While “The Dirty Dozen” is fiction, there were many actual covert operations in World War II.  Tune in to hear about some of the real-life stories that inspired the movie.

“Train them! Excite them! Arm them! . . . Then turn them loose on the Nazis!” read a marketing slogan for 1967’s “The Dirty Dozen.” The “Service on Celluloid” panel’s mission this week is to explore the real WWII history behind the blockbuster film’s wild story. 

In this week’s follow-up to our “Catch-22” episode, we dive into the realities of the air war over Europe and learn how it was far from glorious.

In 1970, Roger Ebert had some harsh words for the Mike Nichols-directed cinematic version of Joseph Heller's WWII classic: "'Catch-22’ the movie is essentially a parasite, depending on the novel for its vitality.” Will our panel agree?

In this companion minisode to our discussion of the Home Front melodrama “Tender Comrade,” we hear firsthand accounts of wartime work from Betty Reid Soskin (California's Kaiser Shipyards) and Rosemary Elfer (Higgins Industries in New Orleans).

A vehicle for Ginger Rogers to inspire patriotism on the Home Front, 1944's "Tender Comrade" later had unintended consequences for its writer and director. The "Service on Celluloid" panel explores the stories behind the story. 

This week we follow our episode on “The Pianist” with firsthand accounts from Holocaust survivor and piano prodigy Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson (pictured).

This week our panel sits down with Sara Abosch-Jacobson from The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum to discuss 2002’s “The Pianist” starring Adrien Brody as Wladyslaw Szpilman.

This week we hear from veterans Raymond Wells and Joseph Hochadel (pictured) as they recount their experiences at the battles of Monte Cassino and San Pietro, as seen in “The Story of G.I. Joe.”

General Dwight D. Eisenhower referred to "The Story of GI Joe" as "the greatest war picture I've ever seen." Will the "Service on Celluloid" panelists agree?