PODCAST · history
Service On Celluloid
by National WWII Museum
A podcast from The National WWII Museum analyzing how World War II has been depicted on film.
Episodes
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New Podcast: Making Masters of the Air
Click HERE to follow the new podcast by The National WWII Museum: Making Masters of the Air. Masters of the Air is an Apple Original series from executive producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, streaming January 26 on Apple TV+. The series follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the...
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Host Seth Paridon Says Goodbye to The National WWII Museum
After 15 years as a historian at The National WWII Museum, Seth Paridon has accepted a position as Deputy Director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby.
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Minisode To Stalag 17
"Stalag 17" is known for its attention to detail, but in this minisode we expand on aspects of the barracks in which the film did not highlight. Tune in as we discuss life at Stalag 17-B from the eyes of a prisoner at war.
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Stalag 17
Adapted from a play by fellow prisoners of the camp, "Stalag 17" is dubbed as one of the most realistic portrayals of the American POW experience in Europe. Follow along as we delve into the details—set decorations, acts of deception, morale, and more—in this 1953 film.
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Minisode To Flags of Our Fathers
The controversy of the flag raisers was more complex than an identity crisis, but did it matter to the US Marines who were fighting on Iwo Jima? Hear a firsthand account from Colonel Dave Severance of E Company, 28th Marines speak about the moment the second flag was raised.
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Flags of Our Fathers
The flag raisers on Iwo Jima helped the Seventh War Bond Drive raise $26 billion dollars for the United States in 1945. Our panelists break down "Flags of Our Fathers" and whether the film accurately portrays the drama behind the most popular photograph of World War II.
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Minisode To Guadalcanal Diary
"You nearly starve to death on a troop ship. We were really happy to get off that thing, even if it meant we were going to be killed," said late US Marine, Dr. Sidney "Sid" Phillips. The fighting on Guadalcanal was just one purgatory of the first offensive in the Pacific.
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Guadalcanal Diary
In a film produced for the Home Front, "Guadalcanal Diary" was made to boost morale while capturing the hallmark of US Marine Corps history. Families back home got a glimpse of the Pacific theater, but were they being told the truth?
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Minisode To Cross of Iron
Operation Barbarossa launched Nazi Germany's plot to conquer the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front in 1941. Death was certain for millions of soldiers and civilians.
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Cross of Iron
Director Sam Peckinpah paints a slow motion picture of the Eastern Front during World War II, where German Wehrmacht no longer know why they are fighting. Tune in as we discuss if Sergeant Steiner and his men accurately represent history in "Cross of Iron."
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Minisode To The Negro Soldier
Hear WWII veterans Edgar Cole, Harold Ward, and Roscoe Brown discuss their time in the segregated armed forces, where German POWs were treated better than African American soldiers.
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The Negro Soldier
The War Department's production of "The Negro Soldier" was culturally significant in 1944, but what is missing from this film? Listen as we discuss the US government's first acknowledgment of African American contributions to war in this Frank Capra documentary.
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Minisode To The Bridge At Remagen
"The Remagen bridgehead causes the Führer much anxiety," wrote German Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels in his diary. Tune in to hear the late Sergeant Charles Hensel of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion discuss the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge, and discover why Hitler was so anxious about…
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The Bridge At Remagen
From lightning-speed tanks to real set demolition, we take on 1969's "The Bridge at Remagen" this week. Tune in as we delve into the accuracy of this WWII film made at the height of the Vietnam War.
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Minisode To Hell Is For Heroes
Hear veterans David Roderick and James Flanagan describe how they conquered "the Westwall" in this week's discussion about Hitler's most daunting defense—the Siegfried Line.
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Hell Is For Heroes
In our discussion of "Hell Is for Heroes" (1962), we talk about the repercussions of the "replacement soldier" during the stalemate warfare on the Siegfried Line in 1944. Listen as we discuss the accuracy of this forgotten film that depicts the overlooked 95th Infantry Division.
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Minisode To Valkyrie
Henning von Tresckow, a plot leader in the July 1944 assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler, once said, "It is almost certain that we will fail. But how will future history judge the German people if not even a handful of men had the courage to put an end to that criminal?" Follow along in our...
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Valkyrie
This week our panelists are joined by critically acclaimed author and professor, Dr. Alexandra Richie, to judge the 2008 thriller "Valkyrie." Tune in as we explore the role of Claus von Stauffenberg in the last assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler, and whether the film replicates the actual…
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Minisode To Pearl Harbor
"Pearl Harbor" (2001) may not tell the most accurate version of history, but in this minisode we tell the real stories of heroes Doris Miller, Kenneth Taylor, and George Welch. Listen to our host Seth Paridon and the voice of Roy "Swede" Boreen, a sailor who was aboard the USS Oklahoma on…
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Pearl Harbor
This week we bring you the much-anticipated dissection of Michael Bay's grandiose portrayal of "Pearl Harbor" at the turn of the 21st century. Tune in to hear our experts review Hollywood's take on the event that plunged the United States into war.
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Minisode To Operation Finale
In the minisode to "Operation Finale," Seth Paridon explores the escapes and trials of SS officers Josef Mengele, Josef Schwammberger, and Franz Stangl. From the "Angel of Death" at Auschwitz to superintendent of the T-4 Euthanasia Program, we take a look at the Nazis' roles in the most notorious...
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Operation Finale
The story of Adolf Eichmann has been told and retold, but how does 2018's "Operation Finale" compare to the past? Hear our panelists debate—in front of a live audience—the depiction of the Nazi officer responsible for Hitler's "Final Solution" and if the film lives up to Eichmann's truly dramatic...
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Minisode To From Here To Eternity
Following last week's discussion of "From Here to Eternity," tune in this week to hear WWII veterans Clarence Herbert Weatherwax and Nolan Albarado discuss their experiences at Schofield Barracks during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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From Here To Eternity
With its blockbuster cast—Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, to name but a few—1953's "From Here to Eternity" is the study of a peacetime Army. How well does this Academy Awards winner capture life in Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, leading up to the...
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Minisode To Downfall
Many of the historical figures in 2004's "Downfall" are lesser known to American audiences. In this minisode, we provide additional context on those who surrounded Hitler during his final days.
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Downfall
The 2004 German film "Downfall" is much more than the Internet memes it's arguably most known for. This week our panelists look at the depiction of Hitler and his inner circle in their last days, living within a bunker during the end of the war in Europe.
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Minisode To The Bridge On The River Kwai
Tune in to this week's minisode to hear the real story behind the construction of the Railway of Death from WWII Navy veterans Howard Brooks (pictured) and Alois Kopp. Listen to see if the movie's depiction of the Burma–Thai railway was accurately portrayed.
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The Bridge On The River Kwai
"The Bridge on the River Kwai" won 1958's Academy Awards for Best Picture, along with six other Oscars. Tune in to see if our panel feels that the 1957 British-American epic captured the true history of the construction of the Burma Railway.
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Minisode To April 9th
In this minisode, we dig deeper into the German invasion of the West in 1940.
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April 9th
This week our panelists dissect the 2015 film "April 9th," about a little-known action of the war—the German invasion of Denmark in 1940. Tune in to see if the filmmakers accurately portrayed this brief but dramatic WWII clash.
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Minisode To The Dirty Dozen
While "The Dirty Dozen" is fiction, there were many actual covert operations in World War II. Tune in to hear about some of the real-life stories that inspired the movie.
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The Dirty Dozen
"Train them! Excite them! Arm them! . . . Then turn them loose on the Nazis!" read a marketing slogan for 1967's "The Dirty Dozen." The "Service on Celluloid" panel's mission this week is to explore the real WWII history behind the blockbuster film's wild story.
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Minisode to Catch-22
In this week's follow-up to our "Catch-22" episode, we dive into the realities of the air war over Europe and learn how it was far from glorious.
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Catch-22
In 1970, Roger Ebert had some harsh words for the Mike Nichols-directed cinematic version of Joseph Heller's WWII classic: "'Catch-22' the movie is essentially a parasite, depending on the novel for its vitality." Will our panel agree?
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Minisode To Tender Comrade
In this companion minisode to our discussion of the Home Front melodrama "Tender Comrade," we hear firsthand accounts of wartime work from Betty Reid Soskin (California's Kaiser Shipyards) and Rosemary Elfer (Higgins Industries in New Orleans).
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Tender Comrade
A vehicle for Ginger Rogers to inspire patriotism on the Home Front, 1944's "Tender Comrade" later had unintended consequences for its writer and director. The "Service on Celluloid" panel explores the stories behind the story.
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Minisode To The Pianist
This week we follow our episode on "The Pianist" with firsthand accounts from Holocaust survivor and piano prodigy Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson (pictured).
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The Pianist
This week our panel sits down with Sara Abosch-Jacobson from The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum to discuss 2002's "The Pianist" starring Adrien Brody as Wladyslaw Szpilman.
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Minisode To The Story of G.I. Joe
This week we hear from veterans Raymond Wells and Joseph Hochadel (pictured) as they recount their experiences at the battles of Monte Cassino and San Pietro, as seen in "The Story of G.I. Joe."
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The Story of G.I. Joe
General Dwight D. Eisenhower referred to "The Story of GI Joe" as "the greatest war picture I've ever seen." Will the "Service on Celluloid" panelists agree?
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Minisode To Grave Of The Fireflies
Following our "Service on Celluloid" panel's discussion on the anime classic "Grave of the Fireflies," tune in to hear from WWII veterans Paul Dietzel, Richard Baile, and Maynard David (pictured) as they provide their firsthand accounts of the firebombing of Japan.
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Grave of the Fireflies
The firebombing campaign on Japan near the end of World War II was waged with devastating success. In "Grave of the Fireflies" - considered an amine classic - filmmaker Isao Takahata explores how the bombing affected the civilian population. Join the "Service on Celluloid" panel for a discussion…
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Minisode To A Bridge Too Far
After you've heard the "Service on Celluloid" panel's discussion about the 1977 epic "A Bridge Too Far," return to Operation Market Garden on a new minisode featuring WWII veteran eyewitnesses T. Moffatt Burriss and Theo Finkbeiner.
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A Bridge Too Far
Operation Market Garden, the ill-fated Airborne action of mid-September 1944, is the subject of Richard Attenborough's star-studded "A Bridge Too Far" (Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman, Ryan O'Neal, and many more). Critic Roger Ebert wrote that it "went two or even three bridges too…
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Minisode To The Monuments Men
On this week's minisode we'll hear from Harry L. Ettlinger (pictured), who was the inspiration for the Private Sam Epstein character (as portrayed by Dimitri Leonidas) in "The Monuments Men." (Image courtesy of the National Museum of American Jewish Military History.)
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The Monuments Men
Based on the research of author Robert M. Edsel, the 2014 film "The Monuments Men" has a big-name cast (George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, and others) and a gripping true story about rescuing the art treasures of Europe from the Nazis. The "Service on Celluloid" podcast…
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Kelly's Heroes
The 1970 satire "Kelly's Heroes," starring Clint Eastwood and a large cast of scene bandits (including WWII veteran Don Rickles), looked at World War II through the lens of the Vietnam era. Our "Service on Celluloid" panel observes that the film gets a surprising number of details just right.
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Minisode to Mrs. Miniver
The 1942 drama "Mrs. Miniver," subject of the most recent "Service on Celluloid" podcast, depicts life on the British Home Front during the time of Dunkirk and the Blitz. Tune in to this week's minisode for a deeper dive into these historic events.
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Mrs. Miniver
Winston Churchill said "Mrs. Miniver" was "propaganda worth 100 battleships." Join the "Service on Celluloid" podcast panelists to explore how the film also provides an insightful look at the lives of those on the Home Front during World War II.
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Minisode to Casablanca
The "Service on Celluloid" exploration of "Casablanca" and its real-life setting continues with the story of Hélène Cazès-Benatar, who founded the Moroccan Refugee Aid Committee in 1940 to help Jewish refugees arriving in Casablanca.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Service On Celluloid have?
Service On Celluloid currently has 85 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Service On Celluloid about?
A podcast from The National WWII Museum analyzing how World War II has been depicted on film.
How often does Service On Celluloid release new episodes?
Service On Celluloid has 85 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Service On Celluloid?
You can listen to Service On Celluloid on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Service On Celluloid?
Service On Celluloid is created and hosted by National WWII Museum.
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