''The Tanks Are Coming'' is a 1941 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

. It is primarily a recruitment film, but can also be regarded as a propaganda film or a documentary with some light relief. Like ''

Dive Bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

'' (of the same year) it is a pre-

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

film, made with the co-operation of the relevant branch of the US armed forces, showing off US military material to the US public, in lavish Technicolor. This material is shown in motion, both on the road and in the field; training equipment and methods are also featured. It was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

at the 14th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).

Premise

New York taxicab driver Malowski (

George Tobias George Tobias (July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980) was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner K ...

) and his cab Betsy enlist in the "First Armored Force" and get caught up in large-scale mechanized maneuvers. The tanks featured in the short were the U.S Army's M2A4 light tank and the M2A1 medium tank.

Credited cast

as Malowski * William Travis (i.e.

Richard Travis Richard Charles Travis, (born Dickson Cornelius Savage; 6 April 1884 – 25 July 1918) was a New Zealand soldier who fought during the First World War and was posthumously decorated with the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry ...

) as Pete * Byron Barr ater_known_as_Gig_Young.html" ;"title="Gig_Young.html" ;"title="ater known as Gig Young">ater known as Gig Young">Gig_Young.html" ;"title="ater known as Gig Young">ater known as Gig Youngas Jim Allen * Frank Wilcox as Colonel

Production

A young Richard Egan (actor), Richard Egan appears uncredited in a few scenes and has a few lines. He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and achieved the rank of captain. He started his actual film career in 1949.

References

External links

* 1941 films 1941 documentary films 1941 short films American short documentary films American World War II propaganda shorts Documentary films about World War II Films about armoured warfare Warner Bros. short films Films scored by William Lava 1940s short documentary films Films directed by B. Reeves Eason 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{WWII-documentary-film-stub