By 1941, World War II had consumed nations, with war raging across the globe. It seemed the world might split in two. Major battles dominated the headlines: Operation Barbarossa, the U.S. and British Counter-Offensive in Africa, the Battle of the Atlantic, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces.
U.S. Senator Harry S. Truman famously remarked about Germany’s brutal invasion of the Soviet Union: “If we see that Germany is winning, we ought to help Russia, and if Russia is winning, we ought to help Germany, and that way let them kill as many as possible, although I don’t want to see Hitler victorious under any circumstances.”
Today, it’s hard to imagine any politician openly advocating — even rhetorically — for aiding an aggressor nation bent on world domination. Yet Truman’s statement reflects the fractured nature of World War II and the early 1940s.
Against this political upheaval, regular life carried on at home. Rosie the Riveters entered the workforce and defense industries, the government created the Office of War Information, and mass industrialization surged. Culture, music, and entertainment provided an escape while capturing wartime anxieties and supporting the war effort. So, what else happened in 1941? What about the rest of the year?
Household names
World War II was reflected in almost every part of American life. Posters, radio shows, and movies promoted the war effort, while women saved their nylon stockings and kids collected scrap metal. Ford Motor Company made thousands of B-24 bombers.
In 1941, America’s food needs were changing as well. Quick prep food like SPAM and corn dogs were developed to ease food shortages and make wartime cooking easier. M&Ms were invented to give soldiers chocolate that wouldn’t melt in their hands, and Cheerios entered households as “CheeriOats,” and were marketed to support the war effort.
1941 was also a banner year for culture and entertainment. Jazz legend Billie Holiday released her iconic song “God Bless the Child,” capturing the complex hope and realism of the time. In cinema, Mickey Rooney and Rita Hayworth were major box office stars, while Rebecca won Best Picture at the Oscars, despite Alfred Hitchcock losing to John Ford for The Grapes of Wrath.
Abbott and Costello’s film Buck Privates debuted, giving audiences a much-needed laugh. Equally popular was Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour, who entertained audiences with Road to Zanzibar from their popular “road” films. And the Marx Brothers starred in The Big Store, declaring it to be their final film, only to return in 1946.
Spies, Suspicion, and Cinema
Even before the 1940s, Hollywood was dabbling with spy movies. In 1939, Warner Brothers had released Confessions of a Nazi Spy, which was based on real FBI investigations into German espionage activities in the US. While some critics argued the film might endanger America’s neutrality, others praised its patriotic messaging.
But by 1941, Americans were keenly aware of spies and wartime intrigue, and Hollywood tapped directly into those anxieties. After Pearl Harbor, espionage and war themes were suddenly everywhere and audiences couldn’t get enough. Thrillers like Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion and noir like The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart became instant classics; while spy movies like Saboteur, Sahara, and Casablanca fed the public’s appetite for danger and spycraft.
Best selling books in 1941
Literature also captured the disparate zeitgeist of 1941, from the stark realism of For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway to the whimsy of Curious George by H.A. and Margret Ray. In that same spirit, The Serpent Bearer by Jane Rosenthal is a gripping take on books about 1941. Part spy thriller, part romance, The Serpent Bearer follows the lives of reckless men and women swept up by the dangerous political currents in the years before and during WWII. Perfect for fans of Kelly Rimmer’s The German Wife and Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network.