Service On Celluloid

Rick came to Casablanca for the waters. He was misinformed. This week, the "Service on Celluloid" podcast panel informs your appreciation for "Casablanca" by exploring the WWII history behind the 1942 Warner Bros. classic.  

Following our discussion of "Run Silent, Run Deep," hear from Billy Leibold and Jim Allen (pictured) who served in the silent service.

"You have to like submarine pictures to like 'Run Silent, Run Deep,' " wrote "New York Times" film critic Bosley Crowther when the film was released in 1958. Will the "Service on Celluloid" panelists agree?

Following our panel's discussion of "Sands of Iwo Jima," hear from veterans Dave Severance and James Goodrich (pictured) as they discuss the fighting and famous flag raising on Iwo Jima.

John "The Duke" Wayne landed an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of flawed Marine Sergeant John Stryker in 1949's "Sands of Iwo Jima," but how much does this propagandistic film get right about one of the most iconic battles of World War II? The "Service on Celluloid" panel knows.

This week's "Service on Celluloid" minisode follows on our discussion about 1970's "Patton" with oral history visits with two servicemembers—Fred Hirsekorn and Captain Abraham Baum (pictured)—who had memorable encounters with the film's legendary title character.

The 1970 blockbuster "Patton" was honored with multiple Academy Awards, including a Best Actor trophy for George C. Scott (who didn't attend the ceremony to accept), but how true is the film biography to the historical record and to its subject, General George S. Patton? This week, our "Service on Celluloid" panel dives into the film for a lively conversation about its historical hits and misses a...

Following our episode about "Empire of the Sun," listen to oral histories from Howard Hart (a civilian internee) and Phillip Schweitzer (who helped liberate Los Baños internment camp).

This week we review "Empire of the Sun," a shenanigans-heavy coming-of-age story with artful cinematography and a swelling John Williams score—all the markings of a 1980s Steven Spielberg film—but how accurate is it?

Though World War II takes only a few minutes of screen time in "It's a Wonderful Life," the film has many links to the war and wartime America.  Listen to learn why the holiday classic is the topic of conversation on a podcast dedicated to screen depictions of World War II.

Following our discussion of "A League of Their Own," we will hear from Virginia Hamilton (pictured) describing her WWII reporting about women taking over jobs previously held only be men, then WWII veteran and big-league pitcher Lou Brissie.

This week the panel tackles "A League of Their Own," the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Founded by chewing-gum magnate Philip K. Wrigley in 1942, the league was born at a time when male ballplayers were being drafted to serve in World War II. (Photo courtesy of The History Museum South Bend)

Following our conversation about 1943's "Bataan," we hear from Lester Tenney (pictured), Robert Rosendahl, and Glenn Frazier, who experienced the harrowing Bataan Death March.

This week, "Service on Celluloid" examines the 1943 film "Bataan," which focuses on the American and Filipino defensive retreat on the Bataan Peninsula in early 1942. The panel will address what this film does well and what is curiously missing.

Following our discussion of "Battleground," we will discuss the lingo showcased in the film and hear from veterans John Pogue, Edward Heffron, and Donald Malarkey (pictured).

This week our panelists discuss the misery, hope, and humor seen in 1949's "Battleground," a tale of the 327th GIR of the famous 101st Airborne Division while it is encircled at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

Following our conversation about "Anthropoid," we take a deeper look this week at the lives and actions of Reinhard Heydrich (pictured), a main architect of the Final Solution, and Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, the exile Czechoslovak soldiers who assassinated him.

This week our panelists look at the 2016 film Anthropoid and its depiction of the true story of Operation Anthropoid, code name for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, a main architect of the Final Solution. See what our team thinks of this Jamie Dornan/Cillian Murphy vehicle's depiction of WWII-era resistance, betrayal, and heroism.

Following our discussion of "Tora! Tora! Tora!" we venture into territory rarely visited here at "Service On Celluloid"—history's what-ifs. In this minisode, we discuss potential signs that an attack was imminent and the response options that were available. Hear from veterans Don Stratton, Kermit Tyler (pictured) and Sterling Cale, who were all at Pearl Harbor that fateful day.

Roger Ebert opened his review of 1970s's Tora! Tora! Tora! by calling it "one of the deadest, dullest blockbusters ever made." Tune in to see how our team of historians and local film critic Mike Scott (NOLA.com| The Times-Picayune ) view this classic depiction of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Following our discussion of "The Great Escape," hear from veteran Malcolm Higgins (pictured) as he describes how his family learned that he was a POW in Stalag Luft III.  Additionally, listen to Colonel Robert Ingraham, who helped dig the tunnels later made famous by the film, reveal how he became part of the breakout team.

This week we look at the often-imitated Steve McQueen hit "The Great Escape." It's certainly drenched in cool, but how accurate is it? Our panelists discuss what life was really like in Stalag Luft III.

Following our discussion of the 2014 Brad Pitt vehicle "Fury," tanker John Rogers (pictured) describes attacking Tiger tanks in Normandy. As a bonus, listen to veteran Robert Christie's poem "The Hunter," which describes the existential guilt of fighting a defeated but dangerous enemy during the closing days of war.

For this week's episode, our panel takes on the Brad Pitt vehicle "Fury." We will be discussing director David Ayer's graphic depiction of the 2nd Armored Division during the closing days of World War II in Europe.

Following our conversation about "Midway," hear veterans Don Hoff (pictured) and Dusty Kleiss retell what it was like to fly in the Battle of Midway.