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With victory over the Germans within their grasp, the three Allied leaders held a conference in the Soviet town of Yalta in February 1945, for the purpose of discussing Europe's reorganization after World War II. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin decided that Germany — as well as its capital city, Berlin — would be divided into four occupied zones. Wanting to limit the Communist influence in Europe, Roosevelt and Churchill also called for elections in areas freed from the Germans. Stalin agreed to these terms, but no plans were made for when the elections would take place. (from left to right) Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin during the Yalta Conference; Berlin's four zones of occupation.   After Roosevelt's death in April 1945 and the transfer of power to President Harry S. Truman, tensions began to mount between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was due ...

On December 7, 1941, as World War II was raging on in Europe, the Imperial Japanese Navy led a surprise military strike against the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Commencing at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian Time, the attack was carried out by 353 Japanese fighter planes, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launching from six aircraft carriers. All eight U.S. Navy battleships stationed at the base were damaged, with four sunk. All but Arizona , which exploded beyond repair after being hit by four armour-piercing bombs, were later raised and six were returned to service for the remainder of the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. In addition, 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,430 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded. The attack on Pearl Harbor came as a profound shock to the American people and led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to declare war on Japan on December 8. Three da...

Directed by Tay Garnett, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) begins when drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) stops at the rural Twin Oaks diner for a meal and ends up accepting a job offer from its middle-aged, alcoholic owner, Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). He is immediately intrigued by Nick's young wife, Cora (Lana Turner), with whom he soon becomes involved in a passionate love affair. They run away together when Nick is out of town, but only travel a short distance, as Cora cannot face a penniless future with Frank. Determined to continue her furtive romance and make a better life for herself, Cora convinces Frank to help her kill her husband, so she can cash in on his insurance money.   After a failed attempt to kill Nick in the bathtub, Frank and Cora stage a car accident, unaware that District Attorney Kyle Sackett (Leon Ames) has been following them. Although Sackett arrives on the scene too late to save Nick, he is certain that Cora and Frank are the culprits. Without...

For my last Oscar-themed «Film Friday» I decided to bring you the Best Picture winner of 1947. This was the second Gregory Peck film I saw — the first was Designing Woman (1957) — and my first time seeing both John Garfield and Dorothy McGuire on screen. Directed by Elia Kazan, Gentleman's Agreement (1947) tells the story of Philip Schuyler Green (Gregory Peck), a widowed journalist who moves to New York City with his son Tommy (Dean Stockwell) and mother (Anne Revere) to work for a magazine called Smith's Weekly . His publisher, John Minify (Albert Dekker), wants him to write a series of articles on the subject of anti-Semitism. The project was suggested by Minify's divorced niece Kathy Lacey (Dorothy McGuire), with whom Phil soon falls in love. In order to get genuine insight into the matter, Phil, a gentile, decides to adopt a Jewish identity («Phil Greenberg») and write about his first-hand experiences in an article entitled «I Was Jewish For Six Months.»  As Phil ...