Service On Celluloid

The story of Adolf Eichmann has been told and retold, but how does 2018’s “Operation Finale” compare to the past? Hear our panelists debate—in front of a live audience—the depiction of the Nazi officer responsible for Hitler’s “Final Solution” and if the film lives up to Eichmann’s truly dramatic capture.

Following last week’s discussion of “From Here to Eternity,” tune in this week to hear WWII veterans Clarence Herbert Weatherwax and Nolan Albarado discuss their experiences at Schofield Barracks during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

With its blockbuster cast—Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, to name but a few—1953’s “From Here to Eternity” is the study of a peacetime Army. How well does this Academy Awards winner capture life in Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Many of the historical figures in 2004’s “Downfall” are lesser known to American audiences. In this minisode, we provide additional context on those who surrounded Hitler during his final days.

The 2004 German film “Downfall” is much more than the Internet memes it’s arguably most known for. This week our panelists look at the depiction of Hitler and his inner circle in their last days, living within a bunker during the end of the war in Europe.

Tune in to this week's minisode to hear the real story behind the construction of the Railway of Death from WWII Navy veterans Howard Brooks (pictured) and Alois Kopp. Listen to see if the movie's depiction of the Burma–Thai railway was accurately portrayed.

“The Bridge on the River Kwai” won 1958's Academy Awards for Best Picture, along with six other Oscars. Tune in to see if our panel feels that the 1957 British-American epic captured the true history of the construction of the Burma Railway.

In this minisode, we dig deeper into the German invasion of the West in 1940.

This week our panelists dissect the 2015 film “April 9th," about a little-known action of the war—the German invasion of Denmark in 1940. Tune in to see if the filmmakers accurately portrayed this brief but dramatic WWII clash.  

While “The Dirty Dozen” is fiction, there were many actual covert operations in World War II.  Tune in to hear about some of the real-life stories that inspired the movie.

“Train them! Excite them! Arm them! . . . Then turn them loose on the Nazis!” read a marketing slogan for 1967’s “The Dirty Dozen.” The “Service on Celluloid” panel’s mission this week is to explore the real WWII history behind the blockbuster film’s wild story. 

In this week’s follow-up to our “Catch-22” episode, we dive into the realities of the air war over Europe and learn how it was far from glorious.

In 1970, Roger Ebert had some harsh words for the Mike Nichols-directed cinematic version of Joseph Heller's WWII classic: "'Catch-22’ the movie is essentially a parasite, depending on the novel for its vitality.” Will our panel agree?

In this companion minisode to our discussion of the Home Front melodrama “Tender Comrade,” we hear firsthand accounts of wartime work from Betty Reid Soskin (California's Kaiser Shipyards) and Rosemary Elfer (Higgins Industries in New Orleans).

A vehicle for Ginger Rogers to inspire patriotism on the Home Front, 1944's "Tender Comrade" later had unintended consequences for its writer and director. The "Service on Celluloid" panel explores the stories behind the story. 

This week we follow our episode on “The Pianist” with firsthand accounts from Holocaust survivor and piano prodigy Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson (pictured).

This week our panel sits down with Sara Abosch-Jacobson from The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum to discuss 2002’s “The Pianist” starring Adrien Brody as Wladyslaw Szpilman.

This week we hear from veterans Raymond Wells and Joseph Hochadel (pictured) as they recount their experiences at the battles of Monte Cassino and San Pietro, as seen in “The Story of G.I. Joe.”

General Dwight D. Eisenhower referred to "The Story of GI Joe" as "the greatest war picture I've ever seen." Will the "Service on Celluloid" panelists agree?

Following our "Service on Celluloid" panel’s discussion on the anime classic "Grave of the Fireflies," tune in to hear from WWII veterans Paul Dietzel, Richard Baile, and Maynard David (pictured) as they provide their firsthand accounts of the firebombing of Japan.