The Last Will and Testament of Tom Smith (1943) User Reviews

Something to remember him by

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 5 July 2014]

The Last Will And Testament Of Tom Smith is a wartime propaganda short subject film that has stood the test of time. With a minimum of flag waving it tells the story of downed American pilot who is scheduled to be shot in a similar fashion as those downed fliers in the first Doolittle raid as demonstrated in The Purple Heart.

George Reeves plays the flier and the film is mostly occupied with his memories of civilian life, of girlfriend Barbara Britton, of his grandfather Lionel Barrymore and even the town mailman Walter Brennan. He's given a chance to write a letter and with the death sentence coming it is in effect his last will and testament.

This one had good performances all around and why not with a pair of scene stealers like Barrymore and Brennan. Reeves reminds his captors that many more are coming.

Many more did.

For what it is, it's pretty effective

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 19 November 2006]

This is a patriotic short designed to drum up support from the folks at home during WWII. And while you might find it a bit "schmaltzy", for what it is, it's a very effective piece.

The film stars George Reeves (later, TV's SUPERMAN) as a prisoner of war--shot down while bombing Japanese targets. The Japanese commander is, of course, an American-educated man who has rejected our culture in favor of a brutal Japanese one (a cliché seen in countless WWII-era films). He informs Reeves that he will be executed in just a few minutes and Reeves takes this time to assess his life and what he is giving up in defense of freedom and liberty. After the vivid execution, Reeves'grandfather (Lioniel Barrymore) give a little pep talk to Walter Brennan about the sacrifices those at home can make for the war effort.

All-in-all, an effective Hollywood short that surely inspired the people at home. See it for its historical value and for a chance to see some stars in a very unusual film.

Amazing- download it to your PC for a piece of Americana

[olderbutwiser · 10/10 · 15 December 2006]

a 10 minute short that has 4 amazing stars. It portrays the last 20 minutes of the life of Tom Smith(Reeves), a prisoner sentenced to death in a Japanese prison camp-he is a downed pilot. He reminisces about the girl he left behind, the neighborhood kids, and his wise "Gramps" as he inventories his life. You know George Reeves, Lionel Barrymore, and Walter Brennan, but the ingénue love interest of the doomed Reeves is Barbara Britton, who became the Revlon girl of the 1950's and portrayed Laura Petrie in a 1960 Pilot of "Head of the Family" that became the Dick Van Dyke show(Carl Reiner as Rob). She was in soap operas until 1979! Talk about spanning the ages. Reeves is stalwart, stoic and charming, Barrymore is "Gramps" and plays it to a tee, and Walter Brennan is the mailman. The purpose was to sell war bonds. What a treat- and a reminder of times not that long ago. The portrayal of the Japanese was typical of the times but not totally unrealistic as was documented in "The Great Raid". George Bush Sr. was very close to being a prisoner of the Japanese as a downed airman- and how the world would be different now..