Cloak and Dagger (WWII - 1946)

Cloak and Dagger is a 1946 film directed by Fritz Lang, starring Gary Cooper. Like 13 Rue Madeleine, it is a tribute to Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operations in occupied Europe during World War II. The title is based on the 1946 non fiction book Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of O.S.S. by Corey Ford and Alastair MacBain. Former OSS agent E. Michael Burke acted as technical advisor.

As planned by Lang, the film had a different ending. Cooper lead a group of American paratroopers into Southern Germany to discover the remains of an underground factory, the bodies of dead concentration camp workers and evidence the factory was working on nuclear weapons. Cooper remarks that the factory may have been relocated to Spain or Argentina and launched a diatribe saying This is the Year One of the Atomic Age and God help us if we think we can keep this secret from the World!Producer Milton Sperling who had frequently quarreled with Lang on the set thought the final scene ridiculous as the audience knew the Germans had no nuclear capacity.



A 1950 NBC radio show of the same title based on Ford and MacBain's book lasted 26 episodes. Cloak and Dagger began with actor Raymond Edward Johnson asking "Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission for the United States knowing in advance you may never return alive?"

Directed by	Fritz Lang
Produced by	Milton Sperling
Written by	Corey Ford, Alastair MacBain (book) Boris Ingster, John Larkin (story) Ring Lardner Jr. Albert Maltz
Starring	Gary Cooper Lilli Palmer
Music by	Max Steiner
Cinematography	Sol Polito
Editing by	Christian Nyby
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures United States Pictures
Release date(s)	28 September 1946
Running time	106 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The lions has wings (1939-WWII-Propaganda-British)

The Lion Has Wings (1939) is a documentary-style British propaganda film. Made at the outbreak of the Second World War, it was made and released to cinemas very quickly and helped convince the government of the value of film in the propaganda battle as well as in spreading information

The Lion Has Wings is recounted in various "chapters" with a linking story revolving around a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer, played by Ralph Richardson, his wife and his family.

The film opens with a newsreel style documentary comparing life in Britain to life in Nazi Germany, narrated by E.V.H. Emmett in the contrived and maudlin narrative style common to such newsreels in Britain. This mainly uses existing newsreel footage with some additional footage shot especially for this film. It includes scenes from Fire Over England with Queen Elizabeth I giving her speech to the troops at Tilbury about repelling invaders. It also compares the relaxed lifestyles and openness of the British Royal Family and the British people with the militarism of Nazi Germany by including footage from Triumph of the Will (In German: Triumph des Willens).

The second chapter shows an early bombing raid on German warships in the Kiel Canal. Although it was mainly recreated in the studio and with special effects, it also includes some footage of the real bombers and their crews returning from the raid.^[1]

The third chapter shows an attack by Luftwaffe bombers and how it is repelled by the RAF, with assistance from the Observer Corps and the barrage balloons.

Cast:

Merle Oberon	Mrs. Richardson
Ralph Richardson	Wing Commander Richardson
June Duprez	June
Flora Robson	Queen Elizabeth I (edited from Fire Over England) (archival footage)
Robert Douglas	Briefing officer
Anthony Bushell	Pilot
Brian Worth	Bobby
Austin Trevor	Schulemburg
Ivan Brandt	Officer
G.H. Mulcaster	Controller
Herbert Lomas	Holveg
Milton Rosmer	Head of Observer Corps
Ronald Adam	Bomber Chief
Robert Rendel	Chief of Air Staff

Directed by	Michael Powell Brian Desmond Hurst Adrian Brunel Alexander Korda (uncredited)
Produced by	Alexander Korda Ian Dalrymple
Written by	Adrian Brunel Ian Dalrymple E.V.H. Emmett
Starring	Merle Oberon Ralph Richardson June Duprez
Music by	Richard Addinsell
Cinematography	Osmond Borradaile Bernard Browne Harry Stradling Sr.
Editing by	Henry Cornelius Charles Frend Hugh Stewart Derek N. Twist
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	3 November 1939 (UK)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

They Were Expendable

They Were Expendable is a war film released in 1945, directed by John Ford.
The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating the story of the exploits of John D. Bulkeley, a motor torpedo boat squadron commander and Medal of Honor recipient, and Robert Kelly, a skipper, during the World War II Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941–1942. The characters of John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) are fictionalized name changes of the actual subjects. While both book and film depict actions which did not occur, they were believed to be real during the war and the film is noted for its verisimilitude.

The film opens with a demonstration of the capabilities of PT boats in Manila Bay in December 1941. Lieutenant J.G. 'Rusty' Ryan (John Wayne) becomes disgusted when his superiors refuse to see the small boats as viable naval craft and is in the process of writing his request for a transfer when news arrives of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Ryan and Lt. John Brickley's (Robert Montgomery) demands for combat assignments for their squadron are frustrated for a time, but they are eventually allowed to show their capabilities. From there on, there are mostly 'action' scenes, with the exception of Ryan's romantic interludes with Army nurse Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed). With the mounting Japanese onslaught against the doomed American garrisons at Bataan and Corregidor, the squadron is sent to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur, his family, and a party of VIPs.

This done, they resume their attacks against the Japanese, who gradually whittle down the squadron. As boats are lost, their crews are sent to fight as infantry. Finally, the last boat is turned over to the Army for messenger duty. Brickley, Ryan and two ensigns are airlifted out on one of the last planes because the PT boats have proved their worth. The remaining men, led by Mulcahey, are left behind to continue the fight.

• Robert Montgomery as Lieutenant John Brickley
• John Wayne as Lieutenant (j.g.) 'Rusty' Ryan
• Donna Reed as 2nd Lieutenant Sandy Davyss
• Jack Holt as General Martin
• Ward Bond as BMC 'Boats' Mulcahey
• Marshall Thompson as Ensign 'Snake' Gardner
• Paul Langton as Ensign 'Andy' Andrews
• Leon Ames as Major James Morton
• Arthur Walsh as Seaman Jones
• Donald Curtis as Lieutenant (j.g.) 'Shorty' Long
• Cameron Mitchell as Ensign George Cross
• Jeff York as Ensign Tony Aiken
• Murray Alper as 'Slug' Mahan T.M. 1c
• Harry Tenbrook as 'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c
• Jack Pennick as 'Doc'

Directed by	John Ford
Produced by	John Ford
Written by	William L. White (book) Frank Wead (screenplay)
Starring	Robert Montgomery John Wayne Donna Reed Jack Holt Ward Bond Marshall Thompson
Music by	Herbert Stothart
Cinematography	Joseph H. August
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	December 20, 1945
Running time	135 min
Language	English

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(IMDb/wikipedia)