ABSTRACT
As noted in Chapter 7, Hollywood and Washington had worked together since 1939 in several ways, including both informal discussion of feature film production and cooperation in the production of training films for the armed services. After Pearl Harbor, this collaboration became even closer with the establishment of the Hollywood War Activities Committee, which assisted in the marketing of government productions through the theater chains. Moreover, the movie industry increased its service to Washington by expanding its assistance in the production of training and information films designed for both military uses and public distribution. The smooth government-business relationship soon became more tense as the armed forces launched their own production programs designed to meet national defense needs. Yet even these government production programs relied heavily on Hollywood expertise, thus demonstrating the dramatic impact of total war on American social and economic institutions. This chapter explores the opportunities and perils inherent in the wartime marriage of public and private energies through analysis of the United States Army’s brilliant orientation film Prelude to War (1943) and an equally significant effort at social engineering, The Negro Soldier (1944). Together, these films reveal the power of the motion picture as an instrument of propaganda in time of war.
