the previous three installments, “The Battle of Britain” is propaganda on the other extreme, depicting Britain as a country of Davids banding together to take down a flying Goliath. Every Brit in this movie embodies the classic “stiff upper lip” trope, always maintaining their composure as they prepare for war. It’s almost like they keep calm and carry on or something like that.
  • A large portion of “The Battle of Britain” comes from such British propaganda films as “The Lion Has Wings”, “Christmas Under Fire”, and “London Can Take It!”. That explains the more staged quality of this film, with dramatic cinematography and a few quippy exchanges between Brits.
  • Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives us some excerpts from his trademark wartime speeches throughout “Britain”. First up, his “we shall fight them on the beaches” speech from June 1940, and at the end his “Never was so much owed by so many to so few” address from August 1940. Winston’s playing the hits today.
  • The only major part of the Battle of Britain overlooked here is the Battle of Pepperinge Eye, where a group of Nazis were taken down by Angela Lansbury and a bunch of enchanted armor.
  • Thanks to this film’s depiction of the 1940 holiday season in war-torn London, “Why We Fight” has become the last movie I ever expected to make my “Die Hard Not Christmas” list.
  • The final shot of “The Battle of Britain” is the final shot from “Mrs. Miniver”, with the RAF flying in a V formation over a bombed church. As I said in that movie’s post, “Subtle.”

The Battle of Russia (Parts I & II) (1943)

  • Having mostly conquered Western Europe, Germany heads back east to settle their score with Russia. The longest of the “Why We Fight” films, “Battle of Russia” is split into two parts. Part I covers Russia and Germany’s rocky relationship, and their battles throughout 1941. Part II focuses on the seven-month Battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943, and the Russians’ hard-fought victory over the Nazis.
  • Now this I found interesting. The United States’ relationship with Russia has always been fraught, so it was fascinating to watch an American film speak highly of Russia, praising its diversity, culture, and resilience against the Nazis. It helps that both this film’s co-director and composer were Russian immigrants, and their love for their homeland is on full display. As with “Nazis Strike Back”, any wrongdoing by Russia is glossed over (allegedly Capra was forced to cut a sequence chronicling Russia’s pre-war invasions of neighboring countries), and no mention is made of the country’s Communist state or Stalin’s recently cemented dictatorship. Even with the film’s propaganda bent, I still appreciated seeing Russia in a positive light before the Cold War hits and we all hate each other again.
  • Another classic international film sneaking its way onto the Registry: 1938’s “Alexander Nevsky”, Sergei Eisenstein’s historical epic of the Russian prince who helped fend off German crusaders in 1242. “Nevsky” is one of several films in the opening montage depicting Russia and Germany’s centuries long feud. In addition to Eisenstein, other Russian artists getting a shoutout here include “War and Peace” author Leo Tolstoy, and needle-drops from such classical composers as Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev.
  •  “Battle of Russia” was the second (and final) “Why We Fight” film to receive a general theatrical release, including in Russia where, unsurprisingly, it was very popular, but quickly withdrawn once the Cold War broke out.

The Battle of China (1944)

  • We shift gears and spotlight the Japanese army’s attempts to control China throughout the 1930s. In the wake of 1937’s Nanjing Massacre, China unites to strengthen their National Revolutionary Army and fight back. Like the previous two films, “Battle of China” celebrates a country of tenacious citizens fighting a common evil, regardless of how it happened in real life.
  • Oh brother, this one. Even by the lax standards of “Why We Fight”, “Battle of China” ramps up the propaganda, manipulating China’s war experience to follow the same rousing story beats as “Britain” and “Russia”. With the film’s disturbing battleground footage and barrage of racial slurs towards the Japanese, I’m increasingly relieved there’s only one more “Why We Fight” film.
  • The first and biggest of this film’s manipulations is the Tanaka Memorial, Japan’s alleged four-step strategy for world domination. Despite its utilization here as the equivalent of Germany’s “Heartland theory”, the Tanaka Memorial is widely considered a fabrication created by anti-Japanese groups. There are so many other issues to acknowledge (The use of the term “Proper China”, the complete omission of Communism, etc.), but suffice it to say that “Battle of China” is not interested in any moral nuance and the film’s “facts” should not be taken at face value. Even the U.S. Military felt this film crossed a line, quickly pulling it from circulation within the armed forces due to “political problems”.
  • WARNING: While every film in “Why We Fight” contains its share of wartime violence, “Battle of China” includes extensive footage from the Nanjing Massacre, including the on-screen murder of two Chinese civilians shot at close range. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

War Comes to America (1945)

  • But what about the good ol’ U.S. of A.? “War Comes to America” chronicles the history of the United States and its desire to avoid another world war. After initially staying out of things in the 1930s, America starts to show its support to the Allies with the Lend-Lease Act of 1941. But everything changes when Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, and America officially joins the fight.
  • As expected, “War Comes to America” is pure patriotism, with ample screentime devoted to all of America’s aspirational ideals. Like the previous entries, America’s checkered past is side-stepped: no mention of Indigenous genocide, the Civil War, or Japanese internment camps. It’s also thoroughly depressing to watch how many of our liberties have been slowly stripped away and diminished over the last 80 years (Religious freedom? What’s that?). Overall, “War Comes to America” is a rehash of everything covered so far in the series from an American point of view. Honestly, you could watch this and “Prelude to War” and get the overall gist of “Why We Fight” (and save yourself about five hours).
  • The film begins and ends with the designation that this is only Part I. A planned Part II of “War Comes to America” would have covered our four years fighting in the war, but that film was ultimately nixed by the Army Pictorial Service. This means “Why We Fight” ends somewhat anti-climactically with the attack on Pearl Harbor, and an unresolved “End of Part I” teaser.

Legacy

  • The final “Why We Fight” film was completed in June 1945, shortly after Germany’s surrender and Hitler’s suicide, and shortly before Japan’s surrender and the official end of World War II in September (Italy had surrendered in 1943). And America has never had a problem with other countries since.
  • Following the end of the war, Frank Capra returned to Hollywood, founded his own independent film company (Liberty Films), and made arguably his best movie – “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

#758) Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

#758) Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

OR “Flyboys Don’t Cry”

Directed by Howard Hawks

Written by Jules Furthman. Based on a story by Hawks.

Class of 2017

The Plot: In the fictional South American port of Barranca there’s a small airway company run by the enigmatic Geoff Carter (Cary Grant). Operating out of a local bar/hotel, the airway carries mail through the dangerous Andes Mountains and is one missed delivery away from going out of business. One night, the American Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur) arrives in Barranca when the banana boat she’s traveling on docks there for the night. Infatuated by Carter and his business, Bonnie opts to miss her boat and stay in Barranca. Things get complicated when Carter hires new pilot Bat MacPherson (Richard Barthelmess), who may be keeping a few secrets about his past from his wife Judy (Rita Hayworth). There’s plenty of intrigue and flying sequences to go around in this drama from Howard Hawks.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film the “’quintessential’ Howard Hawks male melodrama”, praising the “sparkling dialogue” and the “dazzling air sequences”.

But Does It Really?: This is a minor minor classic. We’ve got plenty of Howard Hawks and Cary Grant on the list, and this one is barely relevant enough to consider NFR-worthy (Of Hawks’ 10 films on the Registry, this was the tenth to make the list). “Only Angels” is routinely hailed as one of Hawks’ best movies, and maybe I’m just partial to his screwball comedies, but this didn’t do anything for me. The performances are all great, as are the flying scenes, but overall I was thrown by the movie’s lowkey toxic masculinity and somewhat static presentation. In terms of the great movies of 1939, “Only Angels Have Wings” is second or third tier on that list and makes the NFR mainly for its reputation and the pedigree of its creatives.

Title Track: Howard Hawks’ original treatment was called “Plane from Barranca”, and the film went by the working title “Plane No. 4” during production. I’m glad they spiced up the title, because “Plane No. 4” is an unquestionably bland name for a movie. But hey, at least they didn’t just call it “Plane”. Who’d be dumb enough to do that?

Seriously, Oscars?: A hit upon release, “Only Angels Have Wings” received an Oscar nomination for its Visual Effects (that category’s first year), losing to the disaster film “The Rains Came”.

Other notes

  • Shortly after beginning his showbiz career as a prop boy, Howard Hawks joined the US Army Air Service when America entered World War I. Although he never saw combat, Hawks’ experience as a flight instructor would influence many of his later films, notably his early work as a director like “The Dawn Patrol” and “Today We Live”. In 1932 while scouting locations in Mexico for “Viva Villa!” (a film production he would quit before completion), Hawks spent some time with Mexican aviators, and their stoicism became the basis for his “Plane from Barranca” story. Hawks and “Only Angels” landed at Columbia after Hawks was fired from RKO for the box office failure of future NFR movie “Bringing Up Baby”.
  • I’ve only seen Jean Arthur in her NFR movies, but I like what I see. As Bonnie, Arthur isn’t as tough as your typical Hawksian lady, but she can definitely go toe-to-toe with the likes of Cary Grant. According to Arthur, she and Hawks didn’t get along during production, and it wasn’t until she saw Lauren Bacall in “To Have and Have Not” a few years later that she realized what kind of performance Hawks was trying to get out of her.
  • Bonnie, upon meeting two English-speaking pilots in South America: “It sure sounds good to hear something that doesn’t sound like Pig-Latin.” Yikes.
  • This is one of at least five NFR films to feature character actor Sig Ruman, Hollywood’s go-to for German and German-adjacent characters. Here Ruman plays “Dutchy”, the airways owner who looks a lot like a live-action Geppetto.
  • Fun bit of trivia: One of the pilots in the film is played by Allyn Joslyn, who a few years later would play Mortimer Brewster in the Broadway production of “Arsenic and Old Lace”, a role played in the film version by…Cary Grant.
  • It takes a while for Cary Grant to show up, but when he does he has a nice movie star entrance, wearing a ridiculously large straw planter hat. Cary is good as always in this, but I worry the character is too stoic for his own good. This is why I never liked Robert Mitchum: I can’t read him!
  • Playing grounded pilot “Kid” Dabb is Thomas Mitchell, your MVP of 1939. In addition to “Only Angels Have Wings”, Mitchell’s 1939 filmography included performances in “Gone with the Wind”, “Stagecoach”, and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. And that’s just his 1939 movies that have made the NFR! As much as he deserved his Supporting Oscar for “Stagecoach”, I’m beginning to see how that win was also for his great work throughout the year. One question: Why does everyone keep calling him “Kid”? He’s 47!
  • I’m enjoying the model work of the planes in the flight scenes. It’s very low budget by today’s standards, but it works. Unfortunately, the HD print I was watching occasionally reveals the strings holding the model plane up.
  • One of the film’s more interesting choices is to have no underscore outside of the very beginning and very end. This must have been Dimitri Tiomkin’s easiest assignment. The lack of score certainly makes the silent moments stand out more, especially the eerie quiet surrounding Joe trying to land his plane in the fog. The one downside of no score: I watched “Only Angels” on an overcast Sunday afternoon and almost fell asleep. 
  • This is an actual exchange between Carter and Kid once they learn that Bonnie’s missed boat won’t be making a stop in Santa Maria: 

Carter: Why not?

Kid: They have no bananas.

Carter: They have no bananas?

Kid: Yes, they have no bananas.

That’s a long way to go to reference a novelty song, but I’ll allow it.

  • At last, a Richard Barthelmess performance on the NFR where he isn’t miscast due to being too old or not Asian (though funnily enough his characters in both this and “Tol’able David” are mail carriers). And yes, that’s a young Rita Hayworth in an early film performance as MacPherson’s wife Judy. She doesn’t have much to do here, but you can see how people would take notice of her after this film. Rita’s casting was at the insistence of Columbia head Harry Cohn, who was in the process of transforming the exotic bit player Rita Cansino into the more glamorous leading lady Rita Hayworth.
  • Side note: Although Carter calls Judy by her name several times throughout the film, he never says “Judy, Judy, Judy” a la later Cary Grant impressions. That bit allegedly stemmed from comedian Larry Storch doing his Grant impression at a nightclub when he spotted Judy Garland walking in. Grant never said “Judy, Judy, Judy” in any of his films, though apparently he uttered it in an outtake of one of his later films as a practical joke (possibly “Charade“, but I couldn’t find anything definitive).
  • The shot of Carter flying the plane straight down is unintentionally hilarious. It’s obviously a regular shot of Cary Grant with the camera turned sideways.
  • This movie has a “Casablanca” vibe to it; a bunch of foreigners with mysterious pasts in an exotic location, waiting in a bar for a plane to show up. If only this movie had a Max Steiner score and a couple of standards to jazz it up a bit. As “Only Angels” moves into its third act, the film starts getting more like “Red Dust”, complete with rainstorm!
  • Speaking of “Red Dust”, Cary Grant is a strong contender for the 1939 Clark Gable prize for best reaction to getting shot: No reaction whatsoever. He just stands there as everyone huddles around him to examine the injury. It’s keeping with the character’s stoicism, but come on!  
  • [Spoilers] I had no idea what to expect from the film’s ending, but I didn’t have “bird strike with condors” on my Bingo card. I definitely didn’t see that coming. Sadly, neither did MacPherson or Kid.
  • Somewhat ironically, this film takes a long time making a landing for its ending. We know Carter is going to take off in that plane and we know Bonnie is going to stay and wait for him, but there’s like 10 minutes of everyone saying goodbye to each other before any of that happens. Just go already!

Legacy

  • “Only Angels Have Wings” was released in May 1939 (less than two weeks after its reshoots!) and was a hit with critics and audiences. The film was even set to play at the first ever Cannes Film Festival in 1939, but the festival was canceled once WWII broke out in Europe.
  • Hawks’ next movie also starred Cary Grant, the much more iconic “His Girl Friday”. As Hawks’ filmography continued to get re-evaluated over the years, “Only Angels Have Wings” became a popular example of the French auteur theory.
  • Rita Hayworth’s star continued to rise after the success of “Only Angels”, and within a few years was starring in several big musicals while simultaneously becoming a popular pin-up girl with our boys overseas. Hayworth spent the 1940s as a bonafide movie star, including in the NFR films “Gilda” and “The Lady from Shanghai”.
  • The film’s repeated line “Calling Barranca, calling Barranca” is referenced in the 1940 Merrie Melodies cartoon, “Ceiling Hero” (its title a spoof on Hawks’ “Ceiling Zero”). Apparently, the phrase pops up in several other Merrie Melodies/Looney Tunes shorts, but I could only confirm “Ceiling Hero”. Maybe “Ceiling Hero” played a lot in TV reruns?

#757) Cabin in the Sky (1943)

#757) Cabin in the Sky (1943)

OR “The Book of Joe”

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

Written by Joseph Schrank. Based on the musical by Lynn Root, Vernon Duke, and John Latouche. Additional songs by Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, Ford Dabney, Cecil Mack, and Ted Fetter.

Class of 2020

The Plot: Little Joe Jackson (Eddie “Rochester” Anderson) is a chronic gambler who keeps trying to quit at the behest of his devoted wife Petunia (Ethel Waters). When Joe skips church to gamble at a local club, he is shot by gangster Domino Johnson (“Bubbles” John W. Sublett). As Joe lies on his deathbed, he is visited by angel The General (Kenneth Spencer) and devil Lucifer Jr. (Rex Ingram), who fight over custody of Joe’s soul. They agree on a deal to keep Joe alive for six more months, allowing him a chance to repent, but if he slips up, he goes to Hell with Lucifer Jr. Upon returning to his body, Joe vows to be a better husband and spends more time with Petunia, but Lucifer Jr. has a few tricks up his sleeve, including the services of Joe’s old flame Georgia Brown (Lena Horne). Oh, and did I mention it’s a musical with an all-Black cast?

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “a glittering cultural record of outstanding African American artistic talent”, though concedes that the film simultaneously “demonstrates the limited film opportunities and acting compromises” of Black entertainers at the time.

But Does It Really?: While the film doesn’t add up to a whole lot, “Cabin in the Sky” has a few things working for it; the sensational on-screen talent, the directorial debut of Vincente Minnelli, and progressive-for-its-time casting. Yes, there are plenty of negative stereotypes to go around, but they’re never at a grotesque extreme, and while the film may be less entertaining than it was 80 years ago because of that, it is still very watchable. If you’re willing to overlook these stereotypes, “Cabin in the Sky” is a fun musical with plenty of big talent on display, and its historical significance helps seal its NFR status.

Shout Out: In a great bit of recycling from MGM, the storm at the end of the movie is the tornado sequence from “The Wizard of Oz”. They’ve got the footage and damn it they’re gonna use it!

Everybody Gets One: No history of great 20th century entertainers is complete without Ethel Waters. A staple of the Black vaudeville circuit since she was nine years old, Waters spent the 1920s and 1930s as one of the most successful (and highest paid) African American blues singers in the country, with such hits as “Dinah” and “Am I Blue?”. She also originated the song “Stormy Weather” during her tenure at the Cotton Club. In addition to headlining the original Broadway production of “Cabin in the Sky”, Waters starred in 1939’s “The Ethel Waters Show”, making her the first Black performer with their own TV show (albeit a one-time special that aired only in New York). Ethel Waters was living in Los Angeles and had already made a handful of films when MGM started production on “Cabin in the Sky”.

Title Track: Sung by Ethel Waters and Eddie Anderson (in his least gravelly work), the song “Cabin in the Sky” is one of only three that made the transfer from stage to screen (the others are “Taking a Chance on Love” and “Honey in the Honeycomb”).

Seriously Oscars?: “Cabin in the Sky” received a Best Song Oscar nomination for “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe”. While the song lost to “You’ll Never Know” from the Alice Faye musical “Hello, Frisco, Hello”, composers Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg had already won their “Over the Rainbow” Oscar at that point, so they’re fine.

Other notes

  • “Cabin in the Sky” opened on Broadway in 1940, and while it only ran for five months it was well-received by critics (though even in 1940 a few questioned why a musical with an all-Black cast was written by White people). After a push from the NAACP and other organizations urging Hollywood to make more films starring Black actors, MGM bought the film rights to “Cabin” when their first choice – “Porgy and Bess” – was unavailable. “Cabin” was filmed in summer 1942 for $680,000, a significantly smaller budget than your typical Hollywood musical (for comparison, MGM’s other 1943 musicals were all made for north of one million dollars).
  • In addition to budget cuts, “Cabin” was assigned a first-time director, who fortunately for everyone turned out to be Vincente Minnelli. An acclaimed Broadway director in the 1930s, Minnelli spent his first two years at MGM serving as a consultant and occasionally directing a musical sequence or two, all the while learning everything he could about filmmaking. Minnelli happily accepted the offer to direct his first movie, choosing to treat the Black characters as real people rather than one note stereotypes. Among Minnelli’s artistic touches on the film are some inventive camerawork by cinematographer Sidney Wagner, and having the final film processed in sepia tone (which unfortunately didn’t transfer over to the film’s black-and-white video releases).
  • “Cabin” is the rare leading film performance for Eddie Anderson, credited here with the nickname “Rochester”, his valet character from “The Jack Benny Program”. Although Little Joe is far less subservient than Rochester, both characters are not without their negative stereotypes (the racial jokes at Rochester’s expense were significantly lessened as “Jack Benny” went on). Side note: Anderson got his trademark raspy voice as a child from shouting while selling newspapers in San Francisco.
  • While Anderson is putting in some good work in this film, we are all here for Ethel Waters. Highly underrated as an actor, Waters’ performance here has a bit of everything: a strong dramatic presence, great comedic timing, and oh that singing. In a better world this would have been the first of many big movie musicals for Waters.
  • Say what you will about the stereotypes in this movie, but it’s refreshing to see Butterfly McQueen play something other than an anxiety-ridden ditz. She doesn’t have much to do in her few scenes, but at least she’s not running around in hysterics.
  • “Cabin” is often linked with “Stormy Weather”, Hollywood’s other all-Black movie of 1943, released three months after this film. In terms of overall quality, “Cabin” outpaces “Stormy” thanks to its book musical foundation and inventive direction. Unfortunately, much like “Stormy”, our two Black leads aren’t allowed to be as affectionate as an on-screen White couple. Come on, let them kiss!
  • I went into this movie cold, so I definitely wasn’t expecting the Devil to be in this. (Excuse me, the son of the Devil). Proving the old adage that the Devil is more interesting to play than God, Rex Ingram is clearly having a blast; certainly more fun than Kenneth Spencer is as the strait-laced General. Along with Ethel Waters, Ingram is the only other actor reprising their stage role for this film.
  • Other than a hymn during the opening church scene, “Cabin” doesn’t really become a musical until after Joe comes back and a relieved Petunia sings “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe”. In terms of what happiness is, where does Joe rank among a puppy and a warm gun?
  • Showing up briefly as Lucifer Jr.’s idea men are Mantan Moreland, Willie Best, and the comedy team of Fletcher Rivers and Leon James, aka Moke and Poke. Also popping up in this scene: Louis Armstrong, whose brief appearance here makes more sense once you learn they cut his song from the final film. At least we get to hear him play the trumpet for about five seconds.
  • Line that made me laugh out loud: Lucifer Jr. complaining about having to work with the B team of devils because “the A boys are over there in Europe!”
  • While this isn’t Lena Horne’s film debut, it’s the performance that made audiences take notice of her. Her Georgia Brown is a sort of precursor to Lola from “Damn Yankees”, the seductive vamp under the influence of the Devil. Perhaps Horne’s most notable scene in this movie is the one they cut: a reprise of “Ain’t It the Truth” (Armstrong’s excised song) performed by Horne while taking a bubble bath! Apparently, the censors felt a Black woman in a bathtub was too risqué for 1943. Fortunately, that footage survives and pops up in “That’s Entertainment! III”.
  • “Taking a Chance on Love” has nothing to do with anything, but it’s a sweet number, featuring dancer Bill (brother of Pearl) Bailey showing off some impressive tap dancing. I’m pretty sure Bill just invented the moonwalk!
  • So let me get this straight: You cut Lena Horne’s first solo number, and when she finally sings it’s a duet between her and Eddie Anderson where he does most of the singing? What is wrong with you people?
  • Once we return to the gambling club (the not-so-subtly named Paradise), the film ditches the plot for a parade of song and dance numbers. Sure we get Duke Ellington and his orchestra, some aggressive jitterbugging, and more numbers for Lena Horne and Ethel Waters, but get on with it already!
  • [Spoilers] I was ready to go along with this movie’s somewhat dark ending with Joe and Petunia in the afterlife (and one of the rare deus ex machina’s to actually involve God), but then they tack on an “it was all a dream” ending that’s not in the original play! What a cop out! They didn’t need to lift everything from “Wizard of Oz”.

Legacy

  • While not a massive hit upon release, “Cabin in the Sky” earned $1.6 million at the box office, which thanks to its reduced budget meant it turned a profit. As you can imagine, the film had some difficulties screening in Southern theaters, with one in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee stopping the film 30 minutes into its first showing on the orders of the town sheriff. 
  • While “Cabin” and “Stormy Weather” could have been the beginning of a new era in Black film entertainment, Hollywood seems to have patted itself on the back and stopped making Black-focused films until the Civil Rights movement called them out again.
  • Following “Cabin”, Ethel Waters made a few more film appearances, including Elia Kazan’s “Pinky” which earned her an Academy Award nomination. Waters also made a splash in the stage and film productions of “Member of the Wedding” and became the first African American woman to star in a nationally broadcast TV series with “Beulah” (although she left after the first season due to the show’s racial stereotyping). Ethel Waters died in September 1977, seven months after her “Cabin” co-star Eddie Anderson.
  • While the stage version of “Cabin in the Sky” doesn’t show up that often outside of the odd concert staging, the song “Taking a Chance on Love” has become a standard. The film’s “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe” also gets the occasional cover, including recently by Cher of all people in support of Joe Biden!
  • Although Lena Horne worked primarily in film for the next decade or so, she reunited with composers Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg for the Broadway musical “Jamaica”. Among the songs she sang every night was “Ain’t It the Truth”, her deleted song from this movie.
  • And as we soon learned, Vincente Minnelli was just getting warmed up with “Cabin in the Sky”, cranking out hit after hit for MGM for the next 15 years. Among his follow-ups are fellow NFR entries “Meet Me in St. Louis”, “An American in Paris”, and “Gigi” for which Minnelli won the Best Director Oscar.

#756) Marian Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert (1939)

#756) Marian Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert (1939)

Filmed by Hearst Metronome Newsreel

Class of 2001

The Plot: By 1939, African American contralto Marian Anderson was one of the most celebrated singers in both America and Europe. Her annual Washington D.C. concerts sponsored by Howard University grew in popularity each year, meaning the university had to seek larger venues annually. When Howard approached the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for use of the Constitution Hall (D.C.’s largest venue at the time) for Anderson’s 1939 concert, they were turned down due to the venue’s Whites-only policy. Anderson’s manager Sol Hurok took this story to the press, and the discrimination made headlines. With support from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (who resigned from the DAR in protest) and Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes, Marian Anderson performed a free concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday, April 9th, 1939, for an integrated crowd of over 75,000 people. What followed has been described as “the concert that awakened America”, and a pivotal moment for American civil rights.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives the footage its proper historical context and praises Anderson’s “gooseflesh-inducing” performance. I have never heard the phrase “gooseflesh-inducing” before, and I doubt I ever will again.

But Does It Really?: As a historic event, “Marian Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert” should absolutely be on the NFR. My one quibble: There’s only about five to six minutes of surviving footage of the concert, and most of that is Harold Ickes’ introduction. Marian’s only on camera for about a minute! I can give this footage a historical pass, but the corresponding NBC radio broadcast of the concert is a much better documentation (see “Other notes” and “Listen to This” for more information about the broadcast).

Everybody Gets One: Born to a devout Christian family in Philadelphia, Marian Anderson began performing in her church choir at age six, which led to singing at local functions for as much as 50 cents (almost $20 today). In 1925, Anderson won a singing competition and performed with the New York Philharmonic, launching her professional career. America’s Jim Crow laws of the time meant significantly less venues for Anderson to perform in, so she toured Europe in the 1930s, receiving praise from the likes of Arturo Toscanini, who said, “What I have heard today one is privileged to hear only once in a hundred years.” Upon her return to America, Anderson still faced segregation laws, with the Lincoln Memorial concert becoming a major turning point for the small but growing civil rights movement. Despite her role in this movement, Anderson never considered herself an activist, citing her participation in civil rights as “a culmination of the goodwill of people who…saw me as I am, and not as somebody else.”

Other notes

  • Marian Anderson’s concert was filmed by Hearst Metronome Newsreel and edited into a 90-second segment of their “News of the Day” series titled “Nation’s Capital Gets a Lesson in Tolerance”. The surviving raw footage includes most of Harold Ickes’ introductory speech, a few crowd shots, a few establishing shots of the National Mall, and two verses of Marian singing “America” (aka “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”). The edited newsreel uses the first verse of “America” and a few establishing shots, making all that footage of Ickes’ speech a huge waste of time and film. The 90-second time allotment gives you an idea of how this concert was covered by the press at the time; newsworthy, but no need for extensive coverage. 
  • At a time when America was digging itself out of a depression and trying to avoid another world war, the mistreatment of its Black citizens definitely got put on the backburner. While booking a one-time concert for a Black artist is more performative (for lack of a better word) than any political action or legislature, it’s a step in the right direction, and downright radical by 1939 standards.
  • Another disappointing but important piece of information regarding this concert: The DAR weren’t the only group to turn Howard University down. D.C.’s Central High School also wouldn’t lend their auditorium for the Anderson concert, even after news of the DAR rejection became public. Also, when Marian arrived in D.C. with her mother and sister the day of the concert, they stayed at a private residence due to the segregation laws of D.C. hotels.
  • You can imagine my increasing frustration as I watched Interior Secretary Ickes prattle on for two, three, four minutes of this very short video. Get to Marian, already!
  • Even in her brief filmed appearance in the available footage, Marian does not disappoint. I mean, I knew she was good, but damn what a voice. Contralto singing is no joke, and Anderson delivers a clear, stirring “America”, devoid of any distracting vocal flourishes while still putting her distinct stamp on it. Thank goodness there’s more audio of this.
  • Side Note: Has Audra McDonald ever been approached about playing Marian Anderson? McDonald’s classical soprano comes closest to matching Anderson’s voice, and she has played her share of famous singers/civil rights figures in the past. Somebody get on this!
  • Shoutout to Kosti Vehanen, providing Anderson’s piano accompaniment for the concert. Vehanen started as a solo pianist in his native Finland, but became a much sought-after accompanist, collaborating with Marian Anderson for most of the 1930s. He even wrote a book about their time together: 1941’s “Marian Anderson: A Portrait”.
  • Yeah, the radio broadcast is the way to go. It’s a half hour and you get so much more of the concert, plus color commentary by NBC describing the event and giving some biographical info on Anderson. All that seems to be missing from the radio broadcast is Anderson’s performance of “My Soul Is Anchored to the Lord”, her encore of “Nobody Knows the Troubles I’ve Seen”, and her brief closing remarks thanking the audience.
  • Man, between this and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, 1939 was a great year for the Lincoln Memorial. This is the best press Abe’s gotten since Gettysburg.

Legacy

  • Marian Anderson would finally perform at the Constitution Hall in 1943 for an American Red Cross benefit. While the DAR had reversed its segregation booking policy by this point, Anderson did not consider her performance at that venue any sort of victory, symbolic or otherwise. Anderson retired from performing in 1965, living quietly in Danbury, Connecticut with her husband, only returning to the limelight to pick up one of her many lifetime achievement awards. Marian Anderson died in 1993 at age 96.
  • I was all set to give this post the subtitle “Voice of Freedom” until I learned that’s the name of a 2021 episode of “American Experience” chronicling Marian Anderson and this concert. If only I had gotten to this post earlier…
  • Hearst Metronome News ceased production in 1967 (one of the last theatrical newsreels to fold) and in 1981 the entire Hearst Metronome catalog was acquired by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. At some point, the Marian Anderson concert raw footage was reconstructed by UCLA with support from (among others) the National Film Preservation Foundation, which led to its NFR induction (or possibly vice versa).
  • Marian Anderson’s Lincoln Memorial concert held the record for “Most Important Historical Event in Front of the Lincoln Memorial” for a solid 24 years. Not so coincidentally, Marian Anderson attended the March on Washington in 1963, and performed “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” in almost the exact same spot in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Listen to This: The National Recording Registry inducted the NBC radio broadcast of Marian Anderson’s Lincoln Memorial concert in 2008. NRR regular Cary O’Dell is on hand with a very comprehensive essay.

Bonus Clip: Eddie Murphy performed his first stand-up special “Delirious” at the DAR Constitution Hall in 1983, and closes out his set with a shout-out to Marian Anderson (who he erroneously calls “Mary”).

#755) Cab Calloway Home Movies (1948-1951)

#755) Cab Calloway Home Movies (1948-1951)

OR “Hi-De-Ho-Hum”

Filmed by Cab and Zulme “Nuffie” Calloway

Class of 2022

The “Cab Calloway Home Movies” can be viewed online at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. Of the six documented reels of film, reels 1, 2, and 4 are available for online viewing (roughly 35 minutes).

The Plot: Cab Calloway is best remembered as the epitome of scat and jazz singing in the 1930s, but did you know he also filmed home movies? “Cab Calloway Home Movies” offer us brief glimpses of Calloway’s family life in Long Beach, Long Island with his wife and children, plus footage from family vacations, as well as from Calloway’s South American performance tour. And…yeah, that’s about it.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives a brief overview of the collection, with the only superlative going to the “handsome” footage. Huh.

But Does It Really?: Maybe I’m experiencing some NFR home movies fatigue, but why is this on the list? No disrespect to Cab Calloway and his family, but as wonderful as it is to see this footage, I’ve tried to justify its inclusion on the NFR, and I keep running into other titles that cover the same ground. Home movies from a prominent 20th century entertainer? “Nicholas Brothers Family Home Movies”. Amateur footage of a Black community? “The Solomon Sir Jones Films”. Documentation of Cab Calloway? “Stormy Weather” and “The Blues Brothers”. All these films made the NFR before “Cab Calloway Home Movies”, which makes its inclusion seemingly redundant. I’m glad the “Cab Calloway Home Movies” have been preserved and made available, but I’m still on the fence about their NFR standing.

Everybody Gets One: Cabel Calloway III started taking singing lessons and performing in night clubs when he was a teenager. After honing his craft in Chicago, Calloway moved to New York and found himself performing at the Cotton Club with the Missourians, who quickly changed their name to Cab Calloway and His Orchestra. In 1931, Calloway recorded “Minnie the Moocher”, which became his signature song and the first record by an African American artist to sell one million copies. By decade’s end Calloway would also become a star on radio and in the movies, including NFR titles “Stormy Weather” and “Snow-White”. At the time of these home movies, Cab was married to his second wife Zulme “Nuffie” Calloway, and the two were living in Long Beach raising their three daughters: Chris, Cecilia, and Cabella.

Other notes

  • Reel 1 is the Calloways’ trip to Trinidad and Tobago (presumably on vacation). It’s mostly drive-by shots of different buildings: post offices, police stations, even an outdoor school. We also get to see raw sugar cane being processed into sugar. I was not expecting this film to be so educational.
  • Reel 2 brings us back to Long Island, where Cab and Nuffie are enjoying some family time with their newborn (I’m not sure on the timeline, but I think that’s Cecilia). In contrast with Calloway’s boisterous energy on-stage, it’s nice seeing him relaxed and cuddling up with his kids. And those babies are so cute! I just want to invent time travel, go back in time, and pinch those cheeks!
  • Each individual reel of “Cab Calloway” has its own listing on the Smithsonian website which describes the footage in as much detail as possible, which I greatly appreciated. One interesting note about Reel 2 is that the “[o]riginal footage has exposure irregularities”. That’s putting it mildly. This reel is so overexposed it looks like God keeps trying to break into the shot. The overexposure is so distracting I didn’t even notice that one of the people visiting the Calloway’s in this reel is Lena Horne!
  • Reel 4 has the most going for it because it’s in color! This one features Cab and his Orchestra traveling and performing in such countries as Uruguay and Argentina. It’s all pleasant to look at, but we don’t stay on anything long enough to get a clear snapshot of time and place. Ah well.
  • Based on the Smithsonian descriptions, the three reels currently unavailable for online viewing include footage from Calloway’s travels to Jamaica, Haiti, Brazil, and Puerto Rico.

Legacy

  • Shortly after these home movies were filmed, Cab Calloway and his band split up following financial difficulties exacerbated by Cab’s gambling. Calloway continued performing on stage and TV, and even managed one more NFR movie with his appearance in “The Blues Brothers”. Cab Calloway died in 1994 at age 86.
  • At some point the “Cab Calloway Home Movies” were gifted to the Smithsonian by Cab’s youngest daughter, Cabella Calloway Langsam, along with several of Cab’s personal belongings. New prints of “Cab Calloway Home Movies” were made in 2016 from the original 16 mm prints, and the footage made the NFR six years later.

Listen to This: Among Cab Calloway’s posthumous achievements are two honorary Grammys, induction into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, and the 2018 inclusion of “Minnie the Moocher” on the National Recording Registry. An essay by author and journalist Herb Boyd is a rundown of the song and Calloway’s contribution to pop culture.