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?

 

 

 

 

 

Great films of 1939: "The Women" July 23 at the Daystar Center

Great films of 1939: The Women
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Chicago, IL
When: July 23, 2016
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

The Women (1939) features an all-star female cast directed by George Cukor in the film version of Clare Boothe's Broadway play. Set among the pampered Park Avenue set played by Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard, Mary Boland and Norma Shearer. Joan Crawford plays the manipulative Crystal Allen out to steal Mary Haine's (Shearer) husband so she can live on Park Avenue too. The film has the added dynamic of the real-life professional rivalry between stars Crawford and Shearer.

Director George Cukor (center) with cast of The Women

The Women has been remade as a musical in 1956 and updated in 2008, but neither version holds a candle to the original.

In 2007, the film was voted to the National Film Registry for preservation.

Part of the “Great movies of 1939” series. Discover some of the greatest movies from Hollywood’s most famous year.

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Daystar Center located at 1550 S. State St. works through a grassroots network of collaborations and partnerships with individuals and other nonprofit organizations. Through this web, they’re able to provide educational, cultural, and civic activities that enrich and empower their clients, guests, and community members. To learn more about classes and events offered at the Daystar Center, please visit their Web site.

Merry Christmas!

Is there a present under the tree for us, Paulette?

Mitchell Leisen: The Best Director Nobody Knows

Mitchel Leisen's trademark signature

Sometimes history isn’t always fair. For example, there are movie directors and actors, who in their day, were enormously famous and successful, but for whatever reasons are almost forgotten today.

Paramount Director
Such is the case with Mitchell Leisen (1898-1972), a top director during Hollywood’s golden age. As a contract director at Paramount, he worked with all the top stars during that period: Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray, Jack Benny, Fredric March, Ray Milland, Marlene Dietrich, and Barbara Stanwyck.

Fred MacMurray

Early Commercial Success
Best known for his elegant romantic comedies, Leisen also excelled at action and melodramatic films. Leisen got his start as an art director and costume designer. Working under famed director Cecil B. DeMille, Leisen received his one and only Academy Award nomination for his art direction of Dynamite in 1930.  He eventually worked his way up the ladder, directing his first film, Cradle Song, in 1933. The next year, Leisen directed two popular films Death Takes a Holiday and Murder at the Vanities. In 1935, he knocked one out of the park with Hands Across the Table. This landmark romantic comedy made Carole Lombard a superstar and established Fred MacMurray as a top leading man. During the rest of the 1930s, Leisen made some of the most commercial films at Paramount, including Swing High, Swing Low which was the studio’s biggest moneymaker in 1937. That same year, he directed the classic Easy Living starring Jean Arthur. Leisen topped off the decade with the delightful Midnight starring Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche. This romantic comedy, one of the many great films released in 1939, unfortunately does not have the status of some of its less-worthy, but better-known contemporaries.

The Fabulous Forties

Claudette Colbert

During the next decade, Leisen produced more winners for Paramount. In 1940, he directed the classic Remember the Night starring Stanwyck and MacMurray. The sensitive Hold Back the Dawn (1941) provided Olivia de Haviland with one of her best film roles up to that time. Leisen’s masterful direction helped de Haviland receive her first Best Actress Academy Award nomination. Later in the decade, he would direct de Haviland in her Oscar-winning performance for To Each His Own (1946). In 1944, Leisen was trusted with directing two big-budget Technicolor productions: Lady in the Dark starring Ginger Rodgers and Frenchman’s Creek starring Joan Fontaine. Both films were huge commercial successes and both focused on the talent and beauty of the female leads. As Dona St. Columb, Joan Fontaine never looked more beautiful. In 1945 Leisen directed Paulette Goddard to one of her biggest commercial and critical successes in Kitty. After seeing Goddard in that film, French film director, Jean Renoir decided to cast her as the lead in Diary of a Chambermaid the following year.

Paramount's George Cukor
Leisen, like George Cukor, at MGM, had a reputation for his direction of women. A generation of leading ladies at Paramount owe Leisen a great debt. Many did their best work under his direction. For others, he crafted popular vehicles ideally tailored to their personalities.

TV Director
His success as a director continued into the early 1950s. Leisen’s last popular success was The Mating Season (1952) starring Gene Tierney, John Lund, and the Oscar-nominated Thelma Ritter. After The Girl Most Likely in 1958, with movie projects nonexistent, Leisen turned his attention to television, directing episodes of popular shows like the Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.

Of all the directors to come out of the studio system, Mitchell Leisen was one of the best. And one day, I hope, he’ll receive the recognition and honor he deserves.