Showbiz Goes to War

Dec 31, 1982

1h 30m

★ 10.0

Overview

While a few Hollywood celebrities such as James Stewart and Clark Gable saw combat during World War II, the majority used their talents to rally the American public through bond sales, morale-boosting USO tours, patriotic war dramas and escapist film fare. Comedian David Steinberg plays host for this star-studded, 90-minute documentary, which looks at the way Tinseltown helped the United States' war effort.

Genres

Documentary

TV Movie

Showbiz Goes to War Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self (archive footage)

Bud Abbott

(archive footage)

Larry Adler

Self (archive footage)

Dana Andrews

Self (archive footage)

Fred Astaire

Self (archive footage)

Lucille Ball

(archive footage)

Robert Benchley

Self (archive footage)

Jack Benny

Self (archive footage)

Milton Berle

(archive footage)

Vivian Blaine

(archive footage)

Mel Blanc

Self (archive footage)

Humphrey Bogart

(archive footage)

Joe E. Brown

During World War II, the propaganda engine of the U.S. government made a pivotal decision with unforeseeable results: they tapped John Huston to shoot war documentaries with an expressly patriotic spin. Few could guess the degree to which Huston's documentaries would depict the sheer brutality and horror of modern warfare - particularly his Let There Be Light and The Battle of San Pietro. The films served (by default) as cinematic protests, even as they graced new and brilliant heights within the scope of American documentary. (Indeed, Light was banned by the government for 35 years). Midge Mackenzie's 1998 documentary John Huston: War Stories explores this little known facet of Huston's career, intercutting clips from the various documentaries with a Huston interview shot just prior to his death.

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