Hollywood: Government Propaganda? - WW2 Special

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  • Опубліковано 10 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 363

  • @WorldWarTwo
    @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +84

    We're gonna have to ban a lot of people thanks to this title. Please be nice.
    Please, especially this time, read the code of conduct: community.timeghost.tv/t/rules-of-conduct/4518
    Join the TimeGhost Army: bit.ly/SPECIAL_084_PI

    • @rantymcrant-pants9536
      @rantymcrant-pants9536 2 роки тому +2

      Must be a Thursday... :P

    • @hoodoo2001
      @hoodoo2001 2 роки тому

      Superb video, Spartacus!

    • @pnutz_2
      @pnutz_2 2 роки тому

      is the voice for quigley insurance against out-of-context clips?
      *edit*: clarified

    • @johnwolf2829
      @johnwolf2829 2 роки тому +3

      What a difference today.... now everything banned by that Code is ALL they ever show.
      No such thing as a middle-ground in the 21st century.

    • @ralphranzinger4197
      @ralphranzinger4197 2 роки тому

      @@johnwolf2829 the Irony of it all! 👍

  • @bluestar7023
    @bluestar7023 2 роки тому +85

    The Great Dictator was such a good movie. In his 1964 autobiography, Chaplin stated that he could not have made the film if he had known about the true extent of the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps at that time.

  • @stanistevens
    @stanistevens 2 роки тому +197

    There is also a Three Stooges short called "You Natzy Spy!" that lampoons Hitler and was actually released before Chaplin's "The Great Dictator". Moe Howard, who played the Hitler knockoff Moe Hailstone, had said it was his favorite Stooges short. It's also worth nothing that Moe, Larry & Curly were all Jewish, and they even sprinkled in some Yiddish phrases in the short.

    • @williamdonnelly224
      @williamdonnelly224 2 роки тому +31

      Thank you! As a longtime (60+ years) fan of the Three Stooges I was going to post about this but you beat me to it. I'm a bit disappointed that they weren't mentioned but Chaplin was. And as someone posted below, I agree that "You Nazty Spy" was much funnier than "The Great Dictator."

    • @ricardoaguirre6126
      @ricardoaguirre6126 2 роки тому +7

      "Moronika for morons."😂😂😂

    • @timbrady3090
      @timbrady3090 2 роки тому +7

      The 3 Stooges were just fun to watch and they make you laugh constantly

    • @sherirobinson6867
      @sherirobinson6867 2 роки тому +6

      Stooge's... classic

    • @davidsigalow7349
      @davidsigalow7349 2 роки тому +2

      @@marcusmaddox2176 They were not.

  • @clanpsi
    @clanpsi 2 роки тому +57

    OWI: "Hate propaganda is counter-productive. Films must delve into the real issues of the war."
    Walt Disney: "What's that you say? Hate propaganda? I can do that."

  • @kiancuratolo903
    @kiancuratolo903 Рік тому +3

    my favorite lines from the speech still have to be
    "Soldiers! Don't give yourself to these men, machine men. With machine minds and machine hearts"

  • @mjkelly9999
    @mjkelly9999 2 роки тому +25

    It would be great if you could, "Round up the usual suspects." and do an entire episode on Casablanca and its many layers of American Archetypes: Rick, as an America, who once was in love with Freedom, became indifferent and now returns to the fight. His cafe is a meeting place for immigrants yearning for freedom. The list goes on!

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +6

      @Marcus Every episode is a great investment of research, time, and money. We do our best to cover the action of this war every single week and to bring you special episodes regularly, but we can't do it without your support! Join the TimeGhost Army on Patreon and help us to make more of those specials! www.patreon.com/join/timeghosthistory

    • @mjkelly9999
      @mjkelly9999 2 роки тому +1

      @@WorldWarTwo thx. I am already a member of the TG Army. (Different name used on my UA-cam account). Keep up the great work.

  • @SamAronow
    @SamAronow 2 роки тому +57

    As someone who went to film school in Los Angeles, most of us _dreamed_ of having the kind of creative freedom and job security that we saw in wartime films. They really covered all genres from romance to comedy to thrillers to musicals, and most of them weren't even war movies! Nothing of that sort was ever attempted again in subsequent US conflicts; just post-draft military recruitment stuff like _Top Gun._

    • @yourstruly4817
      @yourstruly4817 2 роки тому +3

      Of course you went to film school 😉

    • @matthewdavid6134
      @matthewdavid6134 2 роки тому +3

      Hey I love your vids, maybe you should do a guest special, on Jewish war participation in WW2

    • @chrisscerbo5731
      @chrisscerbo5731 2 роки тому +1

      I must agree. I watched casablanca the other day. Love that movie... I like seeing how proud people were about going to America and just the attitude of the people trying to get to America is just something we just don't see today.

    • @stanbrekston
      @stanbrekston 2 роки тому +5

      @@yourstruly4817 why do you doubt he went to film school? they do exist, you know. & people attend them. why is that so hard to believe?

    • @oscarsusan3834
      @oscarsusan3834 2 роки тому +4

      @@stanbrekston it’s not the belief of going to “film school” .Its like being a pilot at a party stating “I’m a pilot” when never asked.

  • @loltwest9423
    @loltwest9423 2 роки тому +23

    Funny thing, I found some "Know your enemy" and "Know your ally" videos on the US National Archives. I found them to be quite entertaining and informative. Especially considering these videos were a window for me into a different time.

    • @pagodebregaeforro2803
      @pagodebregaeforro2803 2 роки тому +2

      I only saw "Know your enemy: japan" and it was very good.
      Gonna search other episodes, didnt knew it had "know your ally"

  • @alphamikeomega5728
    @alphamikeomega5728 2 роки тому +6

    13:49 _"Who do you suppose this "W.W.", the Executive Secretary of the NAACP, could be?"_
    ...
    _"You got me!"_

  • @lautaromoyano5692
    @lautaromoyano5692 2 роки тому +11

    A few years ago at my last year of high school we were asked to prepare a short speach (30-60 seconds long at most) for theater classes. Without realizing there was a time limit, I came the next class with the whole of the great dictator speach memorized. No one knew it before, but everyone loved it. I still recall the whole of it four years later

  • @Paladin1873
    @Paladin1873 2 роки тому +5

    There was no mention of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series. It's still the best documentary propaganda we cranked out during WWII. As for non-documentaries, some standouts include Casablanca, 30 Seconds Over Tokyo, Comrade X, They Were Expendable, Wake Island, The Story of G.I. Joe, Since You Went Away, and Pride of the Marines. Some of these came out at the end of the war, so their impact was minimal, but they do reflect the attitudes of the time.

    • @spartacus-olsson
      @spartacus-olsson 2 роки тому +3

      "Why We Fight" is not a Hollywood production. It was produced by the US Department of War, and line produced by the U.S. Army Pictorial Service and
      United States Army Signal Corps.

  • @Rihnoswirl
    @Rihnoswirl 2 роки тому +19

    I've heard what might very well be an apocyrphal story about The Great Dictator; that originally it was supposed to have a far different, much more comedic ending, but with the fall of France Chaplin decided to scrap the original ending and write the one we all know, to take a much firmer stance against Hitler and authoritarianism.
    I don't actually know if it's true, so if someone could confirm or deny it that would be great. Still, it's an interesting thought.

    • @gimmethepinkelephant3685
      @gimmethepinkelephant3685 Рік тому

      France attacked Germany first. So how can you claim that Hitler was authoritarian for hitting back? Not to mention the fact that France had also stolen land from Germany after WW1. Which Germany wanted back. So France pretty much brought it on themselves by interfering with the conflict that Germany had with Poland. Which once again was Poland's fault in the first place for allowing the Partisans to murder thousands of ethnic Germans in western Poland in August of 1939. One month before Hitler finally decided to invade. And he had tried to avoid war but the killings would not stop and refugees were starting to pour over the border by the end of August and early September. So they did what any country that's being attacked should do... WW2 is one of the most lied about wars in world history. People are so blinded by the propaganda. It's one of the most criminal things I've ever seen.

  • @thedeadcannotdie
    @thedeadcannotdie 2 роки тому +5

    I actually saw 'the great dictator' a few years ago. I stumbled upon it on some random tv channel. I usually find movies that old boring but actually enjoyed and finished this one. I honestly thought it was made after the war.

  • @TancredofAntioch
    @TancredofAntioch 2 роки тому +42

    I find it interesting how things can be seen through the lens of relativism. For Americans, WWII was one of the first times where the government really stepped into their everyday lives (of course the Civil War, Alien/Sedition Acts, treatment of certain groups of Americans, and WWI are counterexamples). Therefore any interaction, like that of the OWI and the film industry, felt extreme, but, as with much of the concept of total war, the US' version of total war did not even get close to the levels it reached in other countries, like the Axis states, the USSR, or even the UK. This is true in terms of censorship, but of many other elements of the 'homefront' as well.
    Also, a minor thing, it is the NAACP not the NCAAP. I had to do a double take when I heard that.😆

  • @gunman47
    @gunman47 2 роки тому +14

    Thank you for the special episode as usual team, excellent quality there. The "Why We Fight" series and "The Great Dictator" movie often comes up to my mind when it comes to wartime Hollywood or U.S. Army productions.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +5

      Thanks for watching as always

  • @Mr110074
    @Mr110074 2 роки тому +1

    I remember from the Netflix documentary, Five Came Back, that the government told the filmmakers to cool it with the anti-Japanese racism because they knew at the end of the war they need to cooperate with the defeated Japanese people to rebuild the country to make it more American friendly and as an ally against the Soviet Union.

  • @pacificostudios
    @pacificostudios 2 роки тому +3

    Without WWII, we would not have Casablanca and Mrs. Miniver, two of the best films ever.

  • @tomasinacovell4293
    @tomasinacovell4293 2 роки тому +10

    Didn't something happen once like "Ribbentrop said to the British ambassador that we can march into London anytime we want and he said well why don't you?" I was thinking about that watching news about Ukraine today, it just popped into my head in the bathtub, like Putin's Petard etc...

    • @scottklocke891
      @scottklocke891 2 роки тому +1

      Looks like Putin has been hoisted on his own petard.

    • @MarcosElMalo2
      @MarcosElMalo2 2 роки тому +4

      Why do you keep a head in your bathtub? Would it be more sanitary to put it in a jar and then put it in the refrigerator?

    • @tomasinacovell4293
      @tomasinacovell4293 2 роки тому

      @@nickdanger3802 It occurred to me a few hours ago that might have been the one! Thanks! :)

    • @tomasinacovell4293
      @tomasinacovell4293 2 роки тому

      @@MarcosElMalo2 Perhaps it was lost in translation, maybe filter? Slava Ukraini!

    • @ScottishCCRfan
      @ScottishCCRfan 2 роки тому +1

      It's dramatised at the start of the Battle of Britain film.
      m.ua-cam.com/video/U2BSX_NAwWc/v-deo.html

  • @msspi764
    @msspi764 2 роки тому +12

    More on the line of propoganda (meant in a not necessarily derogatory way) are the Why We Fight films made by some of the best directors of the time who were given access to locations and footage that were not available to others. These were far more effective than the ham handed manipulation of scripts by the OWI folks, and they are used as training films for the troops as well.

  • @JDVassar
    @JDVassar 4 місяці тому

    Thanks!

  • @stephenwhitworth3151
    @stephenwhitworth3151 2 роки тому

    Another brilliant encouragement for us to be more critically self-reflective about our own history…Thank you, Spartacus. You are a brilliantly talented presenter, and you and your co-writers truly always do add an engaging poetic touch to your WAH pieces. Personally, I think that-alongside the edifying and often even mortifying content-is what makes this series stand apart.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому

      Stephen, thank you for your incredibly kind & thoughtful words - from the whole team, we all really appreciate it.

  • @GeneralSmitty91
    @GeneralSmitty91 2 роки тому +1

    I was wondering when this subject would pop up. I have fond memories of watching John Wayne films with my grandfather and other Golden Age Hollywood films with him. Wayne's films particularly stuck out as he was basically turned into Hollywood's action hero with films during the war such as The Flying Tigers, The Fighting Seabees, They Were Expendable, and Back to Bataan. I also enjoy The Great Dictator with Charlie Chaplin and of course Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart. Great work as always folks.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @Benjamin Smith Thanks for sharing about your grandfather, and thanks for the suggestions.

  • @thenoobgameplays
    @thenoobgameplays 2 роки тому +4

    There's a book from the jornalist Ben Urwand about the relationship of Hollywood and the german goverment since the 1920's until after the War. I highly recomend it.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +3

      Thanks for the suggestion, it's on my reading list now.

    • @thenoobgameplays
      @thenoobgameplays 2 роки тому

      @@WorldWarTwo you're welcome

  • @SPb1_irregular
    @SPb1_irregular 2 роки тому +3

    When thinking of anti-Nazi films, first I remember Leslie Howard’s “Pimpernel Smith” (1941): it focuses on brave people who risked their lives to save victims of the Nazi regime. As far as I know, Raoul Wallenberg said that he had been inspired by the film. I watched and re-watched the final dialogue many times and wondered how could Howard understand EVERYTHING as early as in 1941?!

  • @jaegerbomb269
    @jaegerbomb269 2 роки тому +4

    Charlie Chaplain's speech from the Great Dictator is one of the best of all time.

  • @Valdagast
    @Valdagast 2 роки тому +3

    It is interesting to see how the Marvel movies have collaborated closely with the US Military. That is something I think future historians will be very interested in.

  • @joesmith323
    @joesmith323 2 роки тому +4

    We know how WWII worked out. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that the Allies in 1939 through 1944 did not know what would happen and how or when the war would end.

  • @dylanw7831
    @dylanw7831 2 роки тому +8

    I admire Chaplin. After the war he met a lot of criticism for his "communist" rhetoric and had to leave the United States in 1952. George Orwell even put him on his list of communists ("Orwell's list") to try to suppress him which seemed very hypocritical to me considering his portrayal of free speech in "1984".

    • @Edax_Royeaux
      @Edax_Royeaux 2 роки тому +1

      Wasn't Orwell a socialist?

    • @dylanw7831
      @dylanw7831 2 роки тому +4

      ​@@Edax_Royeaux He was, but he held very strong views against the USSR.

    • @briandavies7402
      @briandavies7402 2 роки тому +1

      Orwell was DEAD by 1952

    • @scottklocke891
      @scottklocke891 2 роки тому +2

      George Orwell and Arthur Koestler(authored Darkness at Noon) became disillusioned with the Sovietschina with good reason.

    • @jliller
      @jliller 2 роки тому +2

      @@Edax_Royeaux Being a socialist does automatically not make you a communist or a supporter of Soviet-style government - not in the 1940s nor today.

  • @DesertAres
    @DesertAres 2 роки тому +2

    Also an interesting 1940 film called ‘The Man I Married ‘ -working title ‘I Married A Nazi’. Starring Joan Bennett it’s not a great dramatic story but entertaining and does show how naïve Americans were about the policies of the Third Reich.

  • @np512
    @np512 2 роки тому +1

    Highly recommend the Netflix Doc miniseries, Five Came Back. Details the experiences of Ford, Capra, Huston, Wyler, and Stevens. Super interesting.

  • @steverogers8163
    @steverogers8163 2 роки тому +5

    Another important note to be made is that Germany was a huge foreign market for Hollywood films. I think either #1 or #2. So yeah there was money to be lost if a studio made an anti-nazi movie and got kicked out of German theaters as a result. This is probably biggest reason why Hollywood didn't get in on the anti-nazi bandwagon until way later.

    • @tijmenwillard2337
      @tijmenwillard2337 2 роки тому +2

      Basically the same reason for some Hollywood films being very 'friendly' with China

  • @chemistryofquestionablequa6252
    @chemistryofquestionablequa6252 2 роки тому +5

    Hollywood was involved in a LOT more of the newsreels and government films of the time than most people realize.

  • @davidsigalow7349
    @davidsigalow7349 2 роки тому +14

    Thanks for the great episode.
    Regarding the Warner Bros. studio, it is interesting to note that, in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), Erroll Flynn's Robin Hood specifically argues in favor of isolationism, blaming King Richard for getting involved in "foreign entanglements"instead of taking care of his kingdom. Yet, a mere two years later in "The Sea Hawk," Flynn, as Francis Drake, is seen begging the Queen to let him go out and get those damn U-Boats - oops - the Spanish Armada.
    By 1941, in "All Through The Night," a personal favorite, genial NY gangster Gloves Donahue (Humphrey Bogart) and the Warner Stock Company stumble onto a nest of Nazi spies, and recruit their fellow gangsters to defeat them, all the while urging all Americans to "wake up" to the dangers of National Socialism.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +5

      @David Thank you for the info and for those film suggestions.

    • @edclarkson638
      @edclarkson638 2 роки тому +1

      "All Through The Night" definitely has a few chuckles thrown in. Good movie for sure.

  • @andrewfavot763
    @andrewfavot763 2 роки тому +7

    Very glad that Sparty gets breaks from just WAH. Always a pleasure 🙂

  • @hannahskipper2764
    @hannahskipper2764 2 роки тому

    Good episode, Sparty! Good night all. Stay safe.

  • @naveenraj2008eee
    @naveenraj2008eee 2 роки тому +2

    Hi Sparty
    Informative video..
    I liked Chaplin's great dictator its fun to watch..
    Lots of cool information..
    Thanks..

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @NAVEEN RAJ Thanks from the whole team for watching every week

  • @welcometonebalia
    @welcometonebalia 2 роки тому +1

    Great movies made in this context were mentioned in the video or the comments section, but there's another one I really love: Alfred Hitchcock's *Lifeboat*. It's less famous than many other movies by the great director, but it's very impressive nonetheless, and quite a technical accomplishment.

  • @michaelsmyth3935
    @michaelsmyth3935 2 роки тому +1

    Those War Years films were a tremendous part of male bonding in my family. 4 great uncles served.
    The biscuits in the ARMY....
    Abbot & Costello, The Andrew's Sisters.
    Thank you very much, how odd to have so many smile at the memories moments, considering the topic.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @Michael Thanks for sharing about your great uncles, that's quite a warm memory from your family.

    • @michaelsmyth3935
      @michaelsmyth3935 2 роки тому

      @@WorldWarTwo
      Thank you so much.
      Hubert Smythe - Army
      William Smythe - Army
      Roland Smythe - NAVY
      J.L. Hayes - Army
      finally, a step-uncle,
      George VanRaemdonck(?- phonetics)
      First generation, German born parents. His family lost many during WWI. He joined the Army, his family despised the Nazi.
      Years of therapy over killing his cousins on the battlefield. One of the kindest, gentlest men I ever knew. With a sadness draped over.
      Thanks again, I started to study WWII about age 9. My very literal book report on the activities of the Golden Horde led to a very concerned school calling my Father. I was not allowed another such report until 7th grade.

  • @linnharamis1496
    @linnharamis1496 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks- This is an interesting and informative view of the issue.👍👍👍

  • @karoltakisobie6638
    @karoltakisobie6638 2 роки тому +1

    Are all those films mentioned here still available? I would love to see them.

  • @CoyotesOwn
    @CoyotesOwn 2 роки тому +3

    Thinking of popular media, have you considered making a bio short on Jack Kirby's involvement as a comic artist and then a soldier?

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +2

      @Michał There are endless personalities we'd love to biography on this channel, so as a formality I must ask you to join the TimeGhost Army and help us produce more episodes, so that maybe Jack Kirby would be on the list as well! bit.ly/SPECIAL_084_CO

  • @danielnavarro537
    @danielnavarro537 2 роки тому +2

    The most powerful weapon is uniting the country’s people under propaganda.

  • @sigurdhermann781
    @sigurdhermann781 2 роки тому +2

    This was a great episode. I wonder, maybe you should talk about some specific films that are released later on in the war, or at the war's end, like the films
    Don't be a Sucker, or Know your Allies: Russia and the one on Britain. There where also some films that featured later U.S President Ronald Reagan, however,
    I guess it's kind of a minor character in the grand scheme of things.
    I recommend anyone reading my comment to look into some of the films over at the U.S National Archives youtube channel.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +2

      @Sigurd We'd love to examine every facet of the WWII era in-depth. However, every episode is a great investment of research, time, and money. We do our best to cover the action of this war every single week and to bring you special episodes regularly, but we can't do it without your support! Join the TimeGhost Army on Patreon and help us to make more of those specials! www.patreon.com/join/timeghosthistory

  • @kchishol1970
    @kchishol1970 2 роки тому +2

    How about a specialized piece on the role of Hollywood animation, like the wartimes themes in regular cartoons, the military instructional films like Private Snafu, the income tax promoting "The New Spirit," how Disney gave Canada's National Film Board of Canada's animation department a kick start and Disney's feature length propaganda indulgence. "Victory Through Air Power"?

  • @CannibaLouiST
    @CannibaLouiST 2 роки тому +1

    The first Batman films was from back in 1943

  • @ralphranzinger4197
    @ralphranzinger4197 2 роки тому

    Great Episode as Always! Especially Chaplins "GREAT DICTATOR" is the WW2 Movie in my eye's. There are some Stories about resistance fighters smuggling that particular Movie in a Wehrmacht Front Cinema, also there is that Story of Hitler gnawing on his carpet after watching the movie. I don't believe this is true, but humor and laughter are the most powerful things dictators fear.
    Interesting propaganda movies are the post war Stalin Films like Lenin in October, the Vow or Conquering Berlin. A perfect example of how a government changes the historical narrative....

  • @gianniverschueren870
    @gianniverschueren870 2 роки тому +1

    I can't believe I'm late to the video in which SPARTY WEARS A BOWTIE!!!

  • @marshalleubanks2454
    @marshalleubanks2454 2 роки тому

    Love Spartacus's formal attire today.

  • @alexamerling79
    @alexamerling79 2 роки тому +4

    I can see the skepticism of African Americans of the idea of '"fighting for freedom" while in a segregated army.

    • @alexamerling79
      @alexamerling79 2 роки тому

      Not saying that at all. Just saying the hypocrisy had to have been glaring. Even German POWS were shocked at how poorly blacks were treated in the south.

    • @jliller
      @jliller 2 роки тому

      True, although minorities often see military service as an opportunity to prove their worth, ability, and loyalty and thus show why they deserved equality - with varied levels of success. Not just racial minorities, but also ethnic minorities like Irish immigrants in the American Civil War.

    • @lycaonpictus9662
      @lycaonpictus9662 2 роки тому +1

      @@alexamerling79 German & Italian prisoners of war that were sent to the US to work on US farms, often were treated better than the black Americans they worked beside.
      The way black people were treated in the US at the time was shameful & hypocritical, and saying "it would have been worse for them in Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan" is no defense of that treatment. It's a whataboutism.

  • @jimmypenrose1401
    @jimmypenrose1401 2 роки тому +2

    While a lot of awful propaganda did appear in 1942, that was also the same year that "Mr.s Miniver" was released. Ironically Joseph Goebbels had considered it a masterpiece; here was his description: "Mrs. Miniver shows the destiny of a family during the current war, and its refined powerful propagandistic tendency has up to now only been dreamed of. There is not a single angry word spoken against Germany; nevertheless the anti-German tendency is perfectly accomplished." The plot also served as a loose template 40 years later for the nuclear war film "Threads".

  • @mickduggan9666
    @mickduggan9666 2 роки тому +5

    Am I the only person who thinks that the most successful propaganda film of all time, [ so far ],
    is "Casablanca" ?

  • @tomjustis7237
    @tomjustis7237 2 роки тому

    You and I are not always in agreement. (We butted heads one time in the comments section regarding American strategic bombing of Germany.) However, I must say you always seem to try and give a balanced view of history, which is far more than most do. This vid is an example of that. Informative, balanced and historically accurate without any personal opinions. Well done, my friend, well done. One of the reasons I continue watching all of Time Ghosts content.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому

      @Tom We do come across strongly sometimes, but the subject matter is contentious and people rightly feel strongly about it. I appreciate that our audience does feel passionately enough about it to participate in discussions, though I do wish everyone would keep a cooler head more often.
      Thanks for watching

  • @fobwatchful
    @fobwatchful 7 місяців тому

    Speaking of the Germans and propaganda films, a few years back, I saw a most of a film titled "Titanic". It was not the film released in 1997, or even the one from 1953. It was a 1943 German propaganda film. It suggested that the ship would not have sunk if the "incompetent English" officers had listened to the one "intelligent German" on the ship.

  • @crosseightyeight
    @crosseightyeight 2 роки тому +3

    Nowadays we don't give a second thought to denouncing Nazism. Amazing how, in the 30's, it was seen as a sensitive subject.

    • @vincentdracen
      @vincentdracen 2 роки тому +2

      Helps that they butchered millions in between now and then.

    • @amandahammond2691
      @amandahammond2691 2 роки тому +1

      Still seems to be a sensitive subject to Americans

    • @jliller
      @jliller 2 роки тому +3

      In 1939, everyone agreed who the fascists were, but they disagreed whether fascism was bad.
      In 2022, everyone agrees fascism is bad, but they disagree who is a fascist.

  • @firstcynic92
    @firstcynic92 2 роки тому +3

    I hope there's going to be a part 2, 3?, 4? of this subject.

  • @theeaselrider4032
    @theeaselrider4032 2 роки тому

    Excellent work Sparty.
    I always considered myself a bit of a film buff, from that era in particular, yet you still covered quite a bit I didn't know.
    Maybe there's a few other Specials you could do that tie back to Hollywood, or certain films in particular?

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @The Easel Rider We've always got more specials down the line. And remember there's plenty of war yet to go.

  • @Heka41
    @Heka41 2 роки тому

    I thought Indy was good, but Spartacus you are the better presenter.

  • @thexalon
    @thexalon 2 роки тому +2

    Out of curiosity, will there be specific coverage of the film series "Why We Fight" at some point down the line?

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому

      Every episode is a great investment of research, time, and money. We do our best to cover the action of this war every single week and to bring you special episodes regularly, but we can't do it without your support! Join the TimeGhost Army on Patreon and help us to make more of those specials! www.patreon.com/join/timeghosthistory

  • @chrisgay4786
    @chrisgay4786 2 роки тому +1

    You should have someone look at doing something like this on the propaganda of comic books and animated entertainment aimed at a younger audience. There might be a story there.
    Glad to see Astrid dressed you up so well too.

  • @drzarkov39
    @drzarkov39 2 роки тому +10

    Released on March 6,1942, just three months after the US went to war against Germany, "To Be Or Not To Be" is considered by most critics as the best satire of Nazi Germany. Yet, no mention here.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +5

      Copying my reply from another comment: The ones we selected in this episode certainly aren't the only films of their kind. As with Hollywood today, they represented and reflected shifts in cultural mores.

    • @drzarkov39
      @drzarkov39 2 роки тому +1

      @@WorldWarTwo I'm not talking about the many other films of their kind. I'm talking about the #1 film (according to most critics) of its kind.

    • @WarblesOnALot
      @WarblesOnALot 2 роки тому

      @@drzarkov39
      G'day,
      "According to most critics..."
      You say...?
      I call "BULLSHIT"..., on your claim.
      Chaplain's "...Dictator" is, and remains, far better KNOWN and remembered than YOUR Personal favourite, which by attempting to piggyback it's way to popularity by copycatting one of Billy Wobblestick's most famous lines (pondering the attractions of Suicide)...; has successfully (Suck Cess Fully...!) consigned itself to the Cultural Forgettery reserved for the output of earnestly ambitious Wannabes chasing shortcuts.
      I'm 61, and I've seen bits of and recall the existence of and the cultural impact credited to both "...Dictator" and "...Nazty Spy" ; but I have never previously heard of the Shakespearian Apple-Cart Rider you think should be regarded as #1...
      If only anybody had ever heard of it.
      In your dreams, Pilgrim.
      Such is life,
      Have a good one...
      Stay safe.
      ;-p
      Ciao !

    • @amandahammond2691
      @amandahammond2691 2 роки тому +3

      Respectfully, the works mentioned in the video are largely better known, regardless of their ranking on the subject, I would say. Relating to the audience is critical for a project like this, and the audience is much bigger than you or I.

    • @drzarkov39
      @drzarkov39 2 роки тому +1

      @@amandahammond2691The works mentioned in the video are not largely better known. Only "The Great Dictator" is on par with "To Be Or Not To Be". In 1996, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

  • @bennie613
    @bennie613 2 роки тому +2

    There were several anti Nazi films predating Peral Harbor like the Mortal Storm, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Once Upon a Honeymoon, The Man I married and Mission to Moscow just to name a few.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @Bernard Thank you for those suggestions, the ones we selected in this episode certainly aren't the only films of their kind. As with Hollywood today, they represented and reflected shifts in cultural mores.

    • @eldorados_lost_searcher
      @eldorados_lost_searcher 2 роки тому +1

      Forgive me, it's been a while since I've seen it, but how is Mr Smith Goes to Washington anti Nazi? I was actually under the impression that it was used by them to show the corruption and complications of American style government.
      Not my opinion, I love that film.

  • @matthewdunham1689
    @matthewdunham1689 Рік тому

    I’m surprised you left out the greatest movie ever made, Casablanca. ❤

  • @spudskie3907
    @spudskie3907 2 роки тому +2

    Three Stooges were the first to mock Hitler.

  • @kingjamesii404
    @kingjamesii404 2 роки тому

    We watched one of your videos at University today you guys are doing great work!

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @King James Wow, tell your professor thank you from us!

    • @kingjamesii404
      @kingjamesii404 2 роки тому

      @@WorldWarTwo Will do!

  • @TheInnacity
    @TheInnacity 2 роки тому +1

    MRS Miniver a prime film example

  • @alg11297
    @alg11297 2 роки тому +6

    This is a great video and a topic I have been interested for years. Before the war, the film industry went out of it's way not to refer to Jews at all, even when the main character was Jewish as in Dr. Erhlich's Magic Bullet, and The Story of Emile Zola. The thought was that American movies were very popular in Europe and especially Germany and the moguls didn't want to lose their market. One of the first anti-fascist films that you didn't mention was "Oh you Nazi Spy" by the 3 Stooges which predated the Great Dictator by a few years. If you could, please refer to the film "Mission to Moscow" that was made at the government's request to bolster support for the USSR. Many people connected with that film ran afoul of HUAC years later. Please make at least one follow up to this topic.

    • @patwiggins6969
      @patwiggins6969 2 роки тому +1

      Kinda like over the last few years we went out of our way not to offend China. Of course that had to do more with box office dollars than anything else

    • @3dcomrade
      @3dcomrade 2 роки тому

      @@patwiggins6969 well. China is the labourer of the world by this point like it or not. Its more than box office money

  • @marklaurenzi1609
    @marklaurenzi1609 2 роки тому

    Sparty, your inner 30s American accent came out with "...new kinda war..." statement. Well done!

  • @obelix703
    @obelix703 2 роки тому +1

    I’d love to see an episode on how the 1943 Josef von Báky film Münchhausen fit into Germany’s propaganda aims.

  • @Javaman92
    @Javaman92 2 роки тому +1

    No mention of my favorite movie of all time?
    You know what I want to hear.
    You played it for her, you can play it for me!
    If she can stand it, I can! Play it!

  • @joshuasill1141
    @joshuasill1141 2 роки тому +1

    Hollywood also lent it's actors, actresses, and directors to the War Department to make training films. Future president Ronald Reagan was in a training film on how to start, taxi, and take-off in a B-29 Super Fortress. Jimmy Stewart made appearances in several short films for the Army Air Corps. Much of the footage of the fighting over Midway Island was shot by legendary director John Ford. Disney made a bunch of animations for training films too. Its also interesting to take note of the attitude of Hollywood during WWII and the complete 180 it takes 20 years later with America's involvement in Vietnam all the way through the 80s and 90s.
    On a side note, I wonder how many Hollywood people regret their involvement with the HAZL during the McCarthy hearing in the 1950s, which many actors and actresses were called before Congress and blacklisted by Hollywood, including the future First Lady Nancy Reagan?

  • @tigertank06
    @tigertank06 2 роки тому +2

    What about the film To be or not to be with Jack Benny and Carol Lombard?

  • @Game_Hero
    @Game_Hero 2 роки тому

    4:18-4:24 oops, got the subtitles a bit wrong there

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +2

      @Game Hero Thank you, they should be corrected now

  • @stalinvlad
    @stalinvlad 2 роки тому

    Fine stuff. Thanks. I cry and smile at the same moment. How could I forget?

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому

      @stalinvlad I (intern) often have the same response just reading through replies here. People share very moving stories here in the comments of our videos, and it makes me reflect seriously on the work we do. Thanks for watching and remembering with us.

  • @twilightgryphon
    @twilightgryphon 2 роки тому +1

    Looking sharp in the tux, Sparty. ;)

  • @JDL891
    @JDL891 2 роки тому +1

    I thought you might have mentioned that Frank Capra was an admirer of Mussolini

  • @deveskew6590
    @deveskew6590 2 роки тому

    I really enjoyed this episode in particular

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @Dev Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it

  • @gautampressman
    @gautampressman 2 роки тому

    It's interesting to know that Quentin Tarantino makes a reference to Alvin York in the Nation's Pride segment of Inglorious Basterds where German Sergeant York (played by war hero Fredrick Zoller) is gunning down American troops.

  • @mrains100
    @mrains100 2 роки тому

    Thank you.

  • @Wolfen443
    @Wolfen443 2 роки тому +1

    There is a film about Russia under attack called the North Star I think.

  • @CG-eh6oe
    @CG-eh6oe 2 роки тому

    Hollywood also produced a number of movies aimed at south america - basicially reaffirming southern americans that they were americans, too. The whole campaign was financed by the US Gouvernment.

  • @Yuri_Burger
    @Yuri_Burger 2 роки тому

    Wow, very informative

  • @rashkavar
    @rashkavar 2 роки тому +1

    Interesting analysis. Definitely a lighter hand on things than it could have been, definitely still a strong influence.
    It's also very interesting to hear that the preference was for a deconstruction of the motivations of the enemy rather than the racist "barbarian" narrative that so often comes through from WWII media. Certainly goes a long way to explaining the WWII training films I've seen around, which were a heck of a lot less jingoistic than I had gone in expecting. One discussing Japan, for instance, started off with a history lesson going back to the Meiji Restoration and openly praised Japan for its remarkably fast industrialization (73 years between the Meiji Restoration and Pearl Harbor).
    Sometimes it's very strange how they express things. For example, in a 1944 video trying to introduce US soldiers to British culture, there is a segment discussing how much more modest Brits tend to be about their experiences, which includes the line "There's nothing wrong with John Britain that a correspondence course in showmanship wouldn't cure." And yes, they refer to the British population as "John Britain" with pretty much 100% consistency, just as the American population is John Q. Public. It's....so strange. But an interesting experience to watch, regardless.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @rashkavar Thanks for your reflections on it.

    • @IntrusiveThot420
      @IntrusiveThot420 2 роки тому

      Funnily enough the "John X" meme continues to this day; jokes often refer to nameless protagonists of videogames as "John Darksouls", etc

    • @rashkavar
      @rashkavar 2 роки тому

      @@IntrusiveThot420 I mean, yes, but that's always very much tongue in cheek. The weird part is that it's entirely serious. (Also, John Darksouls is an individual, not an individual name representing an entire country's population)

  • @saharan9907
    @saharan9907 2 роки тому

    great Olsson

  • @oneshotme
    @oneshotme 2 роки тому +1

    Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up as a support

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      Thank you for your support as always!

    • @oneshotme
      @oneshotme 2 роки тому

      @@WorldWarTwo You're welcome as always!

  • @richardanderson2742
    @richardanderson2742 2 роки тому

    To truly be censorship the edicts must be enforceable. The test for this is what happens when "suggestions" are ignored. In the case of Hollywood circa 1940, penalties as such were largely lack of cooperation for the picture of concern and other projects of the studio. Then as now, many projects benefit greatly from governmental cooperation, which of course directly impacts production costs and potential profits. While a failure to solicit support may be very detrimental to a studio, it doesn't affect their ability to do something, just the profit potential. Since government has no actual or implied obligation to help Hollywood make money, withholding support really isn't censorship.

  • @trizvanov
    @trizvanov 2 роки тому +2

    Between State and Corporate sponsored Censorship, I am not sure which one is actually worse. With first, it is pretty straight forward. You know which line you need to go through in order to have your material approved. With second, you have a corporate giant, such as Disney or News Corp, that owns everything from films to news. With them, you have absolutely zero way of having your voice heard, unless it is in line with the corporate "policy".

    • @IntrusiveThot420
      @IntrusiveThot420 2 роки тому

      IMO it's the other way around; governments can enforce their silencing with a monopoly on violence. Corporations get beat down by the state on a regular basis, and they love to compete with each other. Plus in the age of social media it is now MUCH harder to silence dissenting voices.

    • @trizvanov
      @trizvanov 2 роки тому

      @@IntrusiveThot420 I disagree. There is hardly any competition at the moment, when it comes to mass media. Anyone trying to go against the corporate policy will get silenced by not being able to reach the audience.

  • @jeffgalus8454
    @jeffgalus8454 2 роки тому

    I would loved to see a WW2 special about Hollywood actors who served in the armed forces like Jimmy Stewart, Douglas Fairbanks JR. and director John Ford

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому

      @Jeff Every episode is a great investment of research, time, and money. We do our best to cover the action of this war every single week and to bring you special episodes regularly, but we can't do it without your support! Join the TimeGhost Army on Patreon and help us to make more of those specials! www.patreon.com/join/timeghosthistory

  • @WolfLibraryAudio
    @WolfLibraryAudio 8 місяців тому

    I can understand the time constraints, but I am a bit disappointed that Sparty didn’t make reference to one Hollywood troop who were vehemently against the Nazis from the get-go and lampooned them so much that Hitler himself placed a death warrant on their heads for mocking him in particular: the three stooges. Their shorts during the war probably did more to boost morale than many films did at the same time.

  • @jaymudd2817
    @jaymudd2817 2 роки тому +1

    Advancement of science in 20th century could have given Humanity peace and plenty, Sinfulness proved otherwise.

  • @George_M_
    @George_M_ 2 роки тому +1

    To be fair, OWI's narrative was the right one to push.

  • @TheZINGularity
    @TheZINGularity 2 роки тому

    i just stumbled here and 3/4 the way through the video i notice it was premiered 24 minutes ago

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому

      @RedCorsairr Join the TimeGhost Army to get a heads-up and see the video early or join us for the premiere! bit.ly/SPECIAL_084_CO

  • @gunterxvoices4101
    @gunterxvoices4101 2 роки тому +1

    Been seeing a lot of this again these days. It is weird to live through.

  • @hoodoo2001
    @hoodoo2001 2 роки тому

    There are good guys, bad guys, and frenemies; you cut the good guys and frenemies some slack....and the bad guys none.

  • @timbrady3090
    @timbrady3090 2 роки тому

    Don't know if it had been posted but watched one special that said The Great Dictator was one of Hitler's favorite movies. It was signed out 2 weeks before he shot himself.

  • @TheJojoaruba52
    @TheJojoaruba52 2 роки тому +1

    Excellent historical documentary. Thank you. Anything on film short of my grandmother’s photo is propaganda.

  • @blackadder9758
    @blackadder9758 2 роки тому

    What about cartoons shown in theaters before main movies or new shows? Tom&Jerry for example also depicts also divebombers, jeeps, bombs ... first episode appears in '43 (if i'm not wrong) and is made by a hollywood studio? I remember disney cartoons where their characters imitate hitler or germans (maybe they were made later)

  • @trattoretrattore8228
    @trattoretrattore8228 2 роки тому

    Very interesting video. I had no idea about this code before the video, among other. I've already asked this before, could you also tell us a way to not fall victims to propaganda? I feel like if it would be a useful skill to have.

  • @andrewedwards2211
    @andrewedwards2211 2 роки тому +3

    Charlie chaplan aye

  • @brokenbridge6316
    @brokenbridge6316 2 роки тому

    Nicely informative video. I knew Hollywood was very useful for the American war effort in WWII. Now I have a better idea of how useful. Great video.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 роки тому +1

      @Broken Bridge Thanks very much, please stay tuned as always

    • @brokenbridge6316
      @brokenbridge6316 2 роки тому

      @@WorldWarTwo---Your welcome

  • @FirstLast-di5sr
    @FirstLast-di5sr 2 роки тому

    Chaplin - The Great Dictator
    Orwell - 1984
    Pink Floyd - The Wall (Movie)
    (IMHO: the 3 most important pieces of art against fascism. ☮❤)