There are three films coming up on Turner Classics that have a World War I connection.

The first is Noah’s Ark, a film from 1928.  I have not seen this film, so I can’t offer any personal critique.  IMDB.com simply describes it as “The Biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood, with a parallel story of soldiers in the First World War.”  A contributor to that site adds that “flood is replace by blood.”  TCM’s description is that “An American playboy’s discovery of honor and courage during WWI parallels the Biblical story of the flood.”  The stars are Dolores Costello, George O’Brien, and Noah Beery;  the cast also includes Myrna Loy in an early role.  It airs Friday, December 2nd at 2:00 p.m. CT; watch it and make your own commentary.

Up next is A Carol for Another Christmas from 1964.  This was written for television, and as you might guess from the title, it’s a modern update of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.  It has an interesting history; this was the first of a series of specials the Xerox Corporation produced promoting the United Nations.  TCM’s description is that “Three ghosts teach an industrialist the importance of international peace-keeping.”  It was intended to air only once, and it went unseen after that airing until TCM aired it in 2012 and has occasionally aired it since.

A Carol for Another Christmas was written by the creator of The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling.  Serling was often accused of being a bit heavy-handed in his writing, and some have made that accusation here.  I’ll offer the personal observation that I can see that point, but on the other hand, it’s writing that I’d like to see more of today.

As you might also guess, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes the industrialist back to World War I.  It has a strong cast:  Sterling Hayden, Eva Marie Saint, Ben Gazzara, Steve Lawrence, James Shigeta, Pat Hingle, Robert Shaw, Peter Sellers, and Britt Ecklund.  It airs Sunday, December 4th at 8:30 a.m. CT.

Last on the list is a repeat of The Better ‘Ole on Monday, December 5th at 7:15 a.m.  We talked about it here:  http://www.kansasww1.org/your-world-war-i-viewing-pleasure/

 

Blair Tarr is the Museum Curator of the Kansas State Historical Society. He oversees the three-dimensional collections of the Society, but has special interests in the Civil War, Wichita-made Valentine diners, and Leavenworth's Abernathy Furniture. In the last few years he has also done a lot of cramming on The Great War. He is a past president of the Kansas Museums Association and the Civil War Round Tables of both Kansas City and Eastern Kansas. He is currently a board member of the Heritage League of Greater Kansas City.