America’s war (1942–45) deeply influenced popular culture, largely controlled by the (OWI), formed June 1942, to produce popular propaganda.
1. Movies
• The (BMP) & Hollywood’s (WAC), both 1941, worked together to censor & create pro-war films. BMP head Robert Riskin wanted films to show an America worth fighting for.
• Newsreels (e.g. Pearl Harbor censored for 1 year) opened screenings = propaganda opportunities.
• War posters encouraged bond buying, scrap drives, & rationing.
• ’s art idealized America worth fighting for.
• ‘Rosie the Riveter’ glorified women’s war work.
• ‘’ included siren suits & washable dresses to save materials.
5. Dance & Music
• Jazz, Swing, & Boogie Woogie dominated. Popular acts: Glenn Miller’s Army Air Force Band, Andrews Sisters’ Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.
• Crooners (Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Bing Crosby) boosted morale (White Christmas celebrated what America fought for).
• (USO) staged 250k shows at home & abroad.
6. Stopped, Abandoned, or Curtailed
• Many local fairs, parades, & carnivals cancelled or scaled back.
• Baseball continued; Roosevelt requested it to boost morale. An ‘All-American ’ started 1943 to fill gaps.
• American Football reduced; free substitution rule accounted for less-fit players.
America’s war (1942–45) deeply influenced popular culture, largely controlled by the OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION (OWI), formed June 1942, to produce popular propaganda.
1. Movies
• The BUREAU OF MOTION PICTURES (BMP) & Hollywood’s WAR ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE (WAC), both 1941, worked together to censor & create pro-war films. BMP head Robert Riskin wanted films to show an America worth fighting for.
• Newsreels (e.g. Pearl Harbor censored for 1 year) opened screenings = propaganda opportunities.
• Explicit propaganda: Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series.
• Documentaries: John Ford’s The Battle of Midway (1942), William Wyler’s Memphis Belle (1944).
• Comedy: The Three Stooges mocked Nazis (You Nazty Spy! 1940).
• Warner Bros’ PRIVATE SNAFU cartoons taught service personnel safety & security.
• Walt Disney: Out of the Frying Pan promoted saving bacon grease.
• Tom and Jerry cartoons debuted (1942).
• HOLLYWOOD VICTORY COMMITTEE organized 7,700 events with 4,147 stars for war bonds, recruitment, scrap drives, & troop morale.
2. Radio
• Radio aired full-day broadcasts of major events.
• Dramatized military life: It’s Maritime, Wings to Victory, The Man Behind the Gun.
• Soldiers of the Press shared frontline reporters’ stories.
• The Dick Tracy Show urged listeners to conserve resources.
• Comedies (Fibber McGee & Molly) included OWI messages on gas saving, rationing, etc.
• ARMED FORCES RADIO SERVICE (AFRS) entertained troops with music & requests.
• Some servicemen tuned into Axis Sally & Tokyo Rose – enemy broadcasts aimed to lower morale.
3. Literature
• The WRITER’S WAR BOARD (WWB), funded by OWI, produced anti-fascist propaganda: 52 articles, 12 stories, a novel & the song I Wanna Marry a Bombardier.
• Authors like John Steinbeck set stories in wartime Europe.
• Bill Mauldin’s Willie & Joe cartoons for Stars & Stripes depicted soldier life; Eisenhower defended him.
• COUNCIL ON BOOKS IN WARTIME sold 122m Armed Services reprints at 6¢ each.
• Comic books, though not OWI-controlled, aligned with wartime values:
