Excellent, smart action film.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

"You, John Jones!" is an American 11-minute live action short film from 1943, so this one has its 75th anniversary this year and this makes it a black-and-white sound film from the days of World War II of course. Director LeRoy and writer Wilson are both Oscar nominees and the cast does not need to hide either. James Cagney won his Oscar around the same time when this was released and Ann Sothern also has an Oscar nomination. The tiny Margaret O'Brien (80 now) doesn't, but she still fairly popular today for other reasons and roles. Overall, a tolerable b&w movie where I am not too sure if I liked the music or disliked it I guess. But it sure is not as much about the protagonist as you'd think from the title. Story-wise, itÄ's really nothing special and it hasn't aged too well I'd say. The only reason to see it today is probably to get an insight into the political context of the years when the US were actively involved in World War II. From a mere filmmaking perspective I give it a thumbs-down though. Not recommended.

This was the first of only a few times Cagney worked at MGM, and the only time during the Louis B. Mayer era that he did so. Cagney didn't do anything else there until the mid 1950's after Mayer was long gone and the studio was in decline. Cagney plays an air raid warden with few lines who is called to duty one night, away from his wife (Ann Sothern) and child (Margaret O'Brien). As John Jones (Cagney) writes his time of arrival in his log book and sits on a park bench, the narrator talks about how that, as an American, he is lucky that air raid duty is boring, and mentions all of the countries where there is constant violence and bombing from the enemy. At this point this becomes Margaret O'Brien's short, as she is the waif that is in terror, or hungry, or missing part of a limb, or in one scene even dead.The short serves two purposes - it's a patriotic morale booster during WWII to remind Americans how lucky they are that their nation is untouched by the actual warfare raging worldwide, and it was also a device for MGM to build up Margaret O'Brien at the very beginning of her childhood career. At this point she was only six.This short is an extra on the "Yankee Doodle Dandy" DVD and is interesting largely from a historical perspective, but still worth viewing.

Given the context for when and why this short film was made, it is a masterpiece. The film debuted during WWII and was intended to mobilize Americans in favor of the war effort--and as such, it was brilliant and incredibly successful.The short stars three major stars--all borrowed from their home studios to make this free film that was distributed to theaters across the country. The lead is played by James Cagney and he is amazingly normal and restrained in his role as an "everyman". His wife is played by Ann Sothern and his daughter is played by Margaret O'Brien. Choosing the adorable O'Brien was a brilliant move, as once John Jones (Cagney) begins wondering what life would be life for his family had they lived in war-ravaged portions of the world, the cute kid is tossed into some horrific situations that are bound to make a strong impact on the viewer. Imagine the impact when the cute co-star of such schmaltzy family fare such as MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS and OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES is shown in various scenes either being killed, starving and even with a leg blown off! For the 1940s, this was akin to having Shirley Temple (circa 1934) going through the same torments. The audiences must have been sobbing as they saw these very realistic scenes.Now the only part that seemed a bit too heavy-handed was O'Brien reciting the Gettysburg Address through the film. This was great for 1943, though viewers today might feel this was a bit too much and detracted from the central message of the film. But, for its day, this film just can't be beat.

A mechanical engineer working on planes that soon will be taking part in WWII is seen at the assembly plant. As he arrives home after a day's work, his wife points to their daughter who is seen on a raised platform performing the Gettysburg address for a school presentation. The man, who is on security watch that night in his area, leaves to his tour that night.As he sits on a park bench, his thoughts go to several areas where the conflict has affected different parts of the world. In each of those images, he sees his young daughter being the victim of the war around her. When he gets home at the end of his shift, he is welcomed by his lovely wife and his daughter that have been secured in the bosom of their safe home. He is a lucky man indeed!Mervyn LeRoy directed this short propaganda film of 1943. WWII found an important ally in Hollywood, as the industry realized what was at stake and cooperated by turning films in which patriotism and doing the right thing for one's country took center stage. In this short, but effective picture, we are given a bird's eye view about the suffering experienced by other people throughout the world, where the conflict touched their lives.James Cagney, who was borrowed from Warner Bros. to make this film, was at his best conveying what he felt for the innocent victims. Margaret O'Brien, appears as the daughter who is rehearsing the Gettysburg address for school in her usual enchanting manner. Ann Sothern plays the wife.