F.M.P.U [First Motion Picture Unit] at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Though generally known as the 'First Motion Picture Unit', or F.M.P.U., the unit was formed in 1942 as the 18th Air Force Base Unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps, to produce training films, morale films, and propaganda films. The operation was eventually located at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California, which was called 'Fort Roach'; the abbreviation F.M.P.U. was/is pronounced 'fum-poo'.

Soon after the United States was propelled into active engagement in World War II, General 'Hap' Arnold, then head of the Army Air Force, saw the need to make films for training and for morale & propaganda, and he asked Warner Bros. studio head Jack L. Warner for help. Warner took Owen Crump with him to Washington DC, and the deal was struck.
The first F.M.P.U. production, "Winning Your Wings", was made at Warner's studio in Burbank, for the purpose of getting much-needed enlistments; the short film was released theatrically in May 1942, and is credited with 150,000 new recruits. Warner made the old Vitagraph studio in East Hollywood available, and new personnel were rapidly brought on board; a great many were exempted from the same basic training as other recruits, which made sense since most were seasoned Hollywood professionals. They soon outgrew the Vitagraph facility and moved to larger but still-cramped space in Hollywood.

While on business at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Culver City, Crump noticed the idle Hal Roach Studio nearby – Roach had been called to active duty and the studio shut down – and Warner made a deal with Roach to move F.M.P.U. to the empty Roach lot, leasing the property for a mere dollar. (This turned out to be an excellent move by Roach: aside from the tax benefits, the studio was in better physical shape when F.M.P.U. shut down at the end of the war than it was when the Army took over.)
Early arrivals assigned to F.M.P.U. were bivouaced nearby at a Boy Scout camp in the Baldwin Hills and in tents on the athletic field at the Pacific Military Academy in Palms, until arrangements could be made for other housing.

        The First Motion Picture Unit produced 400 films during the war, as well as millions of feet of film and still photos taken on the battlefields of Asia, Africa and Europe by the small Combat Camera Units. Some of the more notable films made by F.M.P.U. were William Wyler's "The Memphis Belle" and Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series.
        At its largest complement, F.M.P.U. had 1,110 personnel, not counting Combat Camera teams in the field, or technical experts on temporary assignment.
        During 1982, the remaining/surviving members of F.M.P.U. received local and national media attention on the 60th anniversary of the unit's founding.

Additions or corrections to this F.M.P.U. page can be reported
to G.E. Nordell via email

Capt. Robert L. Bendick, combat cameraman: credits at IMDb
Capt. Everett W. Cole.
Capt. Edwin 'Eddie' Gilbert [1907-76], writer: credits at IMDb
Capt. Oren W. Haglund: credits at IMDb
Capt. William Moody.
Capt. Dr. Pokorny, post physician

1Lt. Edward Anhalt, writer [1914-2000]: credits at IMDb
Lt. Wallace Bartosz.
Lt. Leon Becker, sound
1Lt. Bynum
Lt. Harry Harris, editorial.
1Lt. M.E. Hopt
1Lt. Irving Kumin.
Lt. William T. Orr [1917-2002], public relations: credits at IMDb
1Lt. Harold J. Tannenbaum [1897-1943], cinematographer: credits at IMDb

The Capra Touch book by Matthew C. Gunter

"The Capra Touch: A Study of the Director's Hollywood
Classics and War Documentaries, 1934-1945" [2011]
by Matthew C. Gunter
Mcfarland & Co. pb [8/2011] for $45.00

PFC Gilbert Neil 'Gil' Amelio [1904-?], Special Photo Effects.

REQUEST June 2006 from F.M.P.U. member Gil Amelio (Col. U.S.A.F., Ret.)
He is working on his memoirs and wants a copy (transferred to tape?)
of F.M.P.U.'s Oscar-nominated docu-feature "Resisting Enemy Interrogation" [1944].
If you can help him with this, contact him directly by email.

Sgt. ‘Stinky’ Staunch, lab tech at Warner Bros.
{was elevated to Warrant Officer and placed in charge of the men of F.M.P.U. in 1942}

Movie Star Soldiers
The list immediately below is of movie actors known to have served at F.M.P.U.
There is now an expanded list of Movie Star Soldiers (and Others) on another page, with U.S. & British & German actors,
directors, studio heads, even politicians who served in World War I, World War II, and the wars in Korea and VietNam.

Maj. Theodor Geisel [1904-91], Dept. Commander
{later/better known as Dr. Seuss}

Aviation Detail at Van Nuys Airport
aviation detail personnel of F.M.P.U. at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles during World War II

The PNG-file original of this cropped & re-sized photograph was contributed by Heather Z., the granddaughter of Cpl. Wennersten,
second from left in the back row; these men are the Aircraft Dept. crew assigned to Van Nuys Airport as part of F.M.P.U.;
the date is uncertain (the Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft in the distance were manufactured from 1941 to 1945).
The names are handwritten on the back of the original, and include both aircraft mechanics and camera operators.

Standing, from left to right:
Hassler from Long Beach, CA
Cpl. Kenneth R. Wennersten
TSgt. William G. Westwood of St. Petersburg, Florida
Lapp from Chicago
Cpl. Joseph E. Buchanan from Chicago
unidentified 'Hollywood man'
William Williams from Los Angeles
Hanson from Los Angeles
Canfield from Los Angeles

Front row, from left to right:
{unidentified}
PFC Lowell N. Dalton from Detroit, Michigan
Mark Gruber from Cass City, Michigan
Dan Yates from Pittsburgh, PA
SSgt. Anthony G. Riccobono of Detroit, Michigan
Cpl. William K. Flanders from Lyons, Georgia
Oscar Schindler from Los Angeles

aviation detail personnel of F.M.P.U. at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles in March 1944

Another photograph contributed by Heather Z., cropped & re-sized; these men are the Aircraft Dept. crew assigned to Van Nuys Airport as part
of F.M.P.U.; the date is March 1944; the bomber converted for aerial photography is a Douglas A-20 Havoc. The officers in front are mostly pilots,
the other men include both aircraft mechanics and camera operators. The names are handwritten on the back of the original.

Front row, kneeling, from left to right:
Capt. Gibbons, senior command pilot
Capt. Dutton C. Dutton, pilot
2Lt. Richardson, Airport Operations Officer
1Lt. Witney, Engineering Officer + pilot
Major Clarke, Commanding Officer + pilot
1Lt. Carothers, Asst. Engineering Officer + pilot
2Lt. Radler, Weights & Balance Officer + pilot
2Lt. Filbert, Supply Officer
Capt. Floyd Nolta, Operations Officer + pilot

Second row, standing, from left to right:
SSgt. Theodore H. Karpowicz
Jackson
Sgt. Eugene L. Bennett?
Sgt. Francis A. Panetta?
TSgt. Raymond Kwiatkowski
Sgt. Alvin M. Kohrs?
Hopkins
Sgt. Walter S. Rybaski
PFC Lowell N. Dalton
Mark Gruber
Cpl. William K. Flanders
Moore

Third row, standing, from left to right:
SSgt. Anthony G. Riccobono
Sgt. William B. Shanks
PFC Murl S. Cook?
SSgt. Emil C. Hansen, Jr.?
Cpl. Kenneth R. Wennersten
Cpl. Joseph E. Buchanan
Sgt. Eugene P. Araiza?
Hartian
TSgt. William G. Westwood

Missing from photo: Capt. Herbinger, Asst C.O. + pilot; 2Lt. Briant, pilot; and enlisted personnel Clark, Sgt. Alvin M. Denniston,
Cpl. Ralph B. Erwin, SSgt. Werner Fahl, Gianetti, MSgt. Henry E. Krupa, Lupp, Mills, TSgt. Bernard D. Nesius, and Shugart

Capt. David A. Thomas.
Lt. Charles S. Gekler.
2Lt. Sherwood A. Mark.
PFC George K. Kouklis, Jr. .
Sgt James B. Newton.
TSgt Anthony A. Russo.
Albert V. 'Al' Saldarini [b. 1921].
SSgt William J. Skeehan.

4th Combat Camera Unit - in Europe and Occupied Germany
After VE-Day, Gen. 'Hap' Arnold ordered Col. Owen Crump to document the bomb damage in Germany; the task fell to the 4th C.C.U.,
who took advantage of Occupation rules and filmed captured Hermann Göring, the death camps, anything & everything – in color!
The hundreds of hours of film exposed as part of 'Special Film Project 186' has never been shown because the Army Air Force
balked at the $1 million estimated cost to produce a series of documentary motion pictures. {See recent details below.}

"Land and Live In The Jungle" [1944]
"Land and Live In The Desert" [1945]
"Target Tokyo" [1945]

"Time To Kill" 23-minute short [1945] /tt0418240/
cast includes George Reeves, Barry Nelson, Don Taylor, DeForest Kelley & Betty White

"Target For Today" { no longer available from Antiquary Video }
"Operation of The Bombsight"
"Mental Attitude of The Soldier"
"How To Survive In The Arctic"

"Special Film Project 186" [never produced]
After VE-Day, Gen. 'Hap' Arnold ordered F.M.P.U.'s Col. Owen Crump to document the bomb damage in Germany; the task fell to the 4th C.C.U., who took advantage of Occupation rules and filmed captured Hermann Göring, the death camps, anything & everything – in color! The hundreds of hours of film exposed as part of 'Special Film Project 186' has never been shown because the Army Air Force balked at the $1 million cost estimated to produce a series of documentary motion pictures.

The company Motion Video, Inc. in Pennsylvania attempted to make a documentary called 'The Story of Special Film Project 186' about "the biggest color film project
of World War II – and the biggest unseen film of all time". The company appears to be defunct (and website broken) but their online promo is still there.
promo short [2min 50sec] for "The Story of Special Film Project 186"

"Hollywood Commandoes" [AMC tv special May 1997]
Co-produced, written & directed by Gregory Orr; hosted by Ron Reagan
video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb

Photograph & Artifact Gallery
If you can identify anyone in these photos or documents, please let the webmaster know

Visiting this webpage from outside the U.S.A.? It is possible to make purchases from these coded Amazon (USA) links
via other Amazon sites: just follow these instructions.

	"Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939–1945" [1987] by Michael S. Shull & David E. Wilt McFarland & Co. 9x6 pb [4/2004] for $38.50 McFarland & Co. 9½x6½ hardcover [10/87] out of print/used
	"Armed With Cameras: The American Military Photographers of World War II" [1993] by Peter Maslowski Free Press 9x6 pb [12/93] for $20.00 Free Press hardcover [10/93] out of print/used
	"When The Stars Went To War: Hollywood & World War II" [1994] by Roy Hoopes Random House 9½x6½ hardcover [12/94] out of print/many used Chapter 8 specifically addresses the service of eight movie stars who served in the military: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Robert Montgomery, James Stewart, Sterling Hayden, Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power & Wayne Morris – but other stars (male and female) are mentioned throughout the book.
	"Battle Eye: A History of American Combat Photography" [1996] by Norman B. Moyes Michael Friedman Publng pb [6/96] out of print/used
	"Gun Camera Footage Of World War II" [1999] by L. Douglas Keeney Avion Park pb [4/99] out of print/used
	"Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen" TV documentary {DreamWorks/A.B.C. Dec 2000] Written & directed by Richard Schickel Universal DVD [5/2004] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb
	"Gun Camera - World War II: Photography from Allied Fighters & Bombers Over Occupied Europe" [2001] by L. Douglas Keeney Motorbooks Intl 10x10¼ pb [1/2001] for $17.47
	"Out There In The Dark" [2006 novel] by Wesley Strick Hollywood in the late Thirties: B-actor Harley Hayden begins dating the daughter of the head of Superior Studios, who hires ex-cop detective Mike Roarke to check Harley's background. Refugee German director Dieter Seife (name changed to Derek Sykes) is asked to star Hayden in his next film; Dieter wants a better actor, so Hayden hires Roarke to investigate Dieter. War breaks out and both Harley and 'Derek' are drafted to work at the Army's First Motion Picture Unit in Culver City. St. Martin/Thomas Dunne 8¼x6 hardcover [2/2006] out of print/used
	"Military Intelligence and You!" [Pax Americana Pictures Oct 2006] A parody of WWII training films, such as those made by F.M.P.U., constructed by combining 60-year-old government footage with modern high-definition video. Co-produced, written & directed by Dale Kutzera; starring Patrick Muldoon, Elizabeth Bennett, Mackenzie Astin, John Rixey Moore, Eric Jungmann, with archival footage of William Holden, Alan Ladd, Arthur Kennedy & Ronald Reagan • full credits from IMDb Echo Bridge Home Ent. b&w DVD [5/2008] for $12.99 official movie site {broken 2014} • watch official trailer [2:51] at YouTube
	"The Reel Story: Military Film Production During WWII and Combat Cameramen" 120-minute DVD contains "The Army Photographer" Signal Corps training film for combat cameramen; "First Motion Picture Unit, Army Air Forces" [FMPU 1943] 21-minute b&w docu- mentary; "Movies At War" [War Dept. 1944] 10-minute documentary about distribution of movies to servicemen around the world during WWII; and "Outstanding Film Footage of World War II" [U.S. Navy] silent battle footage shot by Navy, Marine Corps & Coast Guard combat cameramen purchase new DVD-R [undated] for $29.95 via Amazon third party purchase all-regions DVD from producer/filmmakers [undated] for $29.95
	"Movie Studios of Culver City (Images of America)" [2011] by Julie Lugo Cerra & Marc Wanamaker Arcadia Publng 9¼x6½ pb [3/2011] for $14.95
	"Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and The Second World War - John Ford, George Stevens, John Huston, William Wyler, Frank Capra" [2014] by Mark Harris Kindle Edition from Penguin Group [2/2014] for $11.99 Penguin Press 9¼x6 hardcover [2/2014] for $20.18

	Directed by William Wyler; cinematography by 1Lt. Harold J. Tannenbaum; listed on National Film Directory (2001) Platinum color DVD [11/2001] for $6.99 Timeless color VHS [3/2000] for $12.99 Tapeworm color VHS [12/99] out of stock/used Tapeworm color VHS [11/90] out of stock/used full credits at IMDb
	1990 remake [Warner Bros.] Warner color DVD [5/98] for $9.88 Warner color VHS [5/95] out of prodn/many used Varese soundtrack CD [10/90] for $16.98 full credits at IMDb
	"Memphis Belle: Biography of A B-17 Flying Fortress" [2001] by Brent William Perkins Schiffer Publng 11x8½ hardcover [1/2001] not available at Amazon

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First Motion Picture Unit