Home they brought their warriors!

The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 ushered a sea change in the life of Americans. Most able-bodied men enlisted for war and were shipped to distant shores to fight the enemy. The country, therefore, faced an acute shortage of skilled manpower at home. One of the areas that suffered the most was housing. The building industry, stripped of skilled labor, found it difficult to keep up the pace it had generated in the years just prior to America's full-fledged participation in the war.

Thus, when the war was over, the victorious army returned home only to be confronted by another challenge - the lack of adequate housing.

This informative DVD deals with the post-war housing crisis and the efforts of government agencies to solve the problem.

Problems of Housing
This film promotes the notion that while many people cannot afford expensive houses, they can do a lot to improve the ones that they lived in. It suggests easy ways of improving basic necessities - weather control, light, safety, fire and appearance.

Sponsor: N/A
Producer: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films
Year: 1944
Length: 00:10:42
Audio: Mono
Color: BLACK &WHITE

Ceiling on Your Homes
This film deals with the economic factors affecting postwar deflation and the benefits of rent control at a time when war veterans were returning home from battlefields in Europe, Africa and Asia. It appeals to the public to assist in retail price control and help solve the difficulties World War II veterans had to face in locating jobs and housing.

Sponsor: U.S. Office of Price Administration
Producer: Pathescope, New York
Year: 1945
Length: 00:12:04
Audio: Mono
Color: BLACK &WHITE

Home for Veterans
This film examines the shortage of homes in the United States immediately after World War II and suggests workable solutions for this pressing need.

Sponsor: U.S. National Housing Agency
Producer: Century Productions
Year: 1946
Length: 00:28:15
Audio: Mono
Color: BLACK &WHITE

Every Minute Counts
This film aims at training managers to get the best out of their workers and suggests several ways of achieving this objective through dramatized reenactments.

Sponsor: U.S. Office of Education
Producer: Division of Visual Aids U. S. Office of Education
Year: 1944
Length: 00:10:14
Audio: Mono
Color: BLACK &WHITE

Running Time:
DVD One : 01:05:21

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Soldiers returning home from World War II were ecstatic. Visions of happy reunions with families after years of war had blotted the gory scenes of death and destruction from their minds. Dreams of happy days ahead with friends and family filled their nights. The euphoria, sadly, was short lived. No sooner had they finished embracing wives and loved ones than the reality of the situation hit them - they had returned home only to find that they did not have one!

The superbly directed films on this DVD capture the gloom that surrounded the victorious heroes on their return to the United States due to the acute shortage of houses. The scenes of five to six families crammed into a single apartment evidence the grievousness of the situation.

Vivid reenactments of couples on a house hunt mixed cleverly with live clips of jubilant soldiers returning home capture the bitter disappointment and utter helplessness of families in the middle of this post-war crisis.

While portraying the quick response of the government agencies in an imaginative manner, the films also highlight the quick-fix solutions offered by various agencies. Statistics and graphics used to illustrate action plans provide an insight into the efforts of government agencies in seeking practical solutions to the housing dilemma.

The films have such true-life quality that I found myself sinking into a gloomy, desperate state of mind, wondering how I could help resolve the problem. Like every other patriotic American, I was convinced that our war heroes deserved a better deal on their return home. Some of the gloom, however, lifted when I witnessed the ambitious plans the government had for providing affordable, yet comfortable housing.

All in all, I found the films on this DVD to be a well researched and based on a deep sense of appreciation and concern for our war heroes. My own understanding of the housing crisis went up quite a few notches and I will not hesitate to recommend this DVD to anybody who may harbor an interest in the post-war history of the United States.

CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS:

"I belong to the third post-war generation of Americans, and live in a comfortable suburb not far from a bustling down town area. I was shocked to see the plight of soldiers on their return home. It must have been a very stressful time for everybody and very frustrating for young couples wishing to make up for lost time. The fact that we are so comfortably placed today in terms of housing speaks volumes of the efforts made by the government to correct the situation. The patriotism of our soldiers was tested a second time when they returned home, and I dare say they passed this test with flying colors as well!"

Customer's Name : Angelina Neilson (San Antonio, Texas)

"I was really fascinated by the clip entitled "Every Minute Counts". I used to be a foreman in a lumber company soon after the war. Those were early days and a lot of my workers were still recovering from the after effects of the action they had witnessed in the war. Some were new to the trade and many new to civilian way of life. I recall the many situations similar to the ones witnessed in this clip in dealing with my fellow workers. I wish I had viewed this film then. It would have helped me deal with certain situations in a very different manner than I did! Oh yes, I appreciate the other clips on this DVD as well."

Customer's Name : Sam West (Irvine, California)

There is no risk when you order
History of World War II - The American Housing Crisis DVD

We can make this offer because we know
you will love this amazing DVD!

General Packaging Description:
Our professionally-produced DVDs are shipped in retail Amaray style DVD cases just like you would find in a store. These beautifully packaged DVDs make great gifts and are themselves works of art. While we offer some of the best prices anywhere, we have never sacrificed quality for price.