Magic at War

During wartime, cinema remained an extremely popular pastime. In Britain alone, between 25 and 30 million cinema tickets were sold each week.  Movies provided war-weary audiences an escape from the turbulence and sacrifice of war, while also providing an opportunity for nations to boost morale, through government-funded propaganda films.  The epic American film  Gone With The Wind  (1940) was the smash hit of the war, but British films such as  In Which We Serve  (1942) and  Millions Like Us  (1943) were also highly successful.     Magic-related plots, scenes, or magician characters were a steady feature in films released during World War Two. Here's a selection : The Magician's Daughter (1938). Playing in British cinemas in the summer of 1939, as war was breaking out across Europe, The Magician's Daughter is a 'movie short' made by MGM Pictures.  Billed as a "miniatu re musical" the title character falls in love with a magaz...

1st Lieutenant George H. Cannon was the first U.S. Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War Two. The medal is the U.S. government's highest and most prestigious military decoration for acts of valour by American service personnel. In high school, George Cannon was in the magic club and retained a keen interest in magic as he went off to university. He studied engineering at the University of Michigan, graduating in 1938, before joining the U.S. Marine Corps as an officer candidate. He commissioned and, with war imminent, was sent to Midway Island in the Pacific, arriving on 11 September 1941. The Midway Atoll, as its name suggests, lies nearly halfway between Hawaii and Tokyo. It was vital base for the likely impending conflict between the United States and Japan.  On Sunday 7 December, 1941, Cannon, age 26, was assigned as platoon leader of H Battery of the 6th  Defense Battalion. His task was to defend a critical power station on Sand Island.  1st Lieutena...