| 1941 |
1941 Churchill's Island Documentary N/R, 22 Minutes
Director: Stuart Legg More Info
Starring: Lorne Greene This Academy Award-winning short documentary, using newsreel footage, tells the story of Great Britain's defense against Germany in the early days of World War II. |
| 1942 |
1942 The Battle of Midway Documentary N/R, 17 Minutes
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| 1943 |
1943 December 7th Documentary N/R, 34 Minutes
Director: John Ford More Info
Starring: George O'Brien, James Kevin McGuinness, Walter Huston, Harry Davenport, Dana Andrews, Paul Hurst At the beginning of World War II, John Ford was among a number of Hollywood directors asked to make a short film supporting the U.S. war effort. The result, a re-creation of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, is a revealing cultural history of the lifestyles and thinking of those living on Hawaii at the time of the Japanese attack. The film received an Academy Award for Best Short Documentary. The restored version ("December 7th: The Pearl Harbor Story") is feature-length, restoring footage not allowed to be shown during the war |
1943 Desert Victory Documentary N/R, 62 Minutes
Director: Roy Boulting More Info
Starring: J.L. Hodson This 1943 Academy Award-winning documentary makes generous use of captured Nazi film footage as it follows World War II on the African front. It details Gen. Montgomery and his British 8th Army's success in routing the "Desert Fox" (Gen. Rommel) and the Germans from Northern Africa. |
| 1944 |
1944 The Fighting Lady Documentary N/R, 62 Minutes
Director: William Wyler More Info
Starring: Robert Taylor Director William Wyler was an Army Lieutenant Colonel during World War II and made several documentaries to lift the spirits of those at home. This film won an Academy Award and follows the adventures of the crew of an aircraft carrier. The excellent camera footage, much of it in color, was subsequently used in post-war movies. |
| 1945 |
1945 Appointment in Tokyo Documentary N/R, 56 Minutes
Director: Jack Hively More Info
Produced by the Army Signal Corps, which used Japanese and American film footage, this documentary relates events during four years of World War II's Pacific Theater. The story begins with the retreat from the Philippines and continues through the Japanese surrender. |
1945 San Pietro Documentary N/R, 43 Minutes
Director: John Huston More Info
Starring: John Huston This powerful documentary is regarded by many as the greatest wartime documentary ever made. Directed by Major John Huston, it was filmed by six Signal Corps cameramen during the capture of San Pietro. |
1945 The True Glory Documentary N/R, 85 Minutes
Director: Garson Kanin More Info
Starring: Robert Harris The allied invasion of Europe during World War II, especially the team effort between the U.S. and British forces, is covered in this Academy Award-winning documentary. It covers the European campaign from D-Day through the fall of Berlin. |
| 1946 |
1946 Seeds of Destiny Documentary N/R, 20 Minutes
Director: Gene Fowler Jr. More Info
This short documentary won an Academy Award for Best Documentary and centers on the United Nations trying to raise funds for relief of children who were displaced in World War II. The film did its job, raising many millions of dollars. |
| 1947 |
1947 Design for Death Documentary N/R, 48 Minutes
Director: Richard Fleischer More Info
Starring: Theodore S. Geisel, Kent Smith, Hans Conried Theodore S. Geisel (Dr. Suess) and wife Helen wrote this Academy Award-winning documentary that advances the theory that war can be avoided by understanding power-hungry nations and groups and keeping them in check. They used film footage and documentation of Japan in the analysis. |
1947 Road to Hollywood Documentary / Comedy / Musical N/R, 56 Minutes
Director: Bud Pollard More Info
Starring: Bud Pollard, Bing Crosby This film connects clips from Bing Crosby comedy/musical films during Bing's early days working with Mack Sennett. Commentary by Director Pollard tells of Crosby's rise in the entertainment world. |
| 1948 |
1948 The Secret Land Documentary N/R, 71 Minutes
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| 1949 |
1949 Daybreak in Udi Documentary N/R, 48 Minutes
Director: Terry Bishop More Info
Natives of a Nigerian village set out to improve their lot in life. This dramatized documentary won an Oscar for Best Documentary. |
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