During WWII, Frank Capra created seven films in the “Why We Fight” series. This is the 7th film titled ‘War Comes to America’, released in 1945. It includes footage of notable figures such as Dean Acheson and General Begert. The War Department Pictorial Service for the Information and Education Division produced (:54). It begins with patriotic scenes meant to show the necessity of protecting American ideals and freedom. Youth chant the pledge of allegiance (1:10). Combat footage appears super imposed over the American flag (1:33). Machine guns blast in the Pacific islands (1:55). Paratroopers spill over France (2:11). Lady liberty and (3:31) Plymouth Rock are pictured (4:03). Reenactment footage shows troops in Valley Forge (5:53). Images of the Constitution (6:26) and the Liberty Bell follow (6:49). Covered wagons push through shallow grasses on the drive westward (7:21). Aerial shots spin over lady liberty (8:16); close shots cover the inscription on the base (8:28). Miners hack at stones in the sulfa mines of Louisiana (9:06). Oil fields of Texas follow (9:41). American agriculture and industrial scenes follow as the country grew (10:15); steam trains drive over new tracks, telephone wire goes up on wooden poles (10:19). A 1906 Cadillac drives on screen (10:33). A Wright brother’s era glider zooms over (10:35). Car parts roll down the assembly line in an automobile plant (10:50). Construction and industry scenes speed up signifying the rapid growth of American industry (11:01). The Grand Coulee dam appears under construction (11:03) and in completion (11:09) around 1942. The Wilson dam (11:12), Golden Gate Bridge (11:26) and Chrysler building follow (11:30). Peacetime fills America streets prior to the start of the war (12:02). The American worker is explored; (12:08) the farmer, the office (12:10) the cotton gin (12:16) and the printing press (12:22). American inventions appear in montage; the incandescent lamp (12:26), submarine (12:28) and Consolidated R2Y. A Ford factory lot (13:08) follows. Food regulations, sanitation codes and increased American medical (13:16) innovations are discussed. The Los Angeles County General Hospital (13:19) follows. The Frank Wiggins Trade School (13:47) is pictured. Statistics relay 20% of WW1 soldiers had been to high school or college (13:55); 60% in WW2. American recreation is explored including hunting, fishing (14:11) and football (14:19). Horses race the dirt track (14:27). Americans bowl (14:40) and back flip for the Olympics (14:50). Pedestrians ride trains through the country (15:14). Hot dog and beer advertisements lead to the American diet (15:31). The booming entertainment industry (16:23) features NBC radio. An RCA jukebox plays tunes (16:45). The stage of the Hollywood bowl unfolds (17:05). American press is discussed (17:24); stacks of the Tulsa Tribune and Des Moines Register (17:26) appear. Dick Tracy (17:36) and Flash Gordon (17:38) comics follow. Religion is looked to; St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York follows (17:41). Scenes from the prohibition era include moonshine in the bath tub (18:02). Prohibition era laws were repealed in 1933 (18:09). Anti-air craft guns blow for enemy air craft (19:52). WW1 troops spring from trenches (19:58). Naval vessels are destroyed for the Armistice Agreement (20:15). The Sule Pagoda is pictured in Myanmar (20:35). Headlines feature Henry Stimson’s concerns (21:17) over Japanese aggression. New York telegrams discuss the Great Depression (21:33). The unemployed wait in bread lines (21:38). Hitler rose to power in 1933 (21:38). He stands with German armies (22:33). Senator Hiram Johnson of California (23:13) speaks. Neutrality acts of 1930’ are mentioned (23:26). Theater audiences watch Globe News Reels on the Civil War in Spain (23:42). German and Italian air forces and armies (23:56) bomb the Gran Via in Madrid (24:00). Civilians are pulled from rubble (24:10). American public opinion was against joining the war (24:50). Telegrams arrive from Asia (25:23). Japanese war guns blast (25:34). Dead are collected (25:48). Hitler speaks in March of 1938 (26:30). In September of 1938 (26:40) the Munich Pact was signed. The US continued to sell scrap iron, steel and aviation gas (26:25). Hitler and supporters including Goebbels (26:46) discuss the capture of Czechoslovakia.

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