Memorial Day Top 5: Great WWII Films You Might Have Missed

These may not be the best known or most famous of WWII films, but they deserve to be. Keep an eye out. You’ll be glad you did.

1. Command Decision (1948) – Made just after WWII, this Air Force drama set in 1943 when the outcome of the war was still in doubt, is one of the most intelligent examinations of the burden of command ever put on film. Clark Gable is absolutely outstanding as Casey, a Brigadier General forced to give orders that on their face appear cold and even monstrous, but in truth are just the opposite. Caught between the Washington brass who have a war to sell and the men under him who see only a General ordering their comrades to certain death, Casey is a leader willing to be hated and even lose his command in order to do the greater good. What Casey cares about before anything is saving American lives. That means winning the war as quickly as possible, something which can only be accomplished if unspeakable sacrifices are made in the here and now.   (more…)

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Tags: Alan Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Command Decision
Posted May 25th 2009 at 2:28 pm in Top 5 | 14305078 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/05/25/memorial-day-top-5-great-wwii-films-you-might-have-missed/Memorial+Day+Top+5%3A+Great+WWII+Films+You+Might+Have+Missed2009-05-25+21%3A28%3A05John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Monday, February 16th

9am PST - Boomerang (1947) – A prosecutor fights to prove the defendant in a scandalous murder case is innocent. Cast: Dana Andrews, Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Cara Williams Dir: Elia Kazan BW-88 mins, TV-PG

Here’s a treat for you. Elia Kazan directs this tough, little tightly-paced (88 mins!) hickory knot of a docu-drama starring The Mighty Dana Andrews and just as Mighty Arthur Kennedy. No time is wasted in getting to it. The story opens in broad daylight on a busy street and before you can say, “What a lovely little town,” a Priest has his brains blown out and the manhunt is on. Kennedy, at his sneering, contemptuous best, confesses and is prosecuted by State’s Attorney Henry Harvey (Andrews), but something’s amiss and soon, all instincts for what’s good for him to the contrary, Harvey finds himself in the awkward position of having to prove the man’s innocence. (more…)

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Tags: Arthur Kennedy, Dana Andrews, Elia Kazan, Fox Movie Channel, Turner Classic Movies
Posted Feb 15th 2009 at 11:35 am in Today's Pick | 515905 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/15/tcm-pick-o-the-day-monday-february-16th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Monday%2C+February+16th2009-02-15+19%3A35%3A27John+Nolte

TCM Pick of the Day: Friday, February 13th

7am PST - Elmer Gantry (1960) – A young drifter finds success as a traveling preacher until his past catches up with him. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger Dir: Richard Brooks C-147 mins, TV-PG

Smart, sophisticated and complex look at religion and those who spread it. Honest, but never cynical, critical, but never unfair, “Elmer Gantry” is as satisfying a look at faith, the faithful and their shortcomings as has ever been depicted on the big screen. (more…)

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Tags: Arthur Kennedy, burt lancaster, Elmer Gantry, Jean Simmons, Richard Brooks
Posted Feb 12th 2009 at 12:37 pm in Today's Pick, Video | 4920640 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/12/tcm-pick-of-the-day-friday-february-13th/TCM+Pick+of+the+Day%3A+Friday%2C+February+13th2009-02-12+20%3A37%3A58John+Nolte