''The Tanks Are Coming'' is a 1941 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

directed by B. Reeves Eason and written by

Owen Crump Owen Edward Crump (December 30, 1903 – February 13, 1998) was an American screenwriter, film director, film producer, radio personality, and stage actor. He worked alongside Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios and made propaganda ...

. 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 A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

'' (of the same year) it is a pre-

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

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. It was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

at the

14th Academy Awards The 14th Academy Awards honored film achievements in 1941 and were held at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was briefly cancelled due to the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. The ceremony is now considered n ...

for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).

Plot

New York taxicab driver Malowski (

George Tobias George Tobias (July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980) was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner ...

) enlists in the "First Armored Force", bringing his beloved taxi cab "Betsy" with him. He participates in large-scale mechanized maneuvers, during which the taxi is run over and crushed. The tanks featured in the short were the U.S Army's M2A4 light tank and the M2A1 medium tank.

Cast

as Malowski * Richard Travis as Pete *

Gig Young Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come Fill the Cup'' ...

as Jim Allen *

Frank Wilcox Frank Reppy Wilcox (March 13, 1907 – March 3, 1974) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films and television series, as well as Broadway plays. Background Wilcox was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roger V. Wilcox. He was born in De Soto ...

as Colonel 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.

References

External links

* * 1941 films 1941 short documentary films American short documentary films American World War II propaganda shorts Documentary films about World War II Films about armoured warfare Warner Bros. short films Films scored by William Lava Films directed by B. Reeves Eason 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language short documentary films English-language war films {{WWII-documentary-film-stub