|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 21, 2023 18:43:11 GMT
War was raging in Europe, but Hollywood continued to provide movies to the world. American films would earn studios over $100 million dollars this year. U.S. audiences, not yet plunged into battle, still went to the movies in droves. A total of 85 million tickets were sold in 1940. Hollywood celebrities, however, were embroiled in a battle of another type. A congressman known as Martin Dies had begun to investigate suspected Communist activity in the film capital. An ex-member of the American Communist Party named John Leech informed the politician of motion picture actors that supposedly had involvement with the party or at least had exhibited Communist sympathies.Among the movie stars that were targeted: Humphrey Bogart; Fredric March; James Cagney; Melvyn Douglas; and Franchot Tone. Also accused were non-actors, such as director Fritz Lang as well as writers Philip Dunne and Budd Schulberg. Eventually, the allegations were withdrawn, because as the country was about to become more involved in the war, Hollywood liberals insisted their stance was not in support of Communism but instead anti-Fascist and anti-Nazi. Still, the damage had been done, and concern would continue to grow during the decade about just how subversive powerful people in Hollywood might be. Of course, several stars recanted, assuring the public they were not Communist, which is what Humphrey Bogart eventually did. Two years later, James Cagney’s response would be to make the ultra-patriotic musical YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, something he opposed doing (since he was not a fan of George M. Cohan) until Leech and Dies had gone after him. Meanwhile, the government announced that Hollywood’s monopoly on film exhibition had to be curtailed. Studios were given two years to stop a practice known as ‘block-booking.’ Exhibitors were relieved that their complaints were at last being heard, and something was finally being done.On the surface, the larger studios (with the deepest pockets) seemed to be willing to go along with the upcoming regulations. But the smaller studios, like Columbia and United Artists, knew such a ruling would prevent their businesses from growing as rapidly as they hoped. As a result, Columbia and United Artists appealed the latest government decisions, and they recruited Universal to assist in their legal fight. On the east coast, Broadway was experiencing a sluggish year. It seemed like there would not be anyone that motion picture companies would hire to sign movie contracts. So in the search for new talent to cast in upcoming cinematic productions, moguls began to look elsewhere. Instead of hiring stage performers, the studios began looking to modeling and advertising agencies for faces that might become stars.Glamour pusses like Lauren Bacall and Gene Tierney, who at this point, had very little or no acting experience, were suddenly in the right position to entertain tempting offers. Hollywood talent scouts introduced the pretty girls (and boys), who appeared in newspaper and magazine layouts, to bosses that were eager to meet them. The bosses promised to take the sexy models and help them become household names. In addition to Bacall and Tierney, another person who came to Hollywood this way was handsome Sterling Hayden. He had been causing a sensation as a print model when he was signed by Paramount in 1940. A few months later, as advance publicity for his very first screen role, the studio proudly proclaimed him ‘The Most Beautiful Man in the Movies.’ Paramount’s publicists also called Hayden ‘The Beautiful Blond Viking God.’ An important new star was born. |
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Jun 21, 2023 19:14:19 GMT
I came to know Hayden from his "craggily" handsome years were I was impressed with his acting - "The Asphalt Jungle," "The Star," "Crime Wave," "The Killing" and others - I never even knew, until I just read your post, that he had a "pretty boy" phase.
|
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 22, 2023 13:58:33 GMT
It was the year that gave us Orson Welles’ layered portrait of William Randolph Hearst. Of course, Hearst didn’t take too kindly to it, but critics loved CITIZEN KANE and lauded its theme of a warped American capitalist dream.
The subject matter had been covered before in social message dramas of the 1930s. Among them– Warner Brothers’ UPPER WORLD which starred Warren William as a married tycoon involved with a showgirl; and Fox’s THE POWER AND THE GLORY, with Spencer Tracy in the lead role. All were thinly disguised biopics about Hearst and his relationship with Marion Davies.
To some extent, the films are sympathetic portrayals of an all-too-human man…but in a more serious vein, they’re damning indictments about a monster running the country. At any rate, the material hit close to home for Hearst. He unsuccessfully tried to block KANE’s release.
Some of the men who ran Hollywood were mired in corruption. William Fox, who several years earlier had sold his controlling interest in the studio bearing his name, was entangled in a mess of legal trouble. By the early 1940s, he claimed he was penniless and filed bankruptcy. In order to make sure the bankruptcy hearing didn’t go against him, he bribed a judge and was caught. Fox was given a small fine and sentenced to a year in prison. The former mogul appealed, but until the sentence was overturned, he served six months in a penitentiary. When he got out, he was washed up in Hollywood.
Another executive at Fox’s former studio was charged with perjury in a case involving extortion. Joseph Schenck had supposedly agreed to pay off union representatives to prevent strikes, then Schenck lied about it before a grand jury. Schenck was also cited with tax evasion. He received a one year sentence, serving four months. A few years later, President Truman issued Schenck a pardon, and Schenck went back to work at the studio. But his career in large part was over.
Another career was ending around this time. Greta Garbo’s last film, TWO-FACED WOMAN, weathered a storm of controversy due to the Legion of Decency’s objections about its content. MGM withdrew the title and made some edits to appease censors, then reissued it. But bad word of mouth destroyed its chances at the box office.
Garbo– distressed by the whole ordeal– decided she was done making movies. Though MGM and other studios tried to entice her back before the cameras in subsequent years, she declined all offers of a comeback. She tried to live the rest of her life in relative obscurity, though she was not always able to maintain a low profile due to the nature of her celebrity. The abruptness of her departure from screens only added to the mystery that surrounded her.
Meanwhile, the movies rolled on, but the industry was changing. One of these changes– the fact that studios were now restricted by the government to control theatre chains. Also, as war approached American shores, overseas markets began to close, preventing the international distribution of Hollywood product.
One outside market that still remained open was the South American one. In order to maintain profitability in Brazil and other South American countries, Hollywood studios concocted Latin-themed musical comedies.
This meant that someone like Carmen Miranda, who had proven successful on Broadway and was incredibly popular in Brazil, was offered a contract by 20th Century Fox. When war was declared in December, the flamboyant actress and her brand of entertainment proved a welcome diversion from violent unpleasantness that now engulfed America. |
|
|
|
Post by sepiatone on Jun 22, 2023 16:03:25 GMT
I came to know Hayden from his "craggily" handsome years were I was impressed with his acting - "The Asphalt Jungle," "The Star," "Crime Wave," "The Killing" and others - I never even knew, until I just read your post, that he had a "pretty boy" phase. Of course, that had to be before he lost a great deal of his precious bodily fluids.  TOP----I might or not make my doctor appointment in time your post was so interesting I'm now running a bit late.  Sepiatone |
|
|
|
Post by jamesjazzguitar on Jun 22, 2023 16:30:52 GMT
I came to know Hayden from his "craggily" handsome years were I was impressed with his acting - "The Asphalt Jungle," "The Star," "Crime Wave," "The Killing" and others - I never even knew, until I just read your post, that he had a "pretty boy" phase. Hayden started out in the early 40s but left Hollywood to join the Army, got injured and then joined the OSS. Like a lot of men the war matured him (both mentally and physically). His first post-war film was in 1947 and then his run of noir films starting with Manhandled and then the films you mentioned. If Hayden had avoided service like John Wayne, he likely would have made many films, during the war. |
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 23, 2023 14:24:36 GMT
A discussion about this year in cinematic history would be severely compromised if no mention were made of 1942’s timeless classic CASABLANCA. The film went through various stages to wind up as it did. The roles played by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman were intended for Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan, who had just scored a hit for Warners with KINGS ROW. The part eventually played by Paul Henreid was to have been cast with Dennis Morgan. So that gives an idea of how much different the film could have turned out.
Principle casting of the film had changed, because the country was now at war. Specifically, this meant Ronald Reagan and other leading men would soon be going off to military service. And so when Michael Curtiz was assigned to direct, he went ahead and cast Bogart who was physically unfit for the armed services. Curtiz also peopled the cast with foreign actors. Script revisions occurred until the last days of filming, but a masterpiece was made.
The movie had the good fortune of being released just as military personnel had captured Casablanca. Supported by British warships and aircraft, American forces took Casablanca on November 8th to November 10th, 1942…during a maneuver known as Operation Torch. After the city was taken, Churchill and Roosevelt held a notable conference there. This was something Warners used to publicize the film which had just gone into wide release.
At first, studio moguls tried to ensure that members of the film industry be classified as exempt from military duty. However, when rumblings got out about this, public resistance started to grow. The Screen Actors Guild became involved in the ensuing controversy and insisted that Hollywood face its responsibility.
Members of SAG were advised to drop the glamour image they usually projected, and to show the public they were in support of the war effort and rationing. Stars who were medically prevented from serving were encouraged to get involved with volunteer work that would show guild members as still being supportive. These activities included assisting the Red Cross, participating at bond rallies, and boosting morale by appearing at service personnel clubs, which became the basis for the various stage and film-sponsored canteens.
Some Hollywood stars lost their lives as a result of their direct involvement in the war. Actress Carole Lombard was killed in mid-January when a plane she took crashed in Nevada. She had just raised around $2 million dollars for the war effort at a fundraising event in her home state, Indiana. There were 15 servicemen on the plane, along with a press agent and Lombard’s mother; unfortunately, all of them perished.
Lombard’s last film, TO BE OR NOT TO BE, was released a month later. What would have been her next film role in Columbia’s THEY ALL KISSED THE BRIDE, was taken over by Joan Crawford. And Crawford donated her salary to the Red Cross in Lombard’s memory.
Meanwhile, Phillips Holmes, who starred in AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY ten years earlier, had been one of the first actors to join the military when war broke out. He was killed flying a plane in Canada as part of the Royal Canadian Air Force. It went down in August.
During 1942, the content of movies changed to reflect the war effort. The usual escapist entertainment was turned into films that were designed to reinforce morale. More importantly, anti-Nazi and anti-Fascist stories were being rushed into production. One important example was MGM’s KEEPER OF THE FLAME. In the story, Katharine Hepburn plays the wife of a murdered civic leader who was a Fascist.
As movie production continued in Hollywood, the reality of war affected screenings at home town theaters across America. Some showings were now interrupted by blackouts and air raid practices. |
|
|
|
Post by NoShear on Jun 24, 2023 14:50:08 GMT
A discussion about this year in cinematic history would be severely compromised if no mention were made of 1942’s timeless classic CASABLANCA. The film went through various stages to wind up as it did. The roles played by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman were intended for Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan, who had just scored a hit for Warners with KINGS ROW. The part eventually played by Paul Henreid was to have been cast with Dennis Morgan. So that gives an idea of how much different the film could have turned out.
Principle casting of the film had changed, because the country was now at war. Specifically, this meant Ronald Reagan and other leading men would soon be going off to military service. And so when Michael Curtiz was assigned to direct, he went ahead and cast Bogart who was physically unfit for the armed services. Curtiz also peopled the cast with foreign actors. Script revisions occurred until the last days of filming, but a masterpiece was made.
The movie had the good fortune of being released just as military personnel had captured Casablanca. Supported by British warships and aircraft, American forces took Casablanca on November 8th to November 10th, 1942…during a maneuver known as Operation Torch. After the city was taken, Churchill and Roosevelt held a notable conference there. This was something Warners used to publicize the film which had just gone into wide release.
At first, studio moguls tried to ensure that members of the film industry be classified as exempt from military duty. However, when rumblings got out about this, public resistance started to grow. The Screen Actors Guild became involved in the ensuing controversy and insisted that Hollywood face its responsibility.
Members of SAG were advised to drop the glamour image they usually projected, and to show the public they were in support of the war effort and rationing. Stars who were medically prevented from serving were encouraged to get involved with volunteer work that would show guild members as still being supportive. These activities included assisting the Red Cross, participating at bond rallies, and boosting morale by appearing at service personnel clubs, which became the basis for the various stage and film-sponsored canteens.
Some Hollywood stars lost their lives as a result of their direct involvement in the war. Actress Carole Lombard was killed in mid-January when a plane she took crashed in Nevada. She had just raised around $2 million dollars for the war effort at a fundraising event in her home state, Indiana. There were 15 servicemen on the plane, along with a press agent and Lombard’s mother; unfortunately, all of them perished.
Lombard’s last film, TO BE OR NOT TO BE, was released a month later. What would have been her next film role in Columbia’s THEY ALL KISSED THE BRIDE, was taken over by Joan Crawford. And Crawford donated her salary to the Red Cross in Lombard’s memory.
Meanwhile, Phillips Holmes, who starred in AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY ten years earlier, had been one of the first actors to join the military when war broke out. He was killed flying a plane in Canada as part of the Royal Canadian Air Force. It went down in August.
During 1942, the content of movies changed to reflect the war effort. The usual escapist entertainment was turned into films that were designed to reinforce morale. More importantly, anti-Nazi and anti-Fascist stories were being rushed into production. One important example was MGM’s KEEPER OF THE FLAME. In the story, Katharine Hepburn plays the wife of a murdered civic leader who was a Fascist.
As movie production continued in Hollywood, the reality of war affected screenings at home town theaters across America. Some showings were now interrupted by blackouts and air raid practices. The "1941" dating of the following upload notwithstanding, I think this actually might be culled from 1942 footage and includes the shadowy yield of Madame Chiang Kai-shek and Norma Shearer looking radiant at forty years of age or so: |
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 25, 2023 15:09:25 GMT
It was a time of transitions at MGM. A year earlier, the studio’s reigning queen Norma Shearer had made her last film. In 1943, she was now unofficially retired. Her occasional rival at the studio, Joan Crawford was on her way out the door, too. Interestingly, back in 1925, Crawford (going by her given name Lucille La Sueur) started as Shearer’s double in the silent film LADY OF THE NIGHT. But after 18 years and countless image make-overs, Crawford completed her last film under contract at Metro, ABOVE SUSPICION.
The wartime espionage thriller costarred Fred MacMurray, and in what would have been a clichéd role for any other actress, Crawford managed to infuse it with considerable personality. It was a hit, and while Crawford would return in 1953 for the musical melodrama TORCH SONG, greener pastures were ahead at Warner Brothers where she had just inked a new deal. At Warners she would take on haughty socialite roles, no longer playing the man-eater character she had started out doing at MGM.
Meanwhile, an eccentric producer named Val Lewton was making a name for himself at RKO. His specialty was the horror-fantasy film, but he had previously worked on action films, such as MGM’s A TALE OF TWO CITIES, as an assistant to mentor David Selznick. It was because of Selznick’s recommendation that Lewton wound up at RKO, supervising his own film unit. He soon produced a series of economically budgeted but successful pictures, mostly directed by Jacques Tourneur and Robert Wise.
One of the biggest hits had been CAT PEOPLE a year earlier. And now, in 1943, he had another strange masterpiece on his hands, THE SEVENTH VICTIM, a story about a young woman trying to rescue her sister from a satanic cult. Kim Hunter, in her motion picture debut, starred as the young woman. Lewton, who much earlier in his career had written pornographic novels, avoided airy romantic sentiment in these films. Instead, his main characters were often trapped in a world of perversion and violence.
While fictional films like ABOVE SUSPICION and THE SEVENTH VICTIM played to audiences, Hollywood also made nonfiction films that detailed aspects of the war effort. One of these pictures was William Wyler’s independent propaganda piece about bombing raids over Europe called MEMPHIS BELLE. The documentary did not examine human suffering or the toll that war took on the American people. Instead, it played up the bravery and courage of patriotic flyers.
At the same time other directors back in Hollywood continued to craft fiction films they felt could influence people about what the war meant on a personal level. Pacifist or anti-war ideology seeped into some of these films. An example was RKO’s TENDER COMRADE with Ginger Rogers.
The film was directed by Edward Dmytryk and looked at how women on the homefront were coping. Of course, the content of this film would be used against Dmytryk after the war, when he was called to testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. |
|
|
|
Post by NoShear on Jun 25, 2023 15:45:45 GMT
It was a time of transitions at MGM. A year earlier, the studio’s reigning queen Norma Shearer had made her last film. In 1943, she was now unofficially retired. Her occasional rival at the studio, Joan Crawford was on her way out the door, too. Interestingly, back in 1925, Crawford (going by her given name Lucille La Sueur) started as Shearer’s double in the silent film LADY OF THE NIGHT. But after 18 years and countless image make-overs, Crawford completed her last film under contract at Metro, ABOVE SUSPICION.
The wartime espionage thriller costarred Fred MacMurray, and in what would have been a clichéd role for any other actress, Crawford managed to infuse it with considerable personality. It was a hit, and while Crawford would return in 1953 for the musical melodrama TORCH SONG, greener pastures were ahead at Warner Brothers where she had just inked a new deal. At Warners she would take on haughty socialite roles, no longer playing the man-eater character she had started out doing at MGM.
Meanwhile, an eccentric producer named Val Lewton was making a name for himself at RKO. His specialty was the horror-fantasy film, but he had previously worked on action films, such as MGM’s A TALE OF TWO CITIES, as an assistant to mentor David Selznick. It was because of Selznick’s recommendation that Lewton wound up at RKO, supervising his own film unit. He soon produced a series of economically budgeted but successful pictures, mostly directed by Jacques Tourneur and Robert Wise.
One of the biggest hits had been CAT PEOPLE a year earlier. And now, in 1943, he had another strange masterpiece on his hands, THE SEVENTH VICTIM, a story about a young woman trying to rescue her sister from a satanic cult. Kim Hunter, in her motion picture debut, starred as the young woman. Lewton, who much earlier in his career had written pornographic novels, avoided airy romantic sentiment in these films. Instead, his main characters were often trapped in a world of perversion and violence.
While fictional films like ABOVE SUSPICION and THE SEVENTH VICTIM played to audiences, Hollywood also made nonfiction films that detailed aspects of the war effort. One of these pictures was William Wyler’s independent propaganda piece about bombing raids over Europe called MEMPHIS BELLE. The documentary did not examine human suffering or the toll that war took on the American people. Instead, it played up the bravery and courage of patriotic flyers.
At the same time other directors back in Hollywood continued to craft fiction films they felt could influence people about what the war meant on a personal level. Pacifist or anti-war ideology seeped into some of these films. An example was RKO’s TENDER COMRADE with Ginger Rogers.
The film was directed by Edward Dmytryk and looked at how women on the homefront were coping. Of course, the content of this film would be used against Dmytryk after the war, when he was called to testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Thanks for the clever Norma Shearer segue from 1942 to '43, TopBilled... Shearer just missed taking part in the iconic M-G-M photo of 1943:  |
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 26, 2023 14:20:52 GMT
Almost a third of the Hollywood community was involved in the services. This included actors, directors, writers, camera operators and even producers. Many of them did not see actual combat but instead worked on training films or propaganda films. Some of the studios had set up areas to produce the military training films and propaganda pictures. It should be noted that most of the people in charge of these areas were the first to enlist, which usually meant the more conservative members of the Hollywood establishment.
Directors who made important war effort-related films were numerous. They included men like Josef von Sternberg and William Wyler. Also, John Ford was involved. He headed the Office of Strategic Services Photographic Branch. Ford and his group were responsible for turning out the war’s first documentary of American forces in action a year earlier, which became an Oscar winner.
By 1944, the war was taking its toll on everyone. To try and keep spirits up, several motivational bestsellers were turned into feature films. One was A.J. Cronin’s novel THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM, which 20th Century Fox adapted. Gregory Peck had the starring role.
Another uplifting tale that Fox filmed was THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, with Jennifer Jones as the title character. It hit screens at the end of ’43 and went into wide release in January ’44. Jones would be named Best Actress for her performance.
Meanwhile, two major court decisions occurred during the year. Both affected the way Hollywood studios could retain the services of lead stars. Specifically, the Supreme Court found that the power of an exclusive personal services contract was invalid when actor Robert Cummings sued Universal over the terms of his contract.
Cummings was in the Army, and the studio refused to offer what he considered an acceptable script for his next motion picture. Basically, they were putting him on suspension for not taking the film they wanted him to do. His wages were frozen, so he sued Universal for back pay. The court found in his favor.
The other case involved Cummings’ costar from PRINCESS O’ROURKE, Olivia de Havilland. She sued her home studio, Warner Brothers, for being suspended when she refused to obey studio orders. The suspended period of time was tacked on to the length of her original contract, despite her strenuous objections. The court sided with her that these actions on the part of Warners constituted peonage. She was freed from the terms of her contract and became a freelancer, enjoying her greatest period as a motion picture actress.
 |
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Jun 26, 2023 15:05:51 GMT
"Keys of the Kingdom" and "The Song of Bernadette" are two outstanding Christian-themed movie that are, in my opinion, much better than most of the big, glossy 1950s "Bible epics."
|
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 28, 2023 14:58:08 GMT
A memorable motion picture arrived in the form of MILDRED PIERCE from Warner Brothers. Joan Crawford had found a perfect role as the title character. She played the middle-aged owner of a chic eatery who was determined to protect the welfare of a selfish daughter (Ann Blyth). Michael Curtiz directed, and he made great use of Crawford’s mask-like face as well as the low-life atmosphere of a beachfront where a sensational murder occurs. Crawford earned an Oscar for her surefire performance.
Another memorable story, this one about an incorrigible alcoholic, was produced by Paramount. Director Billy Wilder fashioned THE LOST WEEKEND as a social message drama about a boozer on a bender during an extended period alone. Ray Milland starred as the drunk and earned an Oscar. But as earnest as the story may seem at the surface, one finds that Wilder also allowed satirical flourishes. In some ways, the production mocks the situation it depicts with Milland in on the joke about a man with seemingly no real willpower.
The year offered up other hits, too. An important one was John Ford’s passionate war film THEY WERE EXPENDABLE for MGM. The cast included frequent Ford collaborator John Wayne, Donna Reed and Robert Montgomery playing a character based on commander John Bulkeley. For those who don’t know, Bulkeley was in charge of the torpedo boat squadron that smuggled General MacArthur away from Corregidor. The film’s themes focus on devotion to Navy rituals and discipline during a time of great adversity.
Of course, 1945 was a time when half the year was still spent at war. After the war officially ended, directors like Ford returned to feature films in Hollywood after they had been making propaganda and training pictures. Meanwhile, other directors who made features during the war, such as Alfred Hitchcock, continued on without missing a beat.
But post-war movie business in Britain was another matter. The British government had passed a new law that affected Hollywood studios greatly. From this point forward, 75% of the profits on films made in Britain by non-British companies had to remain in the country. As a result, the budgets of Hollywood movies filmed in Britain were quickly limited in order to make sure they could retain profitability. This also happened with Hollywood companies that filmed in Australia after the war. |
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Jun 28, 2023 15:17:24 GMT
...But post-war movie business in Britain was another matter. The British government had passed a new law that affected Hollywood studios greatly. From this point forward, 75% of the profits on films made in Britain by non-British companies had to remain in the country. As a result, the budgets of Hollywood movies filmed in Britain were quickly limited in order to make sure they could retain profitability. This also happened with Hollywood companies that filmed in Australia after the war. |
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 28, 2023 15:46:15 GMT
...But post-war movie business in Britain was another matter. The British government had passed a new law that affected Hollywood studios greatly. From this point forward, 75% of the profits on films made in Britain by non-British companies had to remain in the country. As a result, the budgets of Hollywood movies filmed in Britain were quickly limited in order to make sure they could retain profitability. This also happened with Hollywood companies that filmed in Australia after the war.
If a studio like MGM made a film in Britain after the war, and it was profitable, they could only claim 25% of the profits. The other 75% that had to stay in the U.K. could sit in the banks there and be used towards expenses on future films made in the U.K. Basically, this was the British government's way of ensuring that a lot of money did not leave Britain and American companies would remain invested in making more films there.
How it backfired on the Brits, is when Hollywood producers started to film in other European countries...they started shooting westerns in Spain, making war films in France and West Germany; and doing historical epics like QUO VADIS in Italy, because they could ink more favorable financial arrangements with those other governments. |
|
|
|
Post by BingFan on Jun 28, 2023 17:28:34 GMT
...
At the same time other directors back in Hollywood continued to craft fiction films they felt could influence people about what the war meant on a personal level. Pacifist or anti-war ideology seeped into some of these films. An example was RKO’s TENDER COMRADE with Ginger Rogers.
The film was directed by Edward Dmytryk and looked at how women on the homefront were coping. Of course, the content of this film would be used against Dmytryk after the war, when he was called to testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
I happened to re-watch TENDER COMRADE just a couple weeks ago, and I was struck by how this movie later became so controversial, even though it had a strong message in support of the war effort. All of the women who share the house in the movie have spouses or other loved ones in the service, they work in war plants, and most of them are patriotically in favor of compliance with rationing and anti-hoarding regulations, even though they may not like the resulting difficulties. (Ruth Hussey’s character is more explicit in grousing about the situation, but she eventually comes around.)
Despite the film’s explicit patriotism, politicians after the war siezed on it as promoting communism, probably because of the women’s communal living arrangements, under which they pool their wages and share all of the expenses. I suppose the communist-associated word “comrade” in the title made the film an easy target for the witch hunters, too. It’s sad that this patriotic movie created problems later for people who were trying to support the war effort. |
|
