SilverShowcase.net - 16mm WWII Films

AMERICA in
THE SECOND WORLD WAR

16mm film stock was was still new at the start of the Second World War. Because the 16mm film base was non-flammable and because the projection equipment was much smaller and more portable than the standard 35mm setup, for the first time movies were able to go into schools, churches, lodge halls and also right to the front lines of the war. The US government made extensive use of 16mm films during WWII in their efforts to win the war with entertainment and informational films.

When the war was over most of those 16mm prints were discarded. Of the prints that were saved, many have been forgotten in closets, basements and attics. Those that are still able to be projected allow us to reach through the screen and touch another era. They preserve the thoughts, the music, the culture of war-time America.

Silver Showcase is proud to make some of these films available to audiences, many of them for the first time in 60 years.

We have listed just some of the WWII films that we can present to your audience, many of them from rare original war-time 16mm prints. Keep watching this space for new additions.

Also, see the next page, "WWII Films on DVD" to buy three of our WWII films professionally transferred to DVD.

SING WITH THE STARS presented performances by some of the biggest names in show business filmed for exclusive showing in military theatres. These stars talk directly to the camera/military audience and then lead them in song. So many of these films have been unseen since the war. Many don't even appear in filmographies of the stars.

We are proud to make available two of these films. Silver Showcase audiences have the unique opportunity to sing along with Andre Kostelanetz and his orchestra, or, if you're very brave, the Brazilian Bombshell herself, Carmen Miranda! (Both films run about 10 minutes each.)

REAR GUNNER (Warner Bros., April 10, 1943) A rousing recruitment film for the Army Air Corps starring Burgess Meredith and Ronald Reagan. Both a recruiting film and a morale booster, this film is a great example of how Hollywood was part of the effort to win the war. (20 minutes)

RECOGNITION OF THE JAPANESE ZERO FIGHTER (1ST Motion Picture Unit, Army Air Force,1943) With Ronald Reagan and Craig Stevens. Narrated by Art Gilmore. This Army Air Force training film was designed to teach pilots how to avoid shooting down our own planes. To demonstrate Ronald Reagan plays an overly confident flier who nearly shoots down one of our own P-40s!

HYMN OF THE NATIONS: TOSCANINI CONDUCTS THE MUSIC OF GIUSEPPE VERDI (U.S. Government War Department, 1944) Magnificent performances of Verdi's Overture to "La Forza del Destino," and "Hymn of the Nations." by legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini, (his only movie!), and the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

This film is rarely seen in its original release form but this is it! In nearly all post-war prints the Soviet national anthem has been removed but it survives in this print as does the middle section telling of Toscanini's personal fight against fascism. Even a recent "official" DVD was edited, but we have the complete original version as well as the story behind the making of this amazing film. (27 minutes)

ARMY NAVY SCREEN MAGAZINE #46 (1945) "A pictorial report from all fronts for the armed forces only, produced by Army Information Branch, Army Pictorial Service, Air Forces, Navy Department, in cooperation with all united nations."

The Army Navy Screen Magazine usually had several sections, but this edition is devoted entirely to one subject - the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, one of the decisive battles in the war against Japan. This film, which was shown only to military personnel during the war, features some incredible footage from signal corps cameramen, gun cameras, and some captured Japanese footage. The film closes with a burial at sea for a flier who died in the cockpit of his plane when it landed on the deck of the carrier. He is buried at sea in his plane in a dignified ceremony. (21 minutes)

ARMY NAVY SCREEN MAGAZINE #41 (November, 1944) The Army Navy Screen Magazine was a bi-weekly series supervised by Hollywood director Frank Capra for showing exclusively in military theaters. The series ran from June of 1943 through the early part of 1946 and is said to have reached some 4 million men and women every week.

This edition of the screen magazine appeared late in 1944. It opens with a newsreel about some American fliers who had recently be liberated by the Russians from a German POW camp in Romania. NOTE: there is brief nudity in this newsreel. The remainder of the film is a Screen Magazine "special," with Christmas music performed by American contralto Marian Anderson, and Leopold Stokowski conducting the Westminster College Choir.

This is an original 1944 print in mostly excellent condition except for the final 15 seconds which are missing. (20 minutes)

The photo at left is courtesy of Westminster College.

To purchase a DVD of this and other films from the Silver Showcase collection please click on the "WWII Films on DVD" tab at the top of this page.

SPECIAL DELIVERY - JAPAN (1945) Official US War Film No. 56 produced by the Signal Corps for the War Department "with the cooperation of combat film units from Signal Corps, Army Air Forces, Navy and Marines." "Exclusive for the men and women of American industry." Aimed at defense workers in munitions plants this film explains that the lives of the fighting men and the future of the country depend on their working hard to turn out as much amunition as possible. The various kinds big guns, what they sound like and their ranges are demonstrated.

This is an original 1945 print in excellent condition.

To purchase a DVD of this and other films from the Silver Showcase collection please click on the "WWII Films on DVD" tab at the top of this page.

UNITED STATES COAST GUARD REPORT No. 7: COAST GUARD AT WAR ON FOREIGN SHORES (1946) The US Coast Guard is seldom mentinoed when WWII history is discussed but they were involved around the world. This film gives a fascinating account of the Guard's activities. Some excellent Signal Corps footage shows the Coast Guard sinking German subs, shooting down planes and capturing German spies in Greenland. They are also shown being under fire in major battles in Europe and the South Pacific as they were assisting other branches of the military. (26 minutes)

This is an original 1946 print in excellent condition.

To purchase a DVD of this and other films from the Silver Showcase collection please click on the "WWII Films on DVD" tab at the top of this page.

THE MOON IS DOWN trailer for the 20th Century Fox 1943 feature film. Based on the novel by John Steinbeck. The narration is pure WWII propaganda: "Listen Nazis, this is the end ..."

This is an original 1943 print.

DUCKTATORS (Warner Bros., August 1, 1943). Featuring the voice of Mel Blanc and the famous style of the Warner animation department. Hitler, Tojo and Mussolini are lampooed to great effect. (8 minutes)

HANDS (US War Department, 1944) An official US government film promoting the sale of war bonds in November of 1944 for the 6th bond drive. (2 and 1/2 minutes)

ALL STAR BOND RALLY (20th Century Fox, May 10, 1945) Star spangled and star studded entertainment promoting the sale of war bonds for the 7th and final war bond drive. Hosted by Bob Hope, we are treated to appearances by several iconic war-time entertainers including Fibber McGee and Molly (seen in photo at left), Harpo Marx, Carmen Miranda, Frank Sinatra, Harry James, Bing Crosby, Betty Grable and several more. (20 minutes)

WOMEN IN DEFENSE (Office of Emergency Management, War Activities Committee of the Motion Picture Industry, December 24, 1941) Written by Eleanor Roosevelt and narrated by Katharine Hepburn, this film presents women as a capable and valuable part of the defense of the US. Women are showen doing some jobs that, until the war, had been done only by men.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH WENDELL WILLKE 1940 campaign film produced by the Republican National Committee. Interesting comments from Willke made just over a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor and the US entry into WWII. Willke warns of the danger of a third term presidency and promises that he will never send American soldiers to fight in foreign lands. (10 minutes)