Nazis Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Aug222013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

GFS Home Movies: The Stranger (1946)

The storytelling device of the Nazi hunter in search of German war criminals scattered to the four winds after World War II has been around so long, it's hard to imagine a time when it was really fresh. And so it must have seemed especially visceral for audiences to watch Orson Welles' 1946 film noir classic The Stranger, released just 17 days after the first anniversary of V-E Day. The central plot of The Stranger concerns Mr. Wilson (the ever-brilliant Edward G. Robinson) of the United Nations War Crimes Commission and his hunt for the infamous Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. Wilson releases a German prisoner and confederate of Kindler, Konrad Meinike (Konstantin Shayne), in the hopes that he will lead him to Kindler. Before long the story shifts to the bucolic New England town o

May222013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

A Gallery of World War II Superhero Comic Book Covers

Capsules, Ephemera

In modern times, comic book superheroes tend to view armed conflict with a healthy dose of skepticism regardless of which side they're on. But that wasn't the case during World War II, when costumed do-gooders from Superman all the way down to the lowliest nobody of a crime fighter eagerly signed up to wallop the Axis powers on behalf of Uncle Sam. And hey, if they had to deal in period racism to get the job done, who were we to question that? So just in time for Memorial Day, here's a gallery of vintage WWII-era Golden Age comic book covers showing our heroes fighting the Nazis and the Japanese on behalf of Uncle Sam. Many of these images were sourced from the excellent Digital Comic Museum -- check 'em out!

Jun62012 by GrayflanneltumblrNo Comments

Images of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy — June 6, 1944

History, Photography

The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 (D-Day), beginning at 6:30 am British Double Summer Time (GMT+2). In planning, D-Day was the term used for the day of actual landing, which was dependent on final approval.

May32012 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Dear America: STFU. Love, Uncle Sam

Ephemera, History

World War II posters come in many varieties, but one that's recently caught my eye are exhortations to American civilians and military personnel to shut up.

Aug32011 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Kiss

Sep102010 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Book report: The Murrow Boys: Pioneers on the Front Lines of Broadcast Journalism

Books

It's hard to imagine, especially for those of my generation or younger, but broadcast news was not always a wasteland of vacuous celebrity gossip, shallow political "analysis", or crude sensationalism. There was in fact a time when the men and women who called themselves broadcast journalists were actually journalists first, broadcasters secondly. A time when networks valued the insight and knowledge these broadcasters brought, with not nearly as much regard for profit. And for a period of almost 20 years starting in the late 1930s, there was one group of broadcast journalists more insightful, knowledgeable, professional, and popular than all others. They were the Murrow Boys, started and led by the legendary Edward R. Murrow. While most people still know his name, the names of the

Oct232009 by Chris Holmes2 Comments

Venture Bros. wrapup: “Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel”

TV & Radio

So hey, I'm a little late on this review. I know that seems inexcusable since it is the season premiere, but my damn DVR didn't record this when it was supposed to. And if it's not on my DVR, it doesn't exist. But enough of that...VENTURE BROS. IS BACK!!%$#! I think the question I asked as season 3 ended - in what direction do Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer want to take this show? - has been answered, at least on the basis of "Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel". They're going to get even deeper into the show's characters, while at the same time strengthening their geek cred. And we're also going to get plenty of laughs. So we got that going for us, which is nice. (more…)

Aug42008 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Album cover of the week: Underground

Album Cover of the Week

Thelonious Monk isn't the first name you think of when conjuring up images of the French Resistance movement during World War II (it isn't even the 100th name, in fact), yet it was precisely that motif that was used for his under-appreciated 1968 album, Underground. And that motif turned out to be so good that it took the Grammy for Best Album Cover in 1969. Even more notable than this evocative image (featuring a tied-up Nazi, no less) is the fact that Underground was one of the first Monk albums in years to contain so much new material, and was also one of the last he recorded in the studio before largely disappearing from public view throughout the 1970s.

Jul102008 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Book report: The ODESSA File

Books

Having only ever read one other Frederick Forsyth book (his 1971 debut, The Day of the Jackal), I had high hopes for The ODESSA File. And while it isn't quite the classic that his first novel is, it's a damn fine yarn just the same. It did prove, without a doubt, that the greatness of Jackal was not a fluke. Of course, his long and successful career proves that too, but I digress. The story takes place in 1963-64 and centers on a young freelance German reporter, Peter Miller. Miller drives a flashy car, makes a lot of money, and sleeps with a stripper. He knows little of the Nazi atrocities committed during World War II and, like many Germans of his generation, really doesn't want to know much. That all changes when, totally by chance, he comes into possession of a diary wri

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