March On, America! (1942) Online

. . . of Warner Bros.' subtle World War Two Era prescriptive live-action short, MARCH ON, AMER!CA! Nearly every word of this Two-Reeler drips with Irony, as its narrator reminds viewers again and again of the USA's centuries-long Racist Campaigns to stamp out the Livelihoods, Rights, and Very Lives of all Native American and Black Peoples. Savage slave-whipping "masters" including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Madison, James Monroe, and Andrew Jackson are mentioned by name, along with slavers Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and Louis Clark. Every few seconds during the 21 minutes of MARCH ON, AMER!CA! there are on-screen flashes of the decayed parchment showing the Deplorably Racist 1700s so-called U.S. Constitution, reminding BOTH contemporary viewers AND--in another of its trade-marked Prophetic Warner Bros. Warnings for We Americans of Today's (then) Far Future--that the Mordant Scribblings on that Moldy Scroll MUST be Repealed and Replaced by means of a Constitutional Convention. Then a NEW American Leader can declare Martial Law, Deport the vast majority of our 62 million-plus Racist Red-Commie-supporting Benedict Arnold-like Traitors, and permanently eradicate Corrupt Job-Killing Corporate Capitalism as America Marches On!

This short was one of the extras on the In This Our Life DVD that formed a Warner Night at the Movies link there. It attempts to tell in about 30 minutes the history of America at that point before then trying to stir patriotic sentiment after then showing a Japanese pilot flying toward Pearl Harbor, a dying American soldier using his bloody hands to form a V sign in a Nazi building wall, and various soldiers and tanks forming to go where they're needed. Filmed in Technicolor, this was quite exciting to watch though I couldn't help notice some glossing over some issues like that concerning the Civil War. And seeing that Confederate flag reminded me how unneeded it is today considering what happened at that South Carolina church last week. Still, March On, America! is interesting enough to watch as a historical document.

This film was produced during WWII in a patriotic attempt to tell the history of the U.S. and inspire the country. It fails on both counts. The history although fairly correct is presented in a paternalistic manner and goes on seemingly forever. Hokey costumes and bad acting are no reason to turn off something, but they went a little too far when Abraham Lincoln spoke with an Irish accent. The film does pick up in the patriotic segment at the end - the narrator finally comes to life and has some zip to his delivery. It is too short though and filled with scenes that made me wince. A memorable one is of a Nazi soldier shooting an enemy in front of a wall and as the man dies his hands slide together and form a large bloody V for Victory. Watch this only if you are filled with the desire to watch as many shorts as you can find. Like me.