This Best Short Subject Academy Award winning film begins in the spring of 1940, just before the Nazi occupation of the Benelux countries, and ends immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It chronicles how the people of "Main Street America", the country's military forces, and its industrial base were completely transformed when the decision was made to gear up for war. Original footage is interspersed with contemporary newsreels and stock footage.
John Nesbitt
as Narrator (voice)
Barbara Bedford
as Nurse (uncredited)
Margaret Bert
as Mrs. Schulte (uncredited)
Robert Blake
as Schulte Child (uncredited)
Naomi Childers
as Window Shopper (uncredited)
Mark Daniels
as Engineer (uncredited)
Robert Homans
as Lighthouse Keeper (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee
as News Vendor Rod Meakin (uncredited)
May McAvoy
as Window Shopper (uncredited)
