This 1945 short subject, featuring a young Frank Sinatra striking a low-key blow for tolerance, is kind of a patriotic holiday tradition at my personal blog. It was written by Albert Maltz and features a moving title song that Sinatra would perform at political functions through the rest of his career. (It was eventually picked up Patti LaBelle.) It’s war time propaganda, and the attitude toward the Japanese might seem ironic or offensive now, but that’s the way things were. All I know for sure is that this gets me every time.
[Note: The tune Sinatra sings at a recording session in the opening is not his best. You may want to skip to about 2:40, when Frank decides to go out for a smoke.]
Today, the kid being chased at the opening would be Islamic, I think.
