An underappreciated sequel of sorts to the film “The Negro Soldier”, “Teamwork” is a US War Department black-and-white training film directed at African Americans on the subject of team work. The film’s production history is chronicled in the book “Making Movies Black” by Thomas Cripps, “Teamwork” was almost not made, as the Army by 1944 viewed such films as superfluous. Fortunately for filmmaker Carlton Moss, General Lyman Munson, Anatol Litvak and Frank Capra saw things differently. The result is a film that as Cripps states, “set a black agenda in that it literally promised African Americans an enhanced status in the postwar world in return for their service during the war.”
Produced by the US Army Signal Corps during World War II, the unclassified picture shows images of a Nazi arsenal at mark 00:43 as the narrator explains how it once held the most powerful weapons the Germans had. “This building held an arsenal of words,” he says. The film then shows the Nazi propaganda machine at work as recordings are made and newspapers are printed to promote the Nazi message. Through re-enactments we watch German officers promote the message of “divide and conquer” (mark 01:19) as he describes the United States as a “mongrel nation” that pits people of different religious beliefs and ethnicities against each other. “And if this mongrel American army dare to attack the sacred shores of the fortress Europe you will see chaos in their ranks,” says the faux officer. What follows is a montage of scenes as US ships hurl bombs inland and landing crafts open to release countless soldiers, no matter of their background or beliefs. “The all hit the same beach under enemy fire,” says the narrator. They did it by using teamwork. And when the Germans cut off supply lines, Americans used teamwork to get supplies and ammunition to the troops (mark 04:55). Engineers of different colors are shown stringing communication lines, preparing airfields, and creating roads where none had existed so troops could get to the next battle. “They were busy hating Germans, not each other.” Thanks to teamwork, soldiers roll through Normandy in 1944 at mark 08:46 and closed in on Paris courtesy of the Red Ball Express (mark 09:15), a famed truck convoy system that supplied Allied forces moving quickly through Europe after breaking out from the D-Day beaches. Major General E.S. Hughes (General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “right-hand man” during the entire European campaign) addresses troops at mark 10:06 to extend Ike’s gratitude as we see more scenes of men working together, this time as part of a bombing mission. Working together, Americans were able to “fashion a tomb for the idea of a master race” as Germans officers are shown signing surrender papers at mark 14:54. The narrator says at the end that Americans know prejudice exists, but that during war they put aside those differences and worked together as we see scenes of men and women of different colors marching in unison and receiving commendations — including Sgt. Joe Louis (mark 15:30), former heavyweight champion.
Carlton Moss (February 14, 1909 in Newark, New Jersey – August 10, 1997) was an African-American screenwriter, actor and film director. Moss directed the documentary Frederick Douglass: The House on Cedar Hill.
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