The Three Queens of Paramount: Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, and Veronica Lake star in “So Proudly We Hail”

So Proudly We Hail! (1943) is an American war film directed and produced by Mark Sandrich and starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, and Veronica Lake. The cinematography was by Charles Lang, and the music was by Miklos Rozsa.

The film follows a group of U.S. Army nurses stationed in the Pacific during the early days of World War II. The story is told through a series of flashbacks as one of the nurses, Lieutenant Janet “Davy” Davidson (Colbert), is being evacuated back to the States. She recounts the harrowing experiences she and her fellow nurses endured, starting with their idyllic pre-war lives and their subsequent deployment to the Philippines. The film portrays the close-knit bonds that form among the nurses as they face the brutal realities of war, including the constant threat of Japanese attacks and the overwhelming casualties they must tend to.

The main plot focuses on the nurses’ heroic efforts to care for wounded soldiers during the Battle of Bataan and the subsequent Fall of Corregidor. Led by their compassionate chief nurse, Captain Olivia D’Arcy, the women demonstrate incredible resilience and bravery while working in makeshift hospitals under deplorable conditions. The film highlights the personal sacrifices they make, including those to their own health and well-being, in service to their country. Romantic subplots emerge, with Davy falling in love with a dashing soldier named Lieutenant John Summers, adding a layer of emotional complexity to the narrative.

Ultimately, the film serves as a powerful tribute to the courage and selflessness of military nurses. It chronicles their struggles and triumphs, from their initial arrival in the Pacific to their eventual capture and internment by the Japanese. The movie’s final scenes depict the stark contrast between their valiant service and the grim reality of their fate, emphasizing the tremendous human cost of war. So Proudly We Hail! is a classic example of a wartime propaganda film, designed to honor the contributions of women in the armed forces and boost morale on the home front.

 

Colbert, Goddard, and Lake

Mark Sandrich (1900–1945) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter best known for directing a series of successful Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals at RKO Pictures in the 1930s. A notable example is Top Hat (1935), which is widely regarded as the duo's best film. Sandrich began his career in the film industry as a prop man before moving on to direct comedy shorts and eventually feature films. In the 1940s, he also worked as a producer on films he directed, including the highly successful musical Holiday Inn (1942), which featured the debut of the iconic song "White Christmas," and the patriotic war drama So Proudly We Hail! (1943). His career was cut short when he died suddenly from a heart attack at age 44 while working on the film Blue Skies (1946).

 

Claudette Colbert (1903 -1996) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Ellie Andrews in Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934). For her role in that film, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was nominated two other times in that category. Colbert got her start in the theater, where she played a variety of ingenue roles. In 1928, she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures, where she quickly made a succession of movies. Her breakout role came in 1932 in The Sign of the Cross (1932) starring Fredric March and Charles Laughton. In 1934, she made three films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: Imitation of Life, Cleopatra, and the eventual winner, It Happened One Night. No one had been able to match that record. Other popular films include I Met Him in Paris (1937), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Midnight (1939), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Since You Went Away (1944), and The Egg and I (1947).

Paulette Goddard (1905–1990) was an American actress who rose to fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Born Marion Pauline Levy, she began her career as a child model and then became a Ziegfeld Girl on Broadway. She moved to Hollywood and gained attention for her relationship with Charlie Chaplin, who cast her as the female lead in Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940). Goddard went on to become a major star for Paramount Pictures, appearing in popular films such as The Cat and the Canary (1939) and Reap the Wild Wind (1942). She earned her only Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as an army nurse in So Proudly We Hail! (1943). Her life after Hollywood included her marriage to writer Erich Maria Remarque and a legacy of philanthropy.

Veronica Lake (1922 - 1973) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She was a popular star of film noirs, often paired with Alan Ladd in the 1940s. She was also famous for her peek-a-boo hairstyle. Her home studio, Paramount, dubbed her the peek-a-boo girl. Women and girls all over the world copied her hair-over-one-eye hairstyle. Lake became an overnight sensation with her role in I Wanted Wings (1940). During the height of her career, Lake was making $4,500 a week. Some of her popular films include Sullivan’s Travels (1941),  This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), So Proudly We Hail! (1943), and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Lake’s career declined due to her struggle with alcoholism. She died from cirrhosis of the liver in 1973. She was 50 years old.

 

So Proudly We Hail trivia

• Claudette Colbert was 39, Paulette Goddard was 32, and Veronica Lake was 20 during the film’s release.
• Lake, in keeping with Army regulations, changed her famous “peek-a-boo” hairstyle. She let her hair down only once toward the end of the film.
• Goddard was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. It was her one and only nomination. The film was nominated for three other Academy Awards.
• Paramount went to great lengths to ensure the film’s accuracy.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on September 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. How does the film’s narrative structure, which incorporates flashbacks from Janet Davidson’s perspective, affect the viewer's emotional connection to the characters and the events?
2. In what ways does “So Proudly We Hail!” serve as both a tribute to military nurses and a piece of wartime propaganda? Consider the portrayal of gender roles, patriotism, and the enemy.
3. Discuss the different types of relationships depicted in the film—friendships among the nurses, romantic relationships, and the professional dynamics with the soldiers and doctors. How do these relationships evolve under the stress of war?
4. The film often contrasts moments of intense combat and suffering with quieter scenes of camaraderie and personal reflection. How does this juxtaposition contribute to the film’s overall message about the human experience of war?