Land and Live in the Desert

The First Motion Picture Unit of the US Army Air Force cranked out hundreds of instructional films in the 3-plus years of WW II. These movies were produced by Hollywood professionals who had joined up for the duration, and their average quality is quite high. This one, dated 1944, is a lot more than just didactic, however. It's pretty realistic, and even dramatic in a disciplined sort of way. Along with other such films depicting survival conditions in the arctic and the jungle, "Land & Live in the Desert" must have been meaningful to the thousands of flyers whose very lives might end up depending on what they learned here. Look out for some familiar Warner Brothers talent from the era: John Beal, Craig Stevens, Wally Cassell, Wm T. Orr. IMDB "Cast" says that Van Heflin is the narrator here. That's not true though (he does narrate the "Land and Live in the Jungle" short). The narrator's voice sounds a little like Wendell Corey. Effective little film score, too. Very watchable.