S2E2: Hollywood Declares War: From WWII Pinup Girls to Playmates in Vietnam

How propagandists getting into bed with Hollywood caused the military to lose control of what women mean to their warriors. Or: How I learned to stop worrying, and love the military entertainment complex.

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A production of BRINK

Website: thisispropaganda.show

Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow

Email: propaganda@brink.com

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CREDITS

Written, Produced, and Hosted by Malcolm Critcher and Joshua Belhumeur

Co-Producer: Reed Chandler

Additional Voice Acting: Rhiannon Lane

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Some dialogue and quotations have been condensed, paraphrased, or reconstructed based on contemporaneous accounts, interviews, and other source material.

All archival clips from film and television used under fair use, for educational purposes only.

AI Disclosure: We use AI to create custom filters for our voices -- licensed by ElevanLabs -- but the original performances are our own. We also used AI for a custom composition using our own lyrics for “The Girl Behind The Man Behind The Gun” -- licensed by Sumo.

This is a new frontier for all of us, and we are finding our footing when it comes to AI usage and transparency. We welcome any and all feedback.

REFERENCES

An Examination Of American Isolationism Through Public Opinion, 1935-1939

Knowing The Enemy: Propaganda Experts, Intelligence, And Total War (1941–1945)

The Pin-Up: American Eroticism And Patriotism During The Second World War

The Long American Plan: The U.S. Government's Campaign Against Venereal Disease And Its Carriers

The Interwar Militia — A Reappraisal

The War Against Women: Prostitution In Vietnam

The Evolution Of Female Military Entertainers

Visual Pleasure And Narrative Cinema Essay

The Role And Effect Of Advertising On Women During World War Ii WEBSITES / ARTICLES

How Playboy Explains Vietnam, The New York Times

Disneyland East, Time Magazine

Missing From History: The Other Prisoners Of War

The Boom Of Thai Sexual Industry During The Vietnam War And Now

Unveiling Shadows: Role Of The West In Southeast Asia's Sex Industry

The Esquire Case: A Lost Free Speech Landmark Recruiting Posters For Women From World War Ii

Wwii Propaganda And The American Public

The Birth Of The Pin-Up Girl: An American Social Phenomenon, 1940-1946

Beauty, Glamour, And The Pin-Up Girls Of The 1940s

Hollywood Went To War In 1941—And It Wasn't Easy

An Unknown Ally: Hollywood's Role In World War Ii

Hollywood Goes To War

From Hollywood With Love

Life Magazine Special Defense Issue July 7, 1941

The Forces Pin Up – Gi Morale Boosters

“A Double Victory?” Revisiting The Black Struggle For Equality During World War Two

Powers Of Persuasion

The Birth Of The Pin-Up Girl: An American Social Phenomenon, 1940-1946.

Atomic Goddess Revisited: Rita Hayworth’s Bomb Image Found!

Nye Committee

Propaganda And The American Public

A Short History Of The People Of Bikini Atoll

Demon Girls Of Ujae

Foreign Policy In The 1930s: From Neutrality To Involvement The Great Debate - National Wwii Museum

U.S. Censorship And War Propaganda During World War Ii

American Isolationism In The 1930s

Roosevelt’s Path To The Second World War: Interventionist Or Isolationist?

The Us Propaganda Machine Of World War I

The Propaganda Of "Propaganda"

Master Of American Propaganda

Why The Office Of War Information Still Matters

OWI Head Elmer Davis Spread Soviet Katyn Propaganda Lie In World War Ii Voice Of America Broadcasts

Esquire V. Walker

Sexuality, Sexual Relations, Homosexuality

Teaching About The Comfort Women During World War Ii And The Use Of Personal Stories Of The Victims

The Economics Of World War I

Morale In The New World War

The United States: Isolation-Intervention

Othering/Atrocity Propaganda

The German Corpse Factory – Great Piece Of British Propaganda

The Crucified Soldier

Wwi Primary Resource Guide: Propaganda

"Merchants Of Death"

Decoding Wwii Plane Nose Art

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

https://pq-static-content.proquest.com/collateral/media2/documents/3445.pdf

http://bl-libg-doghill.ads.iu.edu/gpd-web/historical/gimmpi/gimmpiintro.pdf

WIKI / ENCYCLOPEDIAS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Anti-Nazi_League

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Canteen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Army_Corps

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Davis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Fight

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flapper

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YanktheArmy_Weekly

https://www.britannica.com/topic/comfort-women

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_U.SMilitarySex_Education

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nose_art

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Office_of_War_Information

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Corpse_Factory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nye_Committee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Manpower_Commission

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Canteen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_industry_during_World_War_II

OTHER

Schatz, Thomas. The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era. Henry Holt The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era. Arlington House, 1973

Parish, James Robert. The Fox Girls: Behind the Scenes of 20th Century Fox. Arlington House, 1970

Koppes, Clayton R., and Gregory D. Black. Hollywood Goes to War. Free Press, 1987

Evans, Redd, and John Jacob Loeb. “Rosie the Riveter.” Paramount Music Corp., 1942.

Kamiya, Gary. “S.F. whitewash covered up ‘peace riots’ at end of WWII.” Connecticut Post, 22 Aug. 2015

Edwards, Jon. Core: Women, Work, and War: The Home Front Economy in WWII. University of Illinois, 2012

They Really Read It For The Articles - A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

MUSIC ATTRIBUTION

AUTUMNAL SMILE (00:05, 05:22, 13:55, 22:49) Performed by Nocturne Samurai Licensed from Artlist SAMIZDAT (01:03) Written and Performed by Joshua Belhumeur

CASSEROLE (01:17, 07:23) Performed by The Original Orchestra Licensed from Artlist BLUE GUM (02:08) Performed by Shahar Haziza Licensed from Artlist BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY (03:54) Performed by the Andrews Sisters, from the film Buck Privates (1941) Courtesy of Universal Pictures Used for educational purposes only. TOMCAT RAG (11:19) Performed by Yonatan Riklis Licensed from Artlist SLASH PINE (11:15) Performed by Shahar Haziza Licensed from Artlist SLOOP JOHN B (12:23) Performed by Hilltop Trio Licensed from Artlist RHAPSODY IN BLUE (17:24) Performed by the The United States Marine Band Courtesy of The United States Marine Band Used for educational purposes only. BIRTHDAY SUITE (19:26) Performed by Morphlexis Licensed from Artlist A DAY AT WEST POINT (22:10) Performed by Arthur Pryors Band Licensed from Artlist THE GIRL BEHIND THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN MARK II (24:24) Written by Joshua Belhumeur Composed and licensed with SUNO AI