Stars in Their Shorts

You Can Change the World (1950):Jack Benny and his valet, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, invites a who's who of Hollywood luminaries to hear the good word of Father James Keller, founder of the religious group The Christophers. The guests include Loretta Young, William Holden, Irene Dunne, Ann Blyth, Paul Douglas, Bing Crosby, and by telephone, Bob Hope. The Christophers' goal is to use movies and TV to inspire young people to change the world for the better and combat the growing spread of Communism. By film's end, Father Keller is regaling the enraptured stars with the story of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. You Can Change the World originally was shown in church groups and then on television, its half-hour format meaning it could masquerade as an episode of The Jack Benny Show on programming schedules. As such it served as a 'backdoor pilot' for a Christophers TV series on ABC which began in 1952, and still airs on local cable stations to this day as Christopher Closeup. The film was directed by Leo McCarey, who made the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup (1933) and some of Laurel & Hardy's best work, but became increasingly conservative with movies like Going My Way (1944) and The Bell of St. Mary's (1945). The participation of so many big names was most likely due to the House Un-American Activities Committee's ongoing investigations into suspected red sympathizers in Hollywood. Since the Christophers were devoutly anti-Communist, anyone supporting them would appear to be a patriotic American by default.

Let George Do It (1952): A regular episode of The Christophers series, "Let George Do It" features beloved TV dads Danny Thomas and Robert Young learning about the dangers of political corruption from Father Keller. Dennis Day also appears to sing "God Bless America".

On The Right Side (1949): Ann Savage (Detour) must turn her addicted husband away from a life of gambling in this Christian parable made in New York. Ironically, Ann Savage was a regular at gangster Meyer Lansky's casinos.

Family Affair (1952): Iconic "tough guy" actor Steve McQueen, in the days before he fought The Blob (1958), plays a lovestruck sailor desperately trying to get his girl on the phone in this rare color film also starring J. Pat O'Malley. Produced by Bell Telephone, it was meant to emphasize the importance of having multiple phones in the house.

Shopping Around (1954): I Love Lucy's William Frawley plays a beleaguered salesman who learns "the human touch" in this promotional film for Chevrolet auto dealers.

PLUS: Rare Commercials and Public Service Announcements with Bette Davis, Shirley Temple, Spanky McFarland, & Joan Crawford!

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