A Call for Arms

A Call For Arms was a short propaganda film made for the British Ministry of Information in 1940. It was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starred Jean Gillie and Rene Ray as two 'nudes' (showgirls) who do their bit for the war effort by going to work in munition factories. It was co-written by a Sgt. Terence Young who worked for Hurst on many projects before, during and after WW2.

Plot
The film opens with the two showgirls coming across a collapsed munitions worker outside the theatre door. "Twelve hour shifts take it out of some of these young 'uns" observes a nearby news-seller. Alongside a billboard gets the message across "Latest War News. Bigger Arms, Speed up. Go For It". The plots follows one of the showgirls signing up at the Labour Exchange for munitions work and tracks her working day. Seeing her friend exhausted the other showgirl signs up. "We've got to win the war you know".

Articles and books
''Theirs is the Glory. Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film'' takes film director Brian Desmond Hurst's Battle of Arnhem epic as its centerpiece and chronicles Hurst's ten films on conflict including A Call for Arms. Released in hardback on 15 September 2016 with almost 400 pages and over 350 images "this book also shows why Hurst was an enigma, but a master of the genre, and at his very best when focusing on the vast canvas of film" (from dust jacket). ISBN 978-1-911096-63-4. Publisher Helion and Company and co-authored by David Truesdale and Allan Esler Smith.

Cast

 * Jean Gillie as Irene
 * Rene Ray as Joan
 * Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. James