Watching 1939: Five Came Back (1939)

In 2011, I announced I was trying to see every film released in 1939. This new series chronicles films released in 1939 as I watch them. As we start out this blog feature, this section may become more concrete as I search for a common thread that runs throughout each film of the year. Right now, th... Read full article

Five Came Back (2017)

Five Came Back Directed by Laurent Bouzereau Written by Mark Harris 2017/USA Amblin Television/IACF Productions/Netflix/etc. First viewing/Netflix Instant Excellent documentary about five great American directors and their experiences  in WWII. Five living directors – Guillermo del Toro, St... Read full article

Five Came Back (1939)

Hollywood wasn’t betting on the massive success of a piddly little RKO adventure film starring the likes of Chester Morris and Lucille Ball. But when director John Farrow’s measly $225,000 film amassed $262,000 in profits, Hollywood’s ears perked up. In 1939, Five Came Back became ... Read full article

Warner Archive: Lucille Ball and Chester Morris in John Farrow's Five Came Back (1939)

Twelve people take a flight to Panama City, but as the title warns, Five Came Back. While there is great tension as to who makes that return journey, it is the interactions among a strong cast of characters, and economical, skillful direction by John Farrow that make this recent release from Warner ... Read full article

Book Review: FIVE CAME BACK--A Story Of Hollywood And The Second World War

In the book FIVE CAME BACK, author Mark Harris examines how the American movie industry dealt with World War II through the experiences of five legendary Hollywood directors--John Ford, George Stevens, John Huston, William Wyler, and Frank Capra. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December ... Read full article