Rosie the Riveter (1943) User Reviews (4)

A fascinating window into the 1940s.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 9 July 2011]

This film was included in the three DVD set "Saved From the Flames"--a collection of mostly ephemeral movies that have managed to avoid turning to powder, catching fire or melting--something that usually happened with the nitrate film stock used up through the 1950s.

Of all the films in this collection, this and two other similar films are among the most unique. In an early television-like system, jukeboxes were produced in the early 1940s that not only played music but had film to accompany them--making them among the earliest music videos. Now I assume not too many of these films were made and it's really great that some are now available for viewing on DVD.

"Rosie the Riveter" is a propaganda film singing the praises of 'Rosie the Riveter'--the embodiment of all women who went to work to further the war effort. It features the music of Cappy Barra Boys and singing of The Smoothies Trio. As for the Cappy Barra Boys, while you'd think they were giant rodents, they actually were an odd band of harmonica players. The Smoothies Trio consisted of two guys and a lady singing music that is somewhat reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters--but a little more square.

The song is peppy and I am sure it did a lot to solidify the folks at home in the war effort. It is a bit more dated than some films in this series but is still a fascinating window into the 1940s.

Working For The National Defense

[boblipton · 6/10 · 8 August 2022]

There's a long Wikipedia article which tries to untangle who the real Rosie the Riveter was, a choice between various Rosinas, Rosalinds or Rose Wills. In all probability it was just a name they pulled out of the hat, beginning with an R and decided it had a nice common touch. That's what the girl in this short who's supposed to be Rosie looks like, a fresh-faced,smiling girl who probably chews gum and ain't too careful with her grammar. She started out as a girl showing off her muscles in a poster that Westinghouse ran to inspire women to come work at the factory; then Norman Rockwell picked up the idea, put her on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, and there you have it.

There are an awful lot of harmonica players in this soundie. I guess all the real men, the ones who could play real instruments were at war.

Rosie the Riveter is another fascinating Soundie made during World War II

[tavm · 8/10 · 2 August 2009]

Just watched this Soundie which was directed by one John C. Graham on the DVD collection called "Saved from the Flames". It features the Cappy Barra Boys and the Smoothies Trio (credited as Babs, Charlie, and Little in the beginning titles) singing about while other women are enjoying their drinks, the title character-who we see in inserts when she's mentioned-is busy working day and night to support her man by working on the shipyards and purchasing war bonds. That's all that we see since this was one of those World War II "videos" meant to show support for our country's war efforts. Quite an entertaining capsule of what we played in jukeboxes put in bars, restaurants, and train stations. So on that note, Rosie the Riveter is well worth a look.

Early Music Video

[Michael_Elliott · 24 May 2015]

Rosie the Riveter (1943)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Coin operated jukeboxes during WWII were able to play video as well as the audio and this here is one example of that. The Cappy Barra Boys and The Smoothies Trio are on hand singing the title song, which is certainly upbeat to say the least. This here is the type of film that's mainly going to appeal to music or film buffs because, to be frank, the song itself really isn't going to appeal to many. I personally thought the song was decent but I can't say I'll be rushing to listen to it again. I think the most fascinating thing about this "music video" is how it clearly had an influence on the next decade's "rock and roll high school" films. The setting is pretty much a group of kids in a diner somewhere and the band begins to perform. This setting is something we'd see in countless future films so these early jukebox films must have been popular.