Tanks a Million
Encyclopedia
Tanks a Million is a 1941 American film directed by Fred Guiol
. It was the first of Hal Roach's Streamliners
, short films under an hour designed for the lower half of a double feature
. The film was also the first pairing of William Tracy
and Joe Sawyer
in a series of films of the two in the military.
Fred Guiol
Fred Guiol was an American film director and screenwriter. Guiol worked at the Hal Roach Studios for many years, and directed Laurel and Hardy's earliest short films, as their famous comic partnership gradually developed during 1927...
. It was the first of Hal Roach's Streamliners
Hal Roach's Streamliners
Hal Roach's Streamliners were a series of short comedy films created by Hal Roach that were longer than a short subject and less than a feature film not exceeding 50 minutes in length. Twenty of the twenty-nine features that Roach produced for United Artists were in the streamliner format...
, short films under an hour designed for the lower half of a double feature
Double feature
The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.The double feature, also known as...
. The film was also the first pairing of William Tracy
William Tracy
William Tracy was an American character actor. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Tracy is perhaps best known for the role of Pepi Katona, the delivery boy, in The Shop Around the Corner. He also starred in the John Ford film Tobacco Road . That same year, he began a recurring role as Sgt...
and Joe Sawyer
Joe Sawyer
Joe Sawyer was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in over 200 films between 1930 and 1962.He was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and died in Ashland, Oregon from liver cancer....
in a series of films of the two in the military.
Cast
- William TracyWilliam TracyWilliam Tracy was an American character actor. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Tracy is perhaps best known for the role of Pepi Katona, the delivery boy, in The Shop Around the Corner. He also starred in the John Ford film Tobacco Road . That same year, he began a recurring role as Sgt...
as Sgt. Dorian "Dodo" Doubleday - James GleasonJames GleasonJames Austin Gleason was an American actor born in New York City. He was also a playwright and screenwriter.-Career:...
as Col. "Spitfire" Barkley - Noah Beery Jr. as Charlie Cobb
- Joe SawyerJoe SawyerJoe Sawyer was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in over 200 films between 1930 and 1962.He was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and died in Ashland, Oregon from liver cancer....
as Sgt. William Ames - Elyse KnoxElyse Knox-Early life:Born Elsie Lillian Kornbrath to Frederick and Elizabeth Kornbrath in Hartford, Connecticut, she studied at the Traphagen School of Fashion in Manhattan then embarked on a career in fashion design...
as Jeannie - Douglas FowleyDouglas FowleyDouglas Fowley was an American movie and television actor.Fowley was born Daniel Vincent Fowley in The Bronx, New York. The 5'11" actor is probably best remembered for his role as the movie director Roscoe Dexter in Singin' in the Rain . The actor appeared in over 240 films and later in dozens of...
as Capt. Rossmead - Knox ManningKnox ManningKnox Manning was an American film actor. He appeared in 94 films between 1939 and 1956.He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.-Selected filmography:...
as Radio Interviewer Cardigan - Frank FaylenFrank FaylenFrank Faylen was an American movie and television actor.Born Frank Ruf in St. Louis, Missouri, he began his acting career as an infant appearing with his vaudeville performing parents on stage...
as Pvt. Skivic - Dick WesselDick WesselDick Wessel was an American film actor. Born in Wisconsin, Wessel appeared in over 270 films between 1935 and 1966. He is best remembered for his chilling portrayal of the ruthless strangler Harry "Cueball" Lake in Dick Tracy vs...
as Pvt. Monkman - Frank Melton as Pvt. Cleary
- Harold GoodwinHarold GoodwinHarold Goodwin was an American film actor who performed in over 225 films.Born in Peoria, Illinois, Goodwin began his film career while still in his teens in the 1915 film short Mike's Elopement. One of his most popular roles of the silent era was that of Jeff Brown in the 1927 Buster Keaton...
as Lt. Caldwell - William GouldWilliam Gould (actor)William Gould was an American film actor. He appeared in over 240 films between 1922 and 1953. He died in Long Beach, California.-Selected filmography:* Beasts of Paradise * The Riddle Rider...
as Maj. Greer - Norman KerryNorman KerryNorman Kerry was an American actor whose career spanned over twenty-five years in the motion picture industry beginning in the silent era at the end of World War I.-Biography:...
as Major