Before the U.S. entered World War II, the American public flocked to theaters to see the occasional movies about the war raging in Europe. Newspapers and radios reported news on the war. But, in those years before commercial television, the movies would have been the place to see what was going on, however fictional the films may have been. Even non-war features frequently had war updates with some video in the Movietone News. Those newsreels were begun by Fox News in 1919 and continued in theaters until 1963 after the merged (1935) 20th Century Pictures and Fox.
But the release of "Confirm or Deny" must have been received quite differently than earlier films. That's because it had been in production since early 1941, but set during September 1940 with the start of the London Blitzkrieg. Yet the film didn't hit theaters until December 12 – five days after the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. So, when people went to see this film, America was in the war. The U.S. Congress declared war on Japan on Dec. 8, and declared war on Germany on Dec. 11. The latter was just hours after Germany first declared war on the U.S.
Apparently, "Confirm or Deny" premiered on Nov. 19, but wasn't released for more than three weeks. I couldn't find any more history about this particular film, but one wonders if 20th Century Fox had reservations about releasing it. It had reason to question its release because of a major impetus of the plot. Don Ameche plays a news syndicate manager in London (Mitch Mitchell) who is intent on beating all others with the latest news about Hitler's invasion of England. He thinks it is imminent. That was the thinking and worry of many in 1940, even after the Blitzkrieg began on Sept. 7. But by then, Germany had failed to gain air superiority over England. So, Hitler ordered the Blitzkrieg, in the hopes of pounding the British into submission.
That's where we are at the start of this film. But probably even before this film's finish, the Germans had stopped the Blitzkrieg. By May 1941, the Luftwaffe had lost so many aircraft over England that it couldn't adequately support war on two fronts. In May, Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union, which he did on June 22. So, well before this film came out, the fears of a German invasion of England had all but ended.
The studio was faced with a total loss if it canceled the release altogether of "Confirm or Deny." It went with the release, willing to take barbs for the film being outdated and having a wrong conclusion. I'm glad it did, because it does give some historical sense of the war as it was being lived in England at the start of the Blitz.
The film also has a romance that in this case, fits nicely as part of the overall plot. Joan Bennett plays the object of Mitchell's interest, as Jennifer Carson. The film has a significant cast of the day. All are very good in their roles. Others include English actor John Loder and Irish actor Arthur Shields; long-time character actor Raymond Walburn; wonderful British comedy actor of stage and screen, Eric Blore, in one of his few serious roles as the hotel manager; and a young Roddy McDowell in his 19th film.
All of the filming was done at 20th Century Fox studios in California. There were not large outdoor scenes or skylines, so the sets were relatively simple. When Mitchell first meets Carson, he is about to light up a cigarette at night outdoors. She blows out his match. That scene would seem natural, because it was just after the Blitz began in London, and people were just getting used to blackouts at night. Those interested in history may appreciate this little bit of more information.
Three other movies were made about the press and American correspondents before the U.S. was in the war or sent troops to England. All were in 1940 and were very good films. They included, "Arise My Love," "Comrade X," and "Foreign Correspondent." Two more wartime correspondent movies came out in September 1942. "Somewhere I'll Find You," was nearly two years in the making and was the last movie Clark Gable made before enlisting for WW II in the Army Air Corps. "Berlin Correspondent" starred Dana Andrews as an American reporter in the German capital before 1942.
Here are some of my favorite lines from the film. For more comedy dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.
Jennifer, "I'm staying with my grandmother." Mitch, "Well, I'd like to meet her." Jennifer, "My grandmother?" Mitch, "Yes!' Jenifer, "Why?" Mitch, "Oh, I love grandmothers. I have two of my own back in the States. They run a little tearoom. Uh, tell me, will you have a spot of tea with me?" Jennifer, "Are you in the habit of picking up girls in the blackout?" Mitch, "Well, how can you say such a thing? How can you even think such a thing?" Jennifer, "Are you trying to tell me you're not trying to pick me up?" Mitch, "Well, no, of course not."
Jennifer, "Why does she keep staring at me in that way?" Mitch, "You're wearing her dress."
Mitch, "Oh, you got me wrong, Red. I'm strictly a one-woman man." Jennifer, "One at a time, you mean."
But the release of "Confirm or Deny" must have been received quite differently than earlier films. That's because it had been in production since early 1941, but set during September 1940 with the start of the London Blitzkrieg. Yet the film didn't hit theaters until December 12 – five days after the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. So, when people went to see this film, America was in the war. The U.S. Congress declared war on Japan on Dec. 8, and declared war on Germany on Dec. 11. The latter was just hours after Germany first declared war on the U.S.
Apparently, "Confirm or Deny" premiered on Nov. 19, but wasn't released for more than three weeks. I couldn't find any more history about this particular film, but one wonders if 20th Century Fox had reservations about releasing it. It had reason to question its release because of a major impetus of the plot. Don Ameche plays a news syndicate manager in London (Mitch Mitchell) who is intent on beating all others with the latest news about Hitler's invasion of England. He thinks it is imminent. That was the thinking and worry of many in 1940, even after the Blitzkrieg began on Sept. 7. But by then, Germany had failed to gain air superiority over England. So, Hitler ordered the Blitzkrieg, in the hopes of pounding the British into submission.
That's where we are at the start of this film. But probably even before this film's finish, the Germans had stopped the Blitzkrieg. By May 1941, the Luftwaffe had lost so many aircraft over England that it couldn't adequately support war on two fronts. In May, Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union, which he did on June 22. So, well before this film came out, the fears of a German invasion of England had all but ended.
The studio was faced with a total loss if it canceled the release altogether of "Confirm or Deny." It went with the release, willing to take barbs for the film being outdated and having a wrong conclusion. I'm glad it did, because it does give some historical sense of the war as it was being lived in England at the start of the Blitz.
The film also has a romance that in this case, fits nicely as part of the overall plot. Joan Bennett plays the object of Mitchell's interest, as Jennifer Carson. The film has a significant cast of the day. All are very good in their roles. Others include English actor John Loder and Irish actor Arthur Shields; long-time character actor Raymond Walburn; wonderful British comedy actor of stage and screen, Eric Blore, in one of his few serious roles as the hotel manager; and a young Roddy McDowell in his 19th film.
All of the filming was done at 20th Century Fox studios in California. There were not large outdoor scenes or skylines, so the sets were relatively simple. When Mitchell first meets Carson, he is about to light up a cigarette at night outdoors. She blows out his match. That scene would seem natural, because it was just after the Blitz began in London, and people were just getting used to blackouts at night. Those interested in history may appreciate this little bit of more information.
Three other movies were made about the press and American correspondents before the U.S. was in the war or sent troops to England. All were in 1940 and were very good films. They included, "Arise My Love," "Comrade X," and "Foreign Correspondent." Two more wartime correspondent movies came out in September 1942. "Somewhere I'll Find You," was nearly two years in the making and was the last movie Clark Gable made before enlisting for WW II in the Army Air Corps. "Berlin Correspondent" starred Dana Andrews as an American reporter in the German capital before 1942.
Here are some of my favorite lines from the film. For more comedy dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.
Jennifer, "I'm staying with my grandmother." Mitch, "Well, I'd like to meet her." Jennifer, "My grandmother?" Mitch, "Yes!' Jenifer, "Why?" Mitch, "Oh, I love grandmothers. I have two of my own back in the States. They run a little tearoom. Uh, tell me, will you have a spot of tea with me?" Jennifer, "Are you in the habit of picking up girls in the blackout?" Mitch, "Well, how can you say such a thing? How can you even think such a thing?" Jennifer, "Are you trying to tell me you're not trying to pick me up?" Mitch, "Well, no, of course not."
Jennifer, "Why does she keep staring at me in that way?" Mitch, "You're wearing her dress."
Mitch, "Oh, you got me wrong, Red. I'm strictly a one-woman man." Jennifer, "One at a time, you mean."