As Hitler marched through Europe, Hollywood kept a smile resolutely plastered to its face.
In industry news, 1940 saw the film debuts of Abbott and Costello, Woody Woodpecker, and Tom and Jerry. Preston Sturges made his directorial debut with The Great McGinty. Disney’s groundbreaking Fantasia introduced a stereo-like’, multi-channel soundtrack (an optical ‘surround-sound’ soundtrack printed on a separate 35mm reel from the actual video portion of the film). Many critics call this year’s The Stranger on the Third Floor, starring Peter Lorre, the first film noir. The first agents began to assemble creative talent and stories in exchange for a percentage of the film’s profits.
In the United States, the very first McDonald’s restaurant opened in San Bernardino, California. The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was signed into law, creating the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. The United States imposed a total embargo on all scrap metal shipments to Japan. In November’s election, Roosevelt defeated Wendell Willkie to become America’s first and only third-term president. In December, he laid out his plan to send aid to Great Britain that would become known as Lend-Lease and declared that the United States must become “the great arsenal of democracy.”
In World news, Hitler invaded Norway, Denmark (April 9), the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg (May 10), and France (May 12). Churchill became Britain’s prime minister and the Battle of Britain began. Leon Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico on August 20. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were annexed by the USSR. Japan occupied French Indochina.
Oscar winners for 1940
All 1940 films nominated for Academy Awards
