Timeline: The War Years 1939-1945

These days it seems like everyone is cleaning out their basements and attics, looking for anything remotely resembling World War II footage that can be repackaged and sold. Timeline: The War Years 1939-1945, however, is much more than a bunch of footage loaded onto a DVD. A multimedia compilation of the major news stories and popular entertainment of the era, with a year assigned to each of the seven discs, viewers are first treated to more than 50 minutes of original newsreel footage of headline stories ranging from the invasion of Poland and Joe DiMaggio's farewell to baseball, to the premiere of Gone with the Wind. After the newsreels come original film trailers from significant motion pictures released during the year. Audio chapters include complete radio broadcasts of orchestral performances by such band greats as Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and Glen Miller, followed by historic original radio news broadcasts by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, President Truman, and others. Each volume ends with an original radio drama and an interactive “Facts & Photos” chapter. The combination of individual chapters and detailed liner notes make navigation a breeze, and I would strongly recommend purchasing the DVD version, with its enhanced ready reference capabilities, over the VHS set (which doesn't include the audio excerpts). With 218 newsreels, 117 songs, 51 radio news broadcasts, and more, this terrific, well-organized, bargain-priced series is highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (L. Stevens)