User Reviews

"Service with the Colors" is an American 20-minute live action short film from 1940, so this one is already over 75 years old and it is from the earlier days of World War II when the United States weren't yet really part of the action. However, this did not keep them from making military-themed films and short films like this one here and they loved them too, which not only the Oscar nomination shows, but also the fact that it lost to another short film dealing with the subject of Teddy Roosevelt. I don't think any of the people who worked on this one behind or in front of the camera are particularly known today anymore, probably weren't back then even possibly, so i will spare you the names and let me just say thatg you can check the list for yourself. In terms of plot and story-telling, this wasn't too much of a good watch for me unfortunately. The best thing about it was probably still that it was indeed in color and they advertized that fact strongly and with that title of course they could not make a black-and-white movie. It's not a given for this year, so we can be grateful as 1940 really only all the cartoons were in color or lets say most of them. In any case, this one here is and it elevates the material quite a bit, but to a level where I would recommend the watch. i felt it was very forgettable overall. Don't watch unless you like old military-themed non-documentary movies.

. . . the U.S. Army had to be more subtle in recruiting the tenth to half of American men who were Gay. This 21-minute live action short, SERVICE WITH COLORS (i.e., pink), from the ramp up to WWII in 1940, is a great illustration of how military propaganda peddlers wanted to sell the idea to young Gays that "it only gets better" in the Army. The focus of SERVICE WITH COLORS is Charles "Chuck" Corbin, who only joins the military because he wants to eat three times a day and be around lots of other young men. But his squad perceives that he's somehow "different," and ostracizes him. Precocious as a young Doogie Howser, this Neil Patrick Harris precursor is able to become chummy with the regiment's colonel and some of the sergeants. But since he cannot openly become one of the boys in the band, Chuck decides to risk death by firing squad for the greener pastures of the Merchant Marines. However, in the midst of his Great Escape, Chuck's innate over-endowment of empathy kicks in, and he sacrifices his own body to save his unit from disaster. A grateful platoon finally realizes that "it takes all kinds" to save America, and everyone chips in to present Chuck with a dozen PINK roses at the hospital, as he's appointed the official flag twirler for his regiment.

This Warner Brothers short was released on August 31, 1940, and was in support of the expansion of the previously underfunded and undermanned US Army following President Roosevelt's Declaration of a Limited National Emergency on September 8, 1939. The next month, in September 1940, the Congress passed Selective Training and Service Act which established the first peacetime draft.

It takes place at the US Army's Presidio of San Francisco, CA, and the Golden Gate International Exposition held at Treasure Island, San Francisco (1939-1940).

It follows four Regular Army (there are no "Selectees/Draftees" yet) 3rd Infantry Division "rookies" from enlistment, through basic training, and finally serving as a color guard at the International Exposition.

The "goofs" stated in "Did You Know" are not really goofs for the August 1940 US Army:

In the prewar Army new infantry recruits did their basic training, and often their entire enlistments, in regular infantry units. Unit NCOs would be rotated through the organization's basic training unit. Six months after this film was released Infantry Basic Training was given over to Infantry Replacement Training Centers (RTC) in March 1941, where the recruits received 13 weeks of training before then being sent to an infantry unit.

Since this is only a 21 minute film time is compressed. In 1940 commanding officers controlled the awarding, and removal, of "stripes" in their organizations. With the massive expansion occurring in the US Army at this time it would be possible that a very exceptional soldier could make Sergeant in a year like Pvt. Stanton.

The prewar army was very small and everyone often knew everyone else. It was custom at that time if the soldier knew that an individual in civilian clothes was an officer they would salute, and that salute would be returned. This is not done today.

Mess Halls in the prewar Army were assigned and controlled by companies and above, "consolidated" Mess Halls like those today were established during WW II. Company NCOs and privates would eat in the same Company Mess Halls and tables with their men.

An interesting detail is that they are training with the then brand new M1 Garand semiautomatic rifle, not the more common and much older M1903 Springfield bolt action rifle.

The value of this film to those interested in military history is that it is a technicolor window into the REAL "From Here To Eternity" prewar US Army.