THE UNCLE SAM MOVIE COLLECTION Volumes 4-6

The great pleasure of reviewing the first three volumes in the UNCLE SAM series was second only to receiving an unexpected email from the series producer, Bob Campbell, who generously sent me the second trilogy in this excellent series of documentaries.

Most of the films thus far are specifically war-themed and propagandistic in nature. There is some indication from the direction of the second batch of twenty-one films in the series that an attempt is being made to embrace even more of American culture.

Certainly the military flavour is central to the films, but political shorts and even post-war subjects serve to make the series more rounded. At any rate, the same remarkable balance between style, content and effectiveness is as evident in Volumes 4-6 as they were in Volumes 1-3.

Host Denis Arndt continues to be the glue who holds everything together. His insightful commentary contextualizes each film and remind us of the historical framework in which they were made. ‘Propaganda is not a dirty word—unless it’s propaganda for the other side,’ he says. This is a loaded statement that assumes right from wrong. In a conflict as clear-cut as WWII, few would argue with this perspective. In application to later, unpopular wars, when the American people were less united in a common cause, the degree of ‘cleanliness’ that the word ‘propaganda’ contains may be debatable.

Be that as it may, it certainly helps that Arndt is an actor as he is an engaging and authoritative host whose time on camera is almost as interesting as many of the films he introduces. And ‘almost’ is exactly how it should be; he does not steal any thunder from the films that are the heart and soul of the collection.

As in the first trilogy, each volume contains seven films, for a total of 21. Let’s look at each film in detail.

Volume Five

1. FREEDOM COMES HIGH

Volume Five commences with FREEDOM COMES HIGH, another hard-hitting short film that maintains the high quality of the series.

What is truly refreshing about many of these films is that they do not pull any punches. Sacrifice is shown for what it is and there are no ‘Hollywood endings’ to subdue the impact of the cost of being at war.

In fact, the premise of the 13-minute FREEDOM COMES HIGH encapsulates the same theme of WE WERE SOLDIERS, the recent Mel Gibson film, documenting both the dedicated family man as soldier and the wife/family’s emotional journey at home—including the dreaded Western Union telegram by which the devastating news of someone being killed, captured or MIA was conveyed. It’s hard to believe such a short film can pack so much emotion but, as host Denis Arndt suggests, this one does just that.

2. SO’S YOUR OLD MAN

This short film is a reminder that older men past their prime also played an important part in the war effort. In this case, men in their fifties and older join the Coastguard to handle home duties, such as patrolling the docks at night against potential saboteurs—thus freeing the younger, able-bodied men to serve in more active duty. While the film is not as profound as some in this series, it is a fascinating glimpse at yet another aspect of the over-all war effort.

3. RING OF STEEL

Narrated by Spencer Tracy, this short film is unabashedly patriotic in its celebration of the American fighting man. Directed by Garson Kanin (Tracy’s close friend) RING OF STEEL is a sweeping, panoramic view of American military might accompanied by an almost hypnotic, political narrative that covers just about every type of soldier in the forces. RING OF STEEL is a real time capsule. With the liberal Democratic leanings of most Hollywood players today, this type of film would never get made. It would be considered war-mongering and too ‘Republican’. Nonetheless, RING OF STEEL is a reminder that ‘United We Stand’ is more than just a slogan—in WWII it was a necessity.

4. WINGS UP

If you’ve ever wondered about the rigours and challenges of Officer Candidate School, this is the documentary for you. Narrator Clark Gable leads us through the selection process of enlisted men through to graduation after twelve intense, life-changing weeks of thorough, ‘let’s separate the men from the boys’ training. A few familiar faces pop up, candidates who are given no special treatment despite their star status: Robert Preston, Gilbert Roland and William Holden.

While graduates are definitely entitled to the elitism that passing such demanding training entails, candidates are treated very harshly during their actual training period. Harshly, but not unfairly. The point is to find out if these men have the right stuff to be responsible leaders.

Officer Candidate School is no picnic, but one can’t help feel admiration and perhaps even a bit of envy towards those who pass the course. This film successfully captures the toughness, the discipline and the thoroughness of Officer training. When the graduation ceremony is complete and the celebrants emerge all smiles and pride, you realize that, like these new officers, we’ve been on a remarkable journey, too. Though tactics and procedures have no doubt evolved since WWII when this film was made, WINGS UP remains a compelling study of men training to excel and become the very best they can be. Fascinating.

5. ARMY/NAVY SCREEN MAGAZINE

The two musical shorts that make up the ARMY/NAVY SCREEN MAGAZINE rate an inserted introduction by Denis Arndt who nicely sets the scene, describing how he imagines himself a soldier having the night off, entering a blood-spattered tent behind the front lines and being treated to a few musical interludes from home. Pure escapism.

In the first part, the emphasis is on comedy, with Kay Kaiser, Lucille Ball, Jerry Colona and Linda Darnell hamming it up. Kaiser encourages the listening soldiers to ‘send in their gags, and if they fit, a star will read them on the air’. That must’ve been a great morale booster.

Then Joy Hodges, an entertainer I’d not heard of before, sings a slightly suggestive number as she emerges from her shower and dresses for an important meeting. This must have encouraged a lot of whistling and cat-calls from battle-weary, front-line soldiers. Though even just to have the luxury of a really long, hot shower would have been almost as enticing to the weary foot solider as the company of a beautiful woman! There’s even a sing-a-long ‘follow the bouncing ball’ bit which is fun and reminds us of a simpler time, though when sacrifices for freedom were no less significant than they are today. It is for this reason that, funny and entertaining as these two shorts are, they are somewhat touching as well.

6. INFANTRY BLUES

Private Snafu is up to his old antics in this animated film wherein Snafu contemplates life in other branches of the military.

The best feature of this cartoon series is the brilliant character voice work of Mel Blanc.

7. BAPTISM OF FIRE

This 35-minute film does an excellent job of examining the trepidation every soldier feels before going into combat for the first time. Featuring some familiar Hollywood character actors (such as Elisha Cook, Jr.) BAPTISM OF FIRE is something of a psychological study of one soldier as he contemplates whether or not he’ll have the guts to perform well under fire.

The film was a restricted training film; restricted so as not to run the risk of the enemy getting their hands on a film where American soldiers were shown as hesitant or even potentially cowardly. As such, the film also features some salty language (though nothing like the overkill you hear in most contemporary war films).

The violence is quite strong as well, featuring some intense and graphic hand-to-hand fighting that would never be seen in a Hollywood film of the period.

BAPTISM OF FIRE is an intense, penetrating study that surely stands as relevant to contemporary soldiers as it did to men serving in WWII. Highly effective.

More information about THE UNCLE SAM MOVIE COLLECTION can be found at their OFFICIAL WEB SITE.

Tell them Einsiders sent you!

The Uncle Sam Movie Collection: Vol. 4
The Uncle Sam Movie Collection: Vol. 5
The Uncle Sam Movie Collection: Vol. 6

Jon Ted Wynne