Giant World War II Films Library, 7 DVD Collector's Edition Set

The COMPLETE WWII Films

LIBRARY COLLECTION, 7 DVD's

Some of these films are sincere and true.  Yet, some are the finest pieces of propaganda ever produced by our government.  In any case, they are a national treasure, to be cherished and viewed by generations to come.  Great for scholars, teachers, and students alike.  Is a great companion to many of our other WWII film and newsreel collections, please see our other auctions.

This collection on 7 DVD's contains 62 films, that runs a total of approx 14 hours!.  Each DVD comes with a full interactive menu.  A list of films in this collection is as follows:

Government-produced film attempting to defend the massive internment of Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II.

Sound, B&W, 18:03

A soldier pleads to the folks to home to conserve scarce wartime resources.  Our film first starts out over-seas WWII where solders are ambushed and badly wounded because shortages of supplies, the next scene is in the operating room where our boy "Johnny" dies of shortages of antithetic while doc attempting amputation.
The rest of the film shows the folks at home when they receive a letter from "Johnny" and a telegram informing them of his unfortunate death.

Sound, B&W, 14:12

Contributions of handicapped and disabled workers to World War II industrial production.  Blind workers unravel the ends of parachute straps, a one-armed man operates a one-handed hole-punching machine, deaf workers work in the noisiest part of the factory, elderly men come out of retirement to offer their well-honed skills, and, of course, women are everywhere.

Sound, B&W, 20:48

On the problem of youth crime during World War II and the fear that America would lose a generation of children to delinquency.  In 1943 America, as the War was still raging on, America feared for it's kids, for they were hanging out in shady bars, listening to the jukebox, girls becoming victory girls, and so on. This film will stop your children's reckless behavior, and teach them to be normal citizens of society!

Sound, B&W, 10:49

This is the Master Hands of World War II, with narration Norman Corwin would have been proud of. It tells the story of how the huge B-29 Superfortress bombers were made in huge factories staffed by workers from all walks of life. The visuals and the stirring narration work together to create a masterful piece of propaganda in that bombastic, yet lyrical style that is peculiar to the form. As is usual for war propaganda, the film starts with some frankly racist commentary about the Japanese designed to inspire hatred for the enemy. Then we get to see the B-29s being built in huge factories––this is really great factory tour footage. When the workers suddenly stop working and look to the skys to hear the "music" of the bombers going through the air, audience members' hearts probably swelled with patriotic pride. The part at the end where the narrator talks about this new, big bomber requiring a "new kind of air force" stimulates disturbing images of a future Cold War. This film is essential for collectors of World War II propaganda and is a great piece of history.

Sound, B&W, 20:10

This WWII-era film shows us in great detail how colleges across the nation are preparing for war. Mostly it involves doing lots of military training, along with training women to assume jobs usually done by men (what a radical concept!). Lots of scenes of military units marching around college greens are shown. One segment features an African-American college, which was unusual for the time this film was made (not unusual in the sense of existing––there were and are lots of such colleges––but that it was put into a film designed for mainstream audiences).

Sound, B&W, 18:29

General Motors made this wartime film to explain to the general public why it was taking so long for factories to retool for war production. A guy in a barbershop explains to everybody in the shop that retooling involves not only installing new machinery, but getting new materials, drawing up new manufacturing plans, and retraining workers. In case this gets boring, there’s an African-American porter present to provide comic relief in the form of racist stereotypes. This film has the breezy Jam Handy style applied to wartime content, which means its fairly campy, though the main character’s lecture gets tedious after awhile. It does have quite a bit of historical interest in that it gives you an idea of some of the rumors going around about war production in the early days of the war.

Sound, B&W, 11:03

Strident WWII propaganda film that warns war workers of the danger of slacking off, even for a second. Occasional periods of R & R are shown to have dire consequences for the soldiers fighting the war. I guess they hadn’t heard of the concept of burnout yet. This makes the film pretty campy. A quintessential propaganda piece with some striking modernistic visuals.

Sound, B&W, 10:40

Short screen ads recruiting workers for aircraft manufacturing during World War II.

Sound, B&W, 8:58

Balancing work and family in a time of heightened mobilization.

Sound, B&W, 10:14

Follows the Flying Fortress crews of the 351st Bombardment Group from the end of their training at a Colorado training field to actual combat over Germany.  In this highly romanticized flick about air bombers, air fighting footage is mixed in with obvious renactments (by the soldiers themselves!) of life at war. Narrated by Clark Gable, who narrated this film as his contribution to the war effort.

4 Parts, Sound, Color, 1:01:40

Stridently anti-Japanese film that attempts to convey an understanding of Japanese life and philosophy so that the U.S. may more readily defeat its enemy. Depicts the Japanese as "primitive, murderous and fanatical." With many images of 1930s and 1940s Japan, and a portentous and highly negative narration by Joseph C. Grew, former U.S. ambassador to Japan.

Sound, B&W, 19:51

U.S. armed forces protect the homefront.  Directed by Garson Kanin; spoken by Spencer Tracy; written by Wallace Russell; music by Morton Gould; produced by Philip Martin, Jr. for The Office for Emergency Management Film Unit; edited by Robert Jahns; photographed by Carl Pryer, Ray Foster, Louis Tumola.

Sound, B&W, 8:39

Public education film on combatting the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, especially syphilis, in World War II.  Jean Hersholt,the great humanitarian and character actor hosts this 1944 public information film about stopping venereal diseases. Bit parts are played by Robert Mitchum and Noah Beery, as well as many other recognizable actors of the that time. For the audience of that era, it effectively got the message across. A slick production. Directed by Arthur Lubin, and produced by Walter Wanger.

Sound, B&W, 21:21

Wartime work of public welfare agencies in the field of nutrition.  An excellent historic film showing civilian suggestions in maintaining good health in W.W.II.

Sound, B&W, 10:22

A feature length motion picture presenting step-by-step the events which led up to Pearl Harbor and total war. History, filmed as it happened, shows the massacre of Ethiopia, the invasion of Austria and Czechoslovakia, the blitz of Poland, the tragic fall of France. Material was taken from secret government archives.

2 Parts, Sound, B&W, 43:19

DVD 3

"Divide and Conquer," Chapter III of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series, begins with Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany after Hitler's invasion of Poland. The film covers the Nazi capture of Denmark and Norway, steps necessary to mount a future attack on Britain, then describes in detail Hitler's strategy as he conquers Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Special attention is paid to Nazi atrocities. Dead and injured children are shown en masse and the film explains how the bombing of Rotterdam leads to "thirty thousand men, women and children killed in ninety minutes." The narrator tells how the Luftwaffe bombs small villages so that refugees clog the highways, and how it uses precision machine gun fire to herd the survivors toward the allied armies, who find their progress severely constrained as a result. An American military officer details the Nazi plan for an invasion of France, which Hitler conquers in just over a month. The Germans bludgeon the French armies into surrender, then "enslave" much of the local population to service the German military regime.

4 Parts, Sound, B&W, 56:26

How the atomic bomb destroyed the people and cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

Sound, B&W, 12:02

Record of the operations of the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions in the 1944 invasion of France. Excellent war footage and intriguing first person narrative of events gives a compelling look into the operations of US paratroopers as part of the D-Day invasion. Recommended.

Sound, B&W, 16:52

How left-wing labor unions engaged in political activism to combat corporate influence on the U.S. Congress in the years following World War II.

2 Parts, Sound, B&W, 36:43

A young wife learns that freedom must sometimes be paid for in lives, when her husband's ship is struck during battle.  In this excellently acted and melodramatic piece coming from the US Navy of all places. A married couple is separated when the husband goes off to war. As you can tell by the title, consequences ensue. I imagine this film was done by the Navy to warn women that Johnny might not be marching home. This film has a high cinematic feel to it, and all the acting is superb. This comes highly recommended!

Sound, B&W, 12:54

World War II propaganda film aimed at the home front, attempting to increase popular mobilization.

Sound, B&W, 19:04

Importance of nutrition in wartime.  A 1943 documentary about feeding nutritious food to the armed forces. Dehydrated & process food was developed during that time. A very informative production of its time.

Sound, B&W, 9:51

Pretty entertaining film about the importance of rubber in wartime. More specifically of course, the use of it for tires that will be used by the US forces transport vehicles. I found this film interesting in it's personification of the tire as an active participant in the war, like we were supposed to feel for the tires getting blown apart in wartime. Nice production shots too. Recommended.

Sound, B&W, 11:41

This film is almost 2 films in one. In the first half we see a GI coming home from the war, who just can't wait to get a house of his own (he even looks at his dream home on the front lines.. guess nothing else is distracting him). He picks up his wife and kid and they go house hunting, to no avail as the home shortage crisis after WWII was in full swing. In the 2nd half, many people are going to Mayor's office to solve this problem.

2 Parts, Sound, B&W, 28:16

Plea for increased commitment by Americans to win the war.

Sound, B&W, 15:22

How the U.S. government tried to match every person to a job during World War II.  The main focus of 'Men and Jobs' is how you need a job, right NOW. Representatives of the government agency trot out and read lines (from left to right) how important it is that we all work when Johnny is overseas. We then see an employment office at work, and how a female is matched to a job most suited to her, and how an older skilled man gets a job just like that.

Sound, Color, 8:46

Chronicles one of the early (autumn 1942) bombing runs of B-17s over Europe.

Sound, B&W, 10:42

Communications and communicators facilitate World War II.

Sound, B&W, 21:57

Intense view of American soldiers in combat, produced to sell World War II bonds.

Sound, Color, 17:18

Frigidaire plant converts to military production during World War II.

Sound, B&W, 15:29

DVD 5

U.S. government-produced film defending the World War II internment of Japanese American citizens.

Sound, B&W, 9:28

The battle for industrial production in World War II.  Quite amazing film about how the US is looking for more able bodied people to work at other jobs while Johnny is overseas.

Sound, B&W, 8:33

Mobilizing citizens on the homefront in World War II.  Another plea to buy war bonds with plenty of talking heads, including FDR.

Sound, B&W, 13:30

Attack on Pearl Harbor; the S.S. Normandy fire at a New York pier.

Sound, B&W, 9:35

Documents Able Day and Baker Day blasts of the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Island in the Pacific. Contains footage from many of the ground and aerial cameras set up to record the blasts, beginning with B-29 aircraft "Dave's Dream" dropping an atomic bomb on Bikini Atoll.

2 Parts, Sound, B&W,  26:36

Walter Huston & Eddie Bracken are featured in this effective 1941 film warning Americans to be careful what they say in public. Well written, directed, and acted.

Sound, B&W, 10:22

Temperance as an antidote to juvenile delinquency.

Sound, B&W, 18:12

DVD 6

Airplanes and missions of the U.S. Army Air Forces, emphasizing Operation Crossroads (the Bikini Island atomic bomb tests).

Sound, B&W, 12:36

How war plant workers made suggestions that resulted in efficiency and economy.

Sound, B&W, 8:55

Management addresses the special problems of women workers with concern and a heavy dose of sexism.

Sound, B&W, 10:36

Illustrates the use of radar on a dramatized mission over Japan.

Sound, B&W, 8:24

How winning World War II depends on successful labor-management collaboration.  Sensational propaganda film which ultimately is about how important industry is to the war, but winds up just being one hell of a propaganda film. Fueled by one heck of a bombastic narrator who must've taken courses in guilt mongering, we're plastered with images of Pearl Harbor! China! France! Norway! All of this is tied very loosely with the industrial theme, but again, this is a mightily trumped up propaganda machine working here folks.
 

Sound, B&W, 10:22

Shows life during wartime in an American town (Madison, Indiana). Directed by Josef von Sternberg.

Sound, B&W, 10:49

Workers of a Wisconsin town mobilize for World War II production.

Sound, B&W, 15:57

DVD 7

How America mobilizes.  A pile of families move into wartime housing, only to realize the school is not built yet. No problem, we'll just use one of the non-used houses to teach the children!! This leads to ultra bizarre shots of kids desks crammed into what looks like a kitchen..  Segment 2 details people living in trailer parks because of the war. Problem is, those darned kids just can't keep quiet while someone is sleeping! No problem, we'll just import some dangerous-looking dilapidated sheds the army is not using, take them apart and rebuild a community hall/school. This looks.. rickety.
Segment 3 is a typical rah of how people use Sunday, their day of rest of course, to be trained off to do hard labor for the army. I wonder how many people would want to do that now..

Sound, B&W, 10:34

Evocative World War II-era film following a troop train: the coordination of effort; its staging and assembly of cars, cargo and passengers; its heavily guarded journey through the American countryside; and the food, sleep, exercise, training, drilling and recreation of its soldier-passengers.

Sound, B&W, 10:52

Government-produced World War II newsreel.

Sound, B&W, 19:12

Hairstyles for war jobs. Making rifles by assembly line. Absenteeism. Our children--a war problem regarding daycare while mothers work. Army fight song: "Off we go/Into the wild blue yonder".  A late 1942 film news review showing the sacrifices and problems facing the American civilians and soldiers of World WAR II. The actual air battle is impressive, and the visual introduction to the Air Force song is inspiring.
 

Sound, B&W, 15:33

Patriotic motivational film for World War II industrial workers.

Sound, B&W, 10:44

Strategy and successes of the Marshall Islands battle in World War II.

Sound, B&W, 15:35

War plant workers flood the town of Sylacauga, Alabama, and the town constructs facilities and organizes activities to make them feel welcome. Excellent, idealized view of home front life in a World War II factory town.

Sound, B&W, 8:55

DVD Menu Sampler: