So Proudly We Hail! (1943)

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writer:

Allan Scott (written by)

Release Date:

18 February 1944 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

The first great Love Story of our women at the fighting front!

Plot:

A group of nurses returning from the war in the Phillippines recall their experiences in combat and in love.

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Bataan | Ship | Army Nurse | Corregidor

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars.

Cast

Claudette Colbert	...	Lt. Janet 'Davy' Davidson
Paulette Goddard	...	Lt. Joan O'Doul
Veronica Lake	...	Lt. Olivia D'Arcy
George Reeves	...	Lt. John Summers
Barbara Britton	...	Lt. Rosemary Larson
Walter Abel	...	Chaplain
Sonny Tufts	...	Kansas
Mary Servoss	...	Capt. 'Ma' McGregor
Ted Hecht	...	Dr. Jose Bardia
John Litel	...	Dr. Harrison
Dr. Hugh Ho Chang	...	Ling Chee
Mary Treen	...	Lt. Sadie Schwartz
Kitty Kelly	...	Lt. Ethel Armstrong
Helen Lynd	...	Lt. Elsie Bollenbacher
Lorna Gray	...	Lt. Tony Dacelli

Runtime:

126 min | Germany:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #9026) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In keeping with Army regulation, Veronica Lake (Lt. Olivia D'Arcy) changed her famous "peek-a-boo" hairstyle. She only let her hair down once, in her final scene. Later she cut it, with much publicity, because women who copied her and worked in factories kept getting their hair caught in the machinery.

Quotes:

Kansas: I never catch a cold.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in MovieReal: Hollywoodland (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Silent Night, Holy Night (1818)

Everyone's war, everyone's peace.

It is much too easy to fall into the post-World War Two media trap that the war was a man's war, and that women were just incidental to the effort. Thank goodness there are movies like this to remind Americans that the war was a total effort by almost everyone. In a real sense, women have not yet received full honor for their contribution to the war effort, whether they were ferrying planes, tending wounded, of carrying intelligence. In this film, one finds the horrors of war go beyond the battle lines into the minds of those who faced the reality of a world weary and frightened of war. This movie is also a reminder that most Americans during the war saw the fall of Bataan and the Phillippines as the major tragedy of the time. Pearl Harbor was frightening enough, but the very magnitude of defeat in the Pacific brought home the reality that there would be more casualties--if they could get off the island. It is difficult to find a Colbert movie of this period where she did not excel as a actress. This movie is no exception, she is extraordinary. Also, the evacuation scene is spectacular. If this movie did not inspire the Homefront to greater effort, what could? World War Two was everyone's war, and the peace would be everyone's peace.