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Near the end of the movie, Errol Flynn (Lt. Terrance Forbes) cautions his two fellow crew members that they should wait before they try to recapture the stolen RAF (Royal Air Force) plane. Ronald Reagan (Johnny Hammond) says to his two buddies (who want to wait until the odds are more favorable): "Why wait? There's only twelve of them?" This Reagan comment pretty much captures the ideas of the young men from Australia (Flynn) the US (Reagan) but is somewhat in contrast to the former bookkeeper-accountant from Canada (Kennedy). Yet, mainly these young fighting men see themselves as invincible and uncapturable. This is the attitude that the Armed Services of the England, Canada and the US were each trying to instill in the minds and hearts of their soldiers, as these nations were reeling from defeats at the hands of the axis nations (Germany, Japan and Italy).

The plane, that this crew is a part of, is shot down on its mission to disrupt German production by bombing a certain railroad switching yard, deep in German territory. The crew of the bomber, loses three men in the raid and the crash landing. And just after the captain of the plane dies, the crew is captured and taken to be interrogated by Major Otto Baumeister (Raymong Massey). However, they escape from their captures led by Raymond Massey's character. The major is humiliated. This movie centers on their attempt to escape back to England from deep inside the German held Europe. Raymond Massey is seen pursuing them all the way.

By the time of the movie, France had fallen (as had the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Poland and almost all of Western Europe). The British had been driven into the sea at Dunkirk. With all of Western Europe held by the Germans, the escape across the Western European continent would not be easy. There is loss of life, a sympathetic doctor with a pretty daughter, several escapes from custody or capture, allied sabotage of German installations, a car chase and finally they arrive at the site of the stolen RAF aircraft. The idea that the Germans might bomb the London water supply with this plane and leave millions without water and helpless, prompts the selfless, patriotic fervor that leads young Johnny Hammond (Ronald Reagan's character) to say to his two companions, "Why wait? There's only 12 of them!" Will our heroes escape back to England? Or is this just too much to ask of any men in occupied Western Europe? Do they die a heroes death or live to fight one more day? Watch this patriotic, drama with its lighter moments and you will see. Either way you will be encouraged as were the audiences that viewed this movie in 1942, the armed forces as well as movie audiences in thousands of small towns in Canada, England and the USA.

This romantic and exciting movie may have been made as early as 1942, the year after Pearl Harbor. The outcome of the war was no where near certain. The Germans were in complete control of Europe and parts of Africa. The Germans were bombing London daily. The Japanese controlled all of Southeast Asia, from Korea and Manchuria in the north to the Philippines in the south Pacific. The third member of the Axis, Italy had the largest air force in the world at the outbreak of world war 2. Our Pacific fleet was reeling from the losses at Pearl Harbor and from our losses at the victory at Midway. The French fleet was about to surrender.

It is essentially the story of five women in the United States. Ginger Rogers as Jo Jones, Ruth Hussey as Barbara Thomas, Patricia Collinge as Helen Stacey, Kim Hunter as Doris Dumbrowski, the young very recently(war time romance)married young lady and Mady Christians as Manya Lodge. Four of them work together in a defense plant and the fifth (Manya) is a German-American who cannot be hired (there was a great deal of prejudice and wariness of both Germans and Japanese). The story has an emphasis on the Chris Jones family (Ginger Rogers and her husband High School sweetheart Robert Ryan). They are a non religious, Midwestern family, who act very normal for the 1940s. Ginger Rogers (who neither smoked, nor drank) is shown lighting up a cigarette and joyfully partaking in an alcoholic beverage. This was the way of the Hollywood world of the 1940s.

All five ladies are married and have husbands serving in the armed forces. One of the ladies has a bad marriage and is hurting and seeking affirmation in the world. She thinks nothing of an extra pound of bacon or a little cheating on your rations or a date with an older man. (Yes, they rationed certain foods and fuels in WW2). Ginger Rogers and Manya, the German American whose husband is also in the US Army are very upset at the slightest cheating on the rationing system, as they reason that if 20 million women are cheating, only a pound of this or that a day, then the Army will be shorted their full supplies.

Jo Jones(Ginger Rogers) who was visited by her husband just before he left for overseas, has a baby. The woman who is upset at her naval husband and about to go out on the town with an older man (late 40s) hears the news that her husband's ship has been sunk in the battle for Midway. Watch this movie, as this true representation of what was happening on the home front of World War Two is played out. Does the woman whose husband is on the lost ship, do the right thing? How does the young woman whose husband left after their marriage, but before they could have any type of a honeymoon, fare compared to those ladies who were married for sometime? How does the baby turn out? Do all the husbands survive or are some lost to make this world a better and safer place for their wives and families? This is an historically accurate movie. The parts are well played, the story (stories) ring true. You will enjoy this movie, but I must warn even the most macho men, that you may find your eyes misting over on a couple of occasions, including at the very heart touching ending.

Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet are three names that echo down the streets of Hollywood's golden era. When they are in a movie they will make it enjoyable because they are very good at their craft of acting. Although, this time the leading character is not a private detective and Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet are NOT vying for a bird made of gold, it has the same intrigue and the same actors as the famous murder mystery, The Maltese Falcon.

This 1942 movie is set in the month of November and December 1941, the month leading up to the devastating attack on the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor. It centers around a plot by the Japanese to also bomb the Panama Canal. If Japan is successful, it would add at least 60 days to a trip from the east coast ship yards and training basis to the Pacific as ships would have to sail around South America. This would give Japan a huge military advantage.

In this movie Captain Richard Leland (Bogart) is court martialed for stealing from his army company's funds. He says he took the money, but says he only "borrowed" the money and had intended to replace it, if they had not found out first. This man finds himself on the Japanese ship the Genoa Maura sailing from Halifax, to New York to Panama then to the Orient. The movie takes place on the ship in the last week of November and a few days at the Panama Canal zone in early December. On the ship, Rick Leland is offered a chance to get back at the USA that he declares has mistreated him. Will he become a traitor? Will he get the girl? Is she really a part of the Japanese plot? (OH, as an aside, although at that time (early 40s) there was much use of the stage kiss, if you watch closely Mary Astor and Bogart exchange "real thing" kisses). Once again Sydney Greenstreet is the man you love to hate, a great villain. BUT never fear, at the end, this movie will allow you to walk out proud of the USA and her army personnel. And do you recall whether the Japanese were successful in bombing the Panama Canal? Watch this movie and find out!

This MGM (5th Column) spy movie is made by the A team at MGM. It opens with a Japanese sub sinking an American ship. Then you see that the Nazis (not Japanese) have taken over a D.C. hotel from which they transmit messages including the position of the just sunken supply ship. The obvious fear that is revealed is that the axis (Germany and Japan) nations are working together. I have read that "Code breaking" by both the Germans and Japanese was common and was a great problem for the USA in WW2. Next we go to a ballroom in a hotel, probably the Park hotel. Lt. Gordon (Lee Bowman) meets his romantic interest Elaine (Jean Rogers). Jean Rogers appearance, later in the movie, is very appealing. Her female rival Olivia (Mona Maris) reminds one of a fetching Kay Francis. Although it was patriotic, romantic, intriguing and had two murders, the writers were brilliant as the plot was also cute and light. In 1942, this was (most likely) welcomed after a year of doubt beginning with Pearl Harbor, the Bataan death march and the defeat at Corregidor. Nothing encouraging was happening in Europe and the US troops in Africa had been less than heroic. Here we find a hero in navy Lt. Gordon who breaks the Nazi code which allows them to intercept the Nazi transmission. They discover they have but three days to discover who has stolen a US code book, recover it and prevent another major WW2 disaster. Does Lt. Gordon discover the bad guy 5th Columnists? Does he recover the Code Book and thereby prevent the death of a convoy of troops, a part of the 300,000 reinforcements? The 300,000 who will be needed in the Pacific to bring victory over Japan. In 1942 the USA had been awakened out of its sleep by Japan at Pearl Harbor (Dec.7, 1941) and was now dressing for WAR, for total victory and would insist on an unconditional surrender. Yes, it has a light romantic comedy woven into an otherwise very heavy, sad and despairing movie. This movie was "just what the doctor ordered" at this time of desperation and preparation. You will come away from this movie encouraged with a smile on your face. (Smile)

This 1942 movie arouses your patriotic instincts. In this good vs. the apparent overwhelming evil, chalk one up for the good guys. The heroine, played by Joan Crawford, is convincing in her portrayal of a spoiled, pompous rich woman who becomes a patriot when her France is occupied by Nazi Germany. She is allowed to live in a one room, ground floor apartment of her mansion, taken over by the Nazi military. She is the fiancé of a supposed Nazi sympathizer, (who used to be a French patriot). She takes in an American flier (John Wayne) and houses him in her one room apartment. She joins the underground efforts to get the American flier back to his base in England. This movie is typical of cinemas of that era and is as believable as most and better than some others. The heroine reminds me of the Ingrid Bergman character in Casablanca. She also has to make hard choices. Will she stay and fight for her France? Will she go to England with the flier she has saved from capture? Will she be loyal to the man she loves, even though he appears to have radically changed from patriot to Nazi collaborator? The choices she makes are inspiring and patriotic. You, of course want her to stay and fight or do you want her to leave with her new found love, the American flier? The end is very satisfying. After the movie is over, you will want to join with others in saying. Viva la France!