Back again after 80 years
Rachel Maddow likely ran across this 1942 Tracy-Hepburn film in researching her Ultra podcast about America’s fascist movement in the 1930s and 40s. But Keeper of the Flame (1942) was new to me when someone on Threads posted a clip over the weekend. You can watch it for free on Tubi.
Keeper of the Flame is essentially a whodunnit with newspaperman Tracy investigating the tragic death of a national hero, Robert V. Forrest. Originally intent on writing a flattering biography, Tracy’s character uncovers a secret, well-financed fascist plot behind the myth.
The film is not unlike Ultra in its construction and the propaganda effort behind Forrest’s movement familiar. Like Ultra, the modern parallels are eerie.
@amouthful_of_cherries Keeper of the Flame (1942), starring Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy. It feels… uncomfortably current✨
Some Americans refuse to learn the lessons of the past. Other “Americans” never stopped pining for theirs.
Happy Hollandaise!