Main Street on the March!

This purports to show Main Street America before the war in Europe. As the war develops, the people start to get concerned. Everyone is gathering around the radio. Industries prepare for war and then the unthinking happens.

This is wartime propaganda done in a basic way. There is staged performances with real footage. It's Rockwellian in its depiction of America. It did win an Oscar. There's that.

Roused from somnambulistic lethargy to defend herself against unspeakable evil, a mighty nation would make foreign tyrants fear the sound of MAIN STREET ON THE MARCH!

Here is a tremendous example of the power of film when expertly crafted. It is also an invaluable video document of the situation in America at one of the supremely pivotal moments of her history. Blending documentary footage with Studio shots, the film quickly paints a snapshot portrait of the country and its moods in the months leading up to active participation in World War Two.

Conceived by MGM as a stern warning against American neutrality in response to the threats of Axis aggression, the film was virtually ready for release when the Japanese Empire made its sneak attack against Hawaii on December 7, 1941. Producer John Nesbitt hastily rewrote & recorded the new narration, without altering the existing music or sound effects. The emotionally stirring result was considered so forceful that MAIN STREET ON THE MARCH! was awarded the Academy Award for best two-reel short subject of 1941.

A sequel, MAIN STREET TODAY, was produced in 1944.

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.

Whilst your average American citizen enjoyed the fruits of their labours and liberties, they begin to read of the war in Europe. As the Nazi war machine makes light work of the defences of Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and even France the attention of the US government is drawn to apparent failings in it's own abilities to defend itself! President Roosevelt attempts to galvanise his military by increasing massively the spend on the navy and the air force whilst improving vastly on the training facilities for and recruitment of an army that might be one tenth the size it needs to be. Then, of course, that fateful day in December arrives and the United States is no longer an observer in a conflict that has now taken a more global element from their perspective. It's propagandist in nature, this film, but it doesn't simply bang the drum. Rather more it portends what might need to happen amongst the ordinary people across the country and warns that without sacrifice and endeavour, then all they hold dear could end up gone. There's plenty of archive, and some of that quite candidly illustrates the ruthlessness of the invaders as well as the unsuitability of a country that was using empty beer cans and old trucks to bring their forces to some semblance of fighting fitness and the message at the end is pretty robust.

Main Street on the March! (1941)

** (out of 4)

John Nesbitt narrates this Oscar-winning (Best Short) film about all the "Main Street" locations across America and how they united on the morning of December 7, 1941. The short starts off in 1940 as Americans are learning about the war and how various other countries are falling to Germany. We learn about the attitudes of people and what was being asked of them to help the country. I've seen many of these WWII shorts the past several years and I was a little surprised to learn that this one here won an Oscar. Yes, I'm sure this was quite shocking when originally viewed a few weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack but today the film seems rather rushed. I never really got caught up in any of the actual story as I felt other films did a better job at talking about these events. While watching this short I also kept wondering where exactly it was trying to go as the story goes back and forth a little too much for such a short running time.

"Main Street on the March!" is a propaganda documentary that received the Oscar for Best Short Subject, Two-reel. And, I expected it was purely because the Oscar folks were trying to support the war effort as opposed to actually awarding a well made film. But fortunately, I was wrong....the short is surprisingly well made and VERY effective....and lacks the jingoism I expected.

The story is set from the beginning of WWII in September, 1939 and ends shortly after the US enters the war on December7, 1941. It summarizes this period well...showing how the US went from an isolationist nation to one finally prepared for an inevitable war.

The story is told mostly by a narrator though a couple folks (such as George Marshall) give brief speeches during the picture. It all adds up to a very well constructed argument for war but also for everyone doing their part in the war effort. Exceptionally well made and worthy of an Oscar.