The Tanks Are Coming (1941 film)
The Tanks Are Coming is a 1941 American Technicolor short film. It is primarily a recruitment film, but can also be regarded as a propaganda film or a documentary with some light relief. Like Dive Bomber (of the same year) it is a pre-Pearl Harbor film, made with the co-operation of the relevant branch of the US armed forces, showing off US military material to the US public, in lavish Technicolor. This material is shown in motion, both on the road and in the field; training equipment and methods are also featured.
| The Tanks Are Coming | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | B. Reeves Eason |
| Produced by | Gordon Hollingshead |
| Written by | Owen Crump |
| Music by | William Lava |
| Cinematography | Bert Glennon |
| Edited by | Everett Dodd |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 20 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 14th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).[1]
Premise
New York taxicab driver Malowski (George Tobias) and his cab Betsy enlist in the "First Armored Force" and get caught up in large-scale mechanized maneuvers. The tanks featured in the short were the U.S Army's M2A4 light tank and the M2A1 medium tank.
Credited cast
- George Tobias as Malowski
- William Travis (i.e. Richard Travis) as Pete
- Byron Barr [later known as Gig Young] as Jim Allen
- Frank Wilcox as Colonel
Production
A young Richard Egan appears uncredited in a few scenes and has a few lines. He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and achieved the rank of captain. He started his actual film career in 1949.[2]
References
- "The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/22/obituaries/richard-egan-film-actor-dies-at-65.html
External links
- The Tanks Are Coming at IMDb
- The short film The Tanks Are Coming is available for free download at the Internet Archive