Mr. Blabbermouth!

An MGM Short Subject.

Who's that boorish fellow, with his constant negative talk about our Allies and the War effort? Why, it's MR. BLABBERMOUTH!

This little film uses a humorous approach to illustrate a problem nagging the country. It is not, as the title might suggest, a `Loose Lips Sink Ships' lecture, but rather how to deal with those Americans who constantly brought down the morale of others by their pessimistic attitudes about our fight against the Axis. It is just as pertinent now as it was then.

After Pearl Harbor, Hollywood went to war totally against the Axis. Not only did many of the stars join up or do home front service, but the output of the Studios was largely turned to the war effort. The newsreels, of course, brought the latest war news into the neighborhood theater every week. The features showcased battle stories or war related themes. Even the short subjects & cartoons were used as a quick means of spreading Allied propaganda, the boosting of morale or information dissemination. Together, Uncle Sam, the American People & Hollywood proved to be an unbeatable combination.

This short subject is typical of the wartime propaganda films warning us against believing all the false rumors spread by the Mr. Blabbermouths in society who want to impress others with their know-it-all attitudes in spreading misinformation.

Since we all know people like Mr. Blabbermouth, it's easy to accept the idea that common sense must prevail against this sort of thing if we're to be good citizens. World War II was rife with sayings like: "Loose lips sink ships." Taking a stance against the Mr. Blabbermouths of the world was commonly accepted as the right thing to do.

Based on an editorial that appeared in The Los Angeles Daily News, it begins with a blackout during an air raid alarm and shows how the gossipers talked about it the next day, with some of them spreading false rumors implying that the Japanese were better equipped for war since they'd been training for it for years. We then see some amusing sequences of Mr. Blabbermouth spreading his own lies and finally getting his comeuppance from the neighborhood barber who knows how to shut him up.

Along the way, the narrator points out how much better equipped the United States was than Japan in terms of military preparations to fight back against the attack with a wealth of aluminum and steel.

Amusing and timely, it's done with a sense of humor but teaches a good lesson.

This wartime short subject from MGM early in America's participation in World War II instructs us not to listen to the doubters and naysayers among us. The film grew out of an editorial by Manchester Boddy from the Los Angeles Times who was also the person responsible for the idea that was later filmed by MGM in Malaya.

Mr. Blabbermouth is constantly saying that we peace loving folks can't defeat a martial people with a ruthless war spirit instilled by a dictator who wants to conquer. We also are lacking in the many resources needed to win the war.

The film is a lesson in geopolitics if nothing else and makes certain assumptions that the forces that are allied with America to defeat the Axis will always be with us and the natural resources they bring to the table. When narrator John Nesbitt starts talking about these, think of today's world situation.

Which makes the film incredibly dated, but still an interesting piece of history.

This features quite an effective use of archive to bolster US public awareness of the risk of idle talk. Using a variety of social scenarios, we put some "I've heard" or "I've read" sentences in the mouths of those in the shops, the hairdressers and the bars and then attempt to counter these speculative gossips with some facts and then some out and out propaganda about the superiority of the American soldier, kit and technology against not just the Japanese, but the Nazis too. On that last front, it does recognise that the USA is not the only nation fighting here, but as this is essentially designed to boost domestic morale and encourage people to keep their traps shut, it's largely a celebration of the might of a military and the strength of a democracy that will prevail, no matter what. There is some original photography here, but if you've followed the approach newsreel cinema took to World War II in any depth, then you will have seen most of that before. The commentary is far too earnest, and the more I watched this I wanted someone sarcastic and caustic - like Pete Smith - to make the point a little more engagingly and less like it was a school lecture, but in 1942 it probably served it's purpose.

This is an amazingly well made propaganda film--one that is backed up with facts and isn't about stirring up the people. In fact, unlike most propaganda, its aim is to CALM the public--to get them to understand the facts and NOT give way to crazy rumors. In essence, this short film demonstrates that propaganda CAN be good, as propaganda consists of an argument meant to sway opinion--and isn't always bad. In particular, the industrial output of the Allied nations is compared to the Axis--showing that victory is all but inevitable (which turned out to be true).

"Mr. Blabbermouth" is also effective because in addition to using a lot of facts, it also employs a nice sense of humor when addressing the nay-sayers and people who spread wild rumors. You can't help but laugh AND be a bit inspired and relieved when you see the film.

All in all, at the time this came out, there couldn't have been a much better tonic for frightened Americans. Folks WERE falling prey to insane rumors and they needed to relax and understand that the war was winnable--just not immediately. And, to understand the need to keep your head and confront rumor-mongers for the good of the nation. A wonderful little piece of history that seemed very well reasoned and constructed throughout. Well worth seeing.