Main Street on the March!

Roused from somnambulistic lethargy to defend herself against unspeakable evil, a mighty nation would make foreign tyrants fear the sound of MAIN STREET ON THE MARCH!

Here is a tremendous example of the power of film when expertly crafted. It is also an invaluable video document of the situation in America at one of the supremely pivotal moments of her history. Blending documentary footage with Studio shots, the film quickly paints a snapshot portrait of the country and its moods in the months leading up to active participation in World War Two.

Conceived by MGM as a stern warning against American neutrality in response to the threats of Axis aggression, the film was virtually ready for release when the Japanese Empire made its sneak attack against Hawaii on December 7, 1941. Producer John Nesbitt hastily rewrote & recorded the new narration, without altering the existing music or sound effects. The emotionally stirring result was considered so forceful that MAIN STREET ON THE MARCH! was awarded the Academy Award for best two-reel short subject of 1941.

A sequel, MAIN STREET TODAY, was produced in 1944.

After Pearl Harbor, Hollywood went to war totally against the Axis. Not only did many of the stars join up or do home front service, but the output of the Studios was largely turned to the war effort. The newsreels, of course, brought the latest war news into the neighborhood theater every week. The features showcased battle stories or war related themes. Even the short subjects & cartoons were used as a quick means of spreading Allied propaganda, the boosting of morale or information dissemination. Together, Uncle Sam, the American People & Hollywood proved to be an unbeatable combination.

Main Street on the March! (1941)

** (out of 4)

John Nesbitt narrates this Oscar-winning (Best Short) film about all the "Main Street" locations across America and how they united on the morning of December 7, 1941. The short starts off in 1940 as Americans are learning about the war and how various other countries are falling to Germany. We learn about the attitudes of people and what was being asked of them to help the country. I've seen many of these WWII shorts the past several years and I was a little surprised to learn that this one here won an Oscar. Yes, I'm sure this was quite shocking when originally viewed a few weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack but today the film seems rather rushed. I never really got caught up in any of the actual story as I felt other films did a better job at talking about these events. While watching this short I also kept wondering where exactly it was trying to go as the story goes back and forth a little too much for such a short running time.

This purports to show Main Street America before the war in Europe. As the war develops, the people start to get concerned. Everyone is gathering around the radio. Industries prepare for war and then the unthinking happens.

This is wartime propaganda done in a basic way. There is staged performances with real footage. It's Rockwellian in its depiction of America. It did win an Oscar. There's that.

"Main Street on the March!" is a propaganda documentary that received the Oscar for Best Short Subject, Two-reel. And, I expected it was purely because the Oscar folks were trying to support the war effort as opposed to actually awarding a well made film. But fortunately, I was wrong....the short is surprisingly well made and VERY effective....and lacks the jingoism I expected.

The story is set from the beginning of WWII in September, 1939 and ends shortly after the US enters the war on December7, 1941. It summarizes this period well...showing how the US went from an isolationist nation to one finally prepared for an inevitable war.

The story is told mostly by a narrator though a couple folks (such as George Marshall) give brief speeches during the picture. It all adds up to a very well constructed argument for war but also for everyone doing their part in the war effort. Exceptionally well made and worthy of an Oscar.

Here's one of John Nesbitt's THE PASSING PARADE shorts for MGM in which he imagines the reaction to the end of the 'Phony War' phase of World War Two in the spring of 1940. This was the period from September of 1939 through the end of the winter, when war had been declared in Europe.... and there was no fighting. Then Germany attacked Holland and Belgium to outflank France in Blitzkrieg, and the war turned very real.

In many ways, this is the American response to. Humphrey Jennings' LONDON CAN TAKE IT!, but while Jennings' film was a statement that if the world can supply the arms, the British would stand firm, this was a statement that we were preparing; we might still be nominally at peace, but we were preparing for war before it came. Lend Lease and eventually American soldiers would be on the way t help London take it.