History Club
Podcast
Could today's dads win World War II?
4
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Could today's dads win World War II?

A new film project parodies--and pays homage to--the fathers who love the Second World War
4

Summer is the perfect season to go to the movies, and few things are better on a hot, muggy day than a few hours inside a cool movie theater.

Movies have a long tradition of drawing on history for their subject matter, and, arguably, no history has been drawn upon more for dramatization on screen than that of World War II. From The Great Escape and The Dirty Dozen, to Saving Private Ryan and Oppenheimer, WWII has inspired numerous cinematic classics.

World War II dramatizations have also spawned a generation of content consumers, in particular men of a certain vintage whose parents served in the war and who, even today, continue to embrace the dramatic depictions of heroism and sacrifice made by their parents, dubbed “The Greatest Generation.”

So, what happens when you satirize that obsession with WWII and turn it into its own genre of comedy? That is the question behind a new film project by Hollywood filmmaker and former Netflix screenwriter Adam Lederer.

Adam’s grandfather served in WWII, and his father is an avid consumer of WWII-themed entertainment and history. During the pandemic, when Band of Brothers and The Pacific were re-airing on streaming services, Adam asked: What would happen if these WWII-loving dads suddenly got hold of a time machine and were thrust back into the actual conflict?

That’s the premise behind his new movie currently in production, Dad Company. In this podcast episode, we take a comedic digression that explores what happens when history and entertainment collide in a zany, cinematic experiment… and how historical scholarship can (or cannot) inform that process.

Adam is a funny guy, a good friend, and as you’ll hear in our the interview, very thoughtful and analytical about history, filmmaking and the current state of Hollywood today post writer-and-actor strikes. Join us for a fun conversation by listening to the podcast above.

And if you want to see the trailer for Dad Company, you can watch it here.

Happy listening,

-JS


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History Club
Podcast
Conversations on history, tech, media and politics—and how they intersect. Hosted by Jason Steinhauer, author, public historian and Global Fellow at The Wilson Center.