Historical Context: July, 1943

Patrons of Bob’s Theatre in Twin Bridges, Montana were offered Number 13  of the 28 Blondie films July 23-24, 1943. Fans expecting to see Blondie Buys a Horse may have been disappointed when the movie screen opened with the title It’s a Great Life (See MOVIE FACTS).

The number of military-based films shown in mid-’43 reflect the times as World War II approached its second full year for the Allies.

Historically, The Tule Lake Segregation Center in California was created by order of the U.S. Department of War. It was one of 10 internment camps for U.S. citizens with Japanese ancestry. The California camp was specifically for Japanese classified as “disloyal” to the U.S. The loyalty test was based on several factors: those who had formally asked for repatriation to Japan and had not retracted their applications before July 1, 1943; persons who had failed to answer or declined to agree to serve in the U.S. armed forces if called; and any other persons who were, in the opinion of a camp director, not loyal to the United States.