Television and War

The Good War and the Cold War

At least 16 military-based television series aired between 1949 and 1960, including the critically acclaimed Crusade in Europe and Victory at Sea, and the long-running Navy Log, The Big Picture, and The Phil Silvers Show. Documentaries in the 1950s helped establish World War II as the “good war” and highlighted contemporary issues and events in the early years of the Cold War. Regardless of format, all shows consistently provided a flattering and positive view of the armed [Page 829]forces. Crusade in Europe (1949) marked the first major television documentary and the first show dedicated to the military. Based on Dwight D. Eisenhower's memoir, it relived World War II and portrayed American troops as brave, skilled, and heroic. The success of Crusade in Europe prompted Crusade in the Pacific in 1951. Crusade in the Pacific extended its coverage of World War II to comment on contemporary operations in Korea.

The popular and critically acclaimed documentary Victory at Sea (1952–53) reinforced the idea of the “good war.” Based on the work of historian Samuel Eliot Morison, Victory at Sea recounted the U.S. Navy's role in World War II and added a distinct Cold War perspective. Victory at Sea can be described as self-righteously moralizing, in that it implied an American consensus about issues and highlighted America's innocence and liberation of the oppressed. Victory at Sea proved so popular that it aired on television and in theaters around the world. The Army created its own successful documentary series, The Big Picture (1953–59). The Army provided the 828 episodes to network television free of charge, and reruns aired until 1971.

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