Barnabas File

By the late 1930s, Americans were in love with the movies.   Motion pictures were part of weekly life, an opportunity to escape the humdrum of daily life but also to learn about the world (with a Hollywood twist, of course).   When World War Two began, Hollywood producers were a bit ambivalent about how to approach the war effort.   This was not true of five film directors--both established and emerging--who wanted in on the action and were willing to make the sacrifices to be involved. Directors   John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens were considered among the top directors in Hollywood prior to the war.  All offered their services to the military and found themselves involved in the war effort in various ways.  Each came back changed significantly. In the book Five Came Back, Mark Harris told their story.  I reviewed his book here about three years ago.  The book has been adapted into...

We may have a hard time understanding the way that Americans approached World War Two.  Everyone was involved in some way.  If you were not in service or did not have a loved one in the military, you probably knew someone who was.  The average citizen was also impacted by rationing and the repurposing of various public services in order to support the war effort. We also might not to understand why men who were, if not at the top of their careers, at least heading in that direction would be willing to give up their livelihoods in order to serve in the military.  In his book Five Came Back:  A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War , Mark Harris writes about five men who were not only willing to serve but actually sought the opportunity.  Directors John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens were considered among the top directors in Hollywood prior to the war.  All offered their services to the military and found ...