To the Shores of Tripoli (1942, USA) – This is neither one of those military training stories where the likeable rebel successfully undermines authority, nor one of those where the immature punk learns to be a man. John Payne stays unlikeable right until the end, where he drops out of the Marine Corps, then decides to rejoin anyway because of Pearl Harbor. Curious. Perhaps the message is that even the worst people are marching to war, so what’s your excuse? Watched it all, and it’s all worth it for this WTF-moment:

In Old California (1942, USA) – Cheerful, clever Bostonian John Wayne arrives in Sacramento, where he challenges the local king, a cross between Elmer Fudd and Frank Burns. The ladies start fighting over him, and the usual showdown approaches. Watched: 39 minutes.

Larceny, Inc. (1942, USA) – Yet another Edward G. Robinson gangster movie. I’m beginning to hate that guy. Watched: 8 minutes.

Pittsburgh (1942, USA) – John Wayne, Randolph Scott and Marlene Dietrich display entrepeneurial spirit in a coal town. Watched: 12 minutes.

The Undying Monster (1942, USA) – The old family Monster threatens the brother and sister in the spooky mansion. Watched: 16 minutes, then fast forwarded to the end, to see the monster, a bewildered werewolf.

The First of the Few (1942, UK) – In a flashback from the time of the Blitz, we learn the story of R. J. Mitchell, the man who designed the Spitfire. It’s the traditional story of genius overcoming opposition. Watched: 45 minutes.