Service On Celluloid

A podcast from The National WWII Museum analyzing how World War II has been depicted on film.

Host Seth Paridon Says Goodbye to The National WWII Museum 08/31/2020

Host Seth Paridon Says Goodbye to The National WWII Museum After 15 years as a historian at The National WWII Museum, Seth Paridon has accepted a position as Deputy Director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/15822788

Minisode To Stalag 17 04/13/2020

Minisode To Stalag 17 "Stalag 17" is known for its attention to detail, but in this minisode we expand on aspects of the barracks in which the film did not highlight. Tune in as we discuss life at Stalag 17-B from the eyes of a prisoner at war. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13973897

Stalag 17 04/07/2020

Stalag 17 Adapted from a play by fellow prisoners of the camp, "Stalag 17" is dubbed as one of the most realistic portrayals of the American POW experience in Europe. Follow along as we delve into the details—set decorations, acts of deception, morale, and more—in this 1953 film. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13880003

Minisode To Flags of Our Fathers 03/30/2020

Minisode To Flags of Our Fathers The controversy of the flag raisers was more complex than an identity crisis, but did it matter to the US Marines who were fighting on Iwo Jima? Hear a firsthand account from Colonel Dave Severance of E Company, 28th Marines speak about the moment the second flag was raised. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13768235

Flags of Our Fathers 03/23/2020

Flags of Our Fathers The flag raisers on Iwo Jima helped the Seventh War Bond Drive raise $26 billion dollars for the United States in 1945. Our panelists break down "Flags of Our Fathers" and whether the film accurately portrays the drama behind the most popular photograph of World War II. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13664723

Minisode To Guadalcanal Diary 03/16/2020

Minisode To Guadalcanal Diary "You nearly starve to death on a troop ship. We were really happy to get off that thing, even if it meant we were going to be killed,” said late US Marine, Dr. Sidney “Sid” Phillips. The fighting on Guadalcanal was just one purgatory of the first offensive in the Pacific. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13573952

Guadalcanal Diary 03/09/2020

Guadalcanal Diary In a film produced for the Home Front, "Guadalcanal Diary" was made to boost morale while capturing the hallmark of US Marine Corps history. Families back home got a glimpse of the Pacific theater, but were they being told the truth? /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13477382

Minisode To Cross of Iron 03/03/2020

Minisode To Cross of Iron Operation Barbarossa launched Nazi Germany’s plot to conquer the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front in 1941. Death was certain for millions of soldiers and civilians. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13372439

Cross of Iron 02/25/2020

Cross of Iron Director Sam Peckinpah paints a slow motion picture of the Eastern Front during World War II, where German Wehrmacht no longer know why they are fighting. Tune in as we discuss if Sergeant Steiner and his men accurately represent history in "Cross of Iron." /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13237814

Minisode To The Negro Soldier 02/17/2020

Minisode To The Negro Soldier Hear WWII veterans Edgar Cole, Harold Ward, and Roscoe Brown discuss their time in the segregated armed forces, where German POWs were treated better than African American soldiers. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13185653

The Negro Soldier 02/11/2020

The Negro Soldier The War Department’s production of "The Negro Soldier" was culturally significant in 1944, but what is missing from this film? Listen as we discuss the US government’s first acknowledgment of African American contributions to war in this Frank Capra documentary. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13089617

Minisode To The Bridge At Remagen 02/03/2020

Minisode To The Bridge At Remagen "The Remagen bridgehead causes the Führer much anxiety,” wrote German Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels in his diary. Tune in to hear the late Sergeant Charles Hensel of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion discuss the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge, and discover why Hitler was so anxious about the Americans entering Germany. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/13006049

The Bridge At Remagen 01/28/2020

The Bridge At Remagen From lightning-speed tanks to real set demolition, we take on 1969’s "The Bridge at Remagen" this week. Tune in as we delve into the accuracy of this WWII film made at the height of the Vietnam War. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12916928

Minisode To Hell Is For Heroes 01/21/2020

Minisode To Hell Is For Heroes Hear veterans David Roderick and James Flannigan describe how they conquered “the Westwall” in this week’s discussion about Hitler’s most daunting defense—the Siegfried Line. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12819179

Hell Is For Heroes 01/14/2020

Hell Is For Heroes In our discussion of "Hell Is for Heroes" (1962), we talk about the repercussions of the “replacement soldier” during the stalemate warfare on the Siegfried Line in 1944. Listen as we discuss the accuracy of this forgotten film that depicts the overlooked 95th Infantry Division. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12722843

Minisode To Valkyrie 12/20/2019

Minisode To Valkyrie Henning von Tresckow, a plot leader in the July 1944 assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler, once said, “It is almost certain that we will fail. But how will future history judge the German people if not even a handful of men had the courage to put an end to that criminal?” Follow along in our minisode to "Valkyrie" as we reflect on the “what-ifs” of the assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler, and if they could have changed the war or saved lives. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12483116

Valkyrie 12/17/2019

Valkyrie This week our panelists are joined by critically acclaimed author and professor, Dr. Alexandra Richie, to judge the 2008 thriller "Valkyrie." Tune in as we explore the role of Claus von Stauffenberg in the last assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler, and whether the film replicates the actual attack on the Nazi régime. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12418718

Minisode To Pearl Harbor 12/09/2019

Minisode To Pearl Harbor "Pearl Harbor" (2001) may not tell the most accurate version of history, but in this minisode we tell the real stories of heroes Doris Miller, Kenneth Taylor, and George Welch. Listen to our host Seth Paridon and the voice of Roy “Swede” Boreen, a sailor who was aboard the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941, describe the date that will live in infamy. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12337418

Pearl Harbor 12/02/2019

Pearl Harbor This week we bring you the much-anticipated dissection of Michael Bay’s grandiose portrayal of "Pearl Harbor" at the turn of the 21st century. Tune in to hear our experts review Hollywood’s take on the event that plunged the United States into war. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12174473

Minisode To Operation Finale 11/25/2019

Minisode To Operation Finale In the minisode to “Operation Finale,” Seth Paridon explores the escapes and trials of SS officers Josef Mengele, Josef Schwammberger, and Franz Stangl. From the “Angel of Death” at Auschwitz to superintendent of the T-4 Euthanasia Program, we take a look at the Nazis’ roles in the most notorious concentration and extermination camps. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12174146

Operation Finale 11/18/2019

Operation Finale 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. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/12079862

Minisode To From Here To Eternity 10/14/2019

Minisode To From Here To Eternity 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. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/11635016

From Here To Eternity 10/07/2019

From Here To Eternity 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? /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/11518640

Minisode To Downfall 09/30/2019

Minisode To Downfall 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. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/11456483

Downfall 09/23/2019

Downfall 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. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/11367299

Minisode To The Bridge On The River Kwai 09/16/2019

Minisode To The Bridge On The River Kwai 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. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/11274656

The Bridge On The River Kwai 09/09/2019

The Bridge On The River Kwai “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. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/11182598

Minisode To April 9th 09/02/2019

Minisode To April 9th In this minisode, we dig deeper into the German invasion of the West in 1940. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/10974833

April 9th 08/26/2019

April 9th 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. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/10974674

Minisode To The Dirty Dozen 08/19/2019

Minisode To The Dirty Dozen 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. /episode/index/show/serviceoncelluloid/id/10886059

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