Swingtime in the Movies: The Musicals of the War Years

Who knew a World War could be so entertaining? As the 1940s got underway, the Swing Era in music was, shall we say, in full swing. Once America entered the war in retaliation for the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941 (keeping in mind that the war had already been raging in Europe for two full years by that point), the entertainment industry in Hollywood reacted in a number ways—not the least of which included frequent air raid drills for coastal cities, blackouts, war bond drives, and USO shows and tours featuring the biggest stars of the day. Another reaction came with the proliferation of a new sub-genre of films: patriotic musical comedies designed to help keep the nation upbeat as America made its way through the conflicts overseas. With big band swing at its peak and FDR’s fireside chats to keep the nation informed and determined to achieve victory, audiences in movie theatres across the country enjoyed films that served the hyper-patriotism of the day with both comic relief and the most popular swing music of the day. And the trend began with none other than the Abbott & Costello comedy Buck Privates. It may come as a surprise that fil