https://www.bdcmuseum.org.uk/explore/item/24487/
Looking through the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum archive, we have come across an interesting piece of material. A press cutting of Gracie Fields, a well-known actress, singer and comedienne of the 1940s, who used to sing to troops during World War Two. This is an extract from a British newspaper dating around 1940. During the war, Gracie Fields, while hailing of a heavy breakdown she had before the war was declared, defied her doctor’s orders and flew all around the continent singing and telling jokes to British troops, boosting their morale and entertaining them, all documented through newspaper articles that were then read throughout the nation.
Singing in 1939, during World War Two, Gracie Fields became an icon of hope and sanctuary for the troops who were in the midst of air raids. Therefore, there was great importance in creating this document for the soldiers as it recognises the profound influence of performance and cinema on mood and opinion in a positive sense, exemplified by troops who are seen cheering and clapping after her performance. Further, considering she was the first artist to play behind enemy lines in Berlin, this document was perhaps created as propaganda for the public to encourage their support towards the war-effort.
Gracie Fields was a popular British actress, singer and music hall performer in the 1930s and 1940s, during the course of the second world war, starring in many films during this time. Fields was made a Commander of the Order of the British empire (CBE) for Services and Entertainment in 1938. Cinema in Britain had been more popular than ever during the time of the second world war and people would attend the cinema as a form of escape and entertainment. Many propaganda films were made during this time as a morale booster for the troops. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister during the war, would encourage film directors to base their films around the topic of war to boost morale. Fields would sing to millions of the British soldiers in the midst of the air raids and also families in order to entertain them. She became known as the forces’ sweetheart, appearing on a poster which was titled ‘Our Gracie’.
However, what this source is unable to tell us is the reaction it garnered from general audiences and the number of people who viewed this primarily. Furthermore, the source is partially limited because it is taken out of context and therefore we are unable to conclude what its scope was and what effect it had on cinema during the Second World War, whether that was from a cinematic perspective or when measuring its cultural significance. If one knew where it was shown and to whom, one could better interpret the source for these different factors.
This is a very solid and compelling response to this week’s task. It is well-written, with only a few minor errors in evidence and features an intriguing album image of Fields that speaks to both domestic and American audiences alike (or at least gives the impression of her having the ears of both). Additionally, you have contextualised your answer well and taken time to research Gracie Fields and the role she played during the war. It is indeed difficult to precisely gauge the impact of the press cutting in question without seeing it first hand in the BDCM. Another point of course, is that we don’t know what newspaper it was printed in, a factor which would give us a much clearer insight into both its intended audience and the number of people who may have read it.