You, John Jones!

Starring: James Cagney, Ann Sothern, Margaret O'Brien
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
Rating: Unrated
Genre: Short, Drama, War
Length: 11 minutes
1943

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: John Jones (James Cagney) reflects on how fortunate he is to live in the United States and imagines his daughter (Margaret O'Brien) dealing with the war in various countries around the globe.

Review:

Tim: This is an interesting "wartime short", a film depicting a message that was important for American audiences to understand during World War II. John Jones, played by James Cagney, comes home from work to find his daughter reciting the Gettysburg Address for school. After a few minutes watching and speaking with his wife, he goes out on air raid patrol. There, he sits on a bench and thanks God for keeping them safe. He feels blessed that they live in the great United States of America.

This is where the film gets interesting. He starts imagining his daughter living in various countries around the world. He imagines how she would be spending her time tonight in those countries. It's typically not good. He imagines her screaming after an air raid destroys her home. He imagines her starving, picking up scraps off the street to live. He imagines her drinking water and a meager slice of bread for sustenance. It gets worse, as he imagines her mangled and dead from various bombings. It's a brutal reminder of how relatively lucky the U.S. was in 1943, compared to the rest of the world. I was surprised at the blood and the gritty depiction of the horrors of war. I didn't expect such a stark look at them in this short film. After the imagining is done, he heads home, and to his relief, it's a quiet night and his family is safe. He thanks God for protecting them.

This was a fairly powerful short about America's place in 1943. It was a reminder of the horrors of war, but also a reminder of what could happen if we don't defend our great land. It's a patriotic short with strong religious overtones. While the message is a little on-the-nose, it certainly gets its point across.

This is fairly short and an interesting look at the American psyche at the start of our war. It was also fun seeing Cagney in a short film. He's pretty good in it. I would certainly recommend checking this one out. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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