Tag Archives: Movies for Memorial Day

May 26 2021
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Film

Movies for Memorial Day 2021

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday May 31st, I would like to thank all veterans and active members of the Armed Forces for their service and sacrifice.

The combat/war movie is one of the first genres of film I remember watching consistently when I was young, mostly on a black and white television at my grandparents house back in the day. There were so many that I watched without learning the titles or knowing the actors that when I would recognize a scene watching it again by coincidence decades later, I would be transported back to the first time I watched it, developing a greater appreciation for the film. The first war film I can remember having that experience with was 1943’s Sahara starring Humphrey Bogart. Over thirty years had passed from my first screening to my rediscovery, and it quickly made its way to my list of personal favorites. Once my family got cable TV in the early 80’s I would be introduced to Peter Weir’s Gallipoli, Sam Fuller’s The Big Red One and Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory to name a few.

Each year leading up to Memorial Day I list the military themed films and documentaries available on streaming services and that will be broadcast on Turner Classic Movies, and make an effort to exclude any comedies or satires in this genre. This year TCM has a great lineup of films for Memorial Day weekend, including Sergeant York, The Steel Helmet and Battleground on Monday May 31st. On streaming services Amazon Prime leads with over forty notable films included with subscriptions (as of my gathering of this list on May 25th). HBO Max has nineteen, including 2001’s series Band of Brothers which I have always considered “must watch.” And for Tubi, in addition to the films listed below there are a large number of documentaries on the Civil War, World Wars I & II and the Vietnam War.

Turner Classic Movies

Friday May 28th:
8:00 PM Pride of The Marines (1945)
10:15 PM Til the End of Time (1946)

Saturday May 29th:
12:15 AM The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
9:00 AM Destination Tokyo (1943)
1:45 PM Darby’s Rangers (1958)
6:00 PM Imitation General (1958)

Sunday May 30th:
3:15 AM Merrill’s Marauders (1962)
12:00 PM The Devil’s Brigade (1968)
4:45 PM The Green Berets (1968)
7:15 PM Memphis Belle (1944)
8:00 PM The Great Escape (1963)

Monday May 31st:
7:00 AM Ace of Aces (1933)
8:30 AM Sergeant York (1941)
3:15 PM The Steel Helmet (1951)
4:45 PM Target Zero (1958)
6:30 PM The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
8:00 PM Battleground (1949)

Amazon Prime

Pork Chop Hill (1959)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Gallipoli (1981)
Go for Broke! (1951)
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955)
Rescue Dawn (2007)
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
The Great Escape (1963)
Journey’s End (2018)
The Devil’s Brigade (1968)
American Experience: The Battle of Chosin (2016)
A Farewell to Arms (1932)
War for a New Nation (2001)
Vietnam: 50 Years Remembered (2015)
In Which We Serve (1942)
World War I: The Long Shadow (2006)
War in the Pacific: Eagle Against the Sun (2015)
The Ultimate Civil War Series (2012)
The Rats of Tobruk (1944)
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
Target for Tonight (1941)

Gung Ho (1943)
Flying Tigers (1942)
Minesweeper (1943)
WWII in HD (2009)
Silent Wings: The American Glider Pilots of WWII (2007)
Dick Winters: “Hang Tough” (2013)
Medal of Honor (2008)
The Rape of Europa (2007)
The Last Days of Patton (1986)
Prelude to War (1942)
Warriors Five (1962)
Journey Home to the USS Arizona (2017)
True Glory (1945)
The First World War: The Peoples Story (2018)
Heroes of the Forgotten War: The Battle of Kapyong (2011)
True War Stories (2015)
Jacknife (1989)
Black Hawk Down: The Untold Story (2019)
The First American (2015)

HBO Max

Band of Brothers (2001)
The Pacific (2010)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Dunkirk (2017)
Darkest Hour (2017)
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
When Trumpets Fade (1998)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)

We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company (2001)
George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin (1994)
Last Letters Home: Voices of American Troops From the Battlefield (2004)
Taking Chance (2009)
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (2013)
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
Hearts and Minds (1975)
War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend (2017)

Tubi

Tobruk (1967)
The Way Ahead (1945)
Journey’s End (2017)
Paths of Glory (1958)
Memphis Belle (1990)
The Hanoi Hilton (1987)

A Bond Unbroken (2017)
The Field Afar (2019)
Hell Squad (1958)
Vietnam: 50 Years Remembered (2015)
Gung Ho (1943)
Go For Broke! (1951)

Hulu

Legion of Brothers (2017)
The Last Full Measure (2019)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Citizen Soldier (2016)
The Messenger (2009)

Netflix

Father Soldier Son (2020)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)

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May 21 2020
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Film

Movies for Memorial Day 2020

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday May 25th, I would like to thank all veterans and active members of the armed forces for their service and sacrifice.

I’ve always appreciated the combat film having grown up watching old black and white war films on Saturday afternoons. My favorite films of the genre are Peter Weir’s Gallipoli and Sam Fuller’s The Big Red One, but over the years Glory by Ed Zwick and Band of Brothers have made it on to my list of personal favorites.

Each Memorial Day Weekend I review the TV listings and streaming services and make a list of military themed films and documentaries that are available for free and subscription streaming and cable TV.  I make an effort to avoid the comedy and caper films that only use wars, major battles or military life as a backdrop.

Every year Turner Classic Movies has a strong lineup of films for Memorial Day Weekend.  While the streaming services seem a little lighter on the military and war themed feature films this year, military documentaries are well represented on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Tubi. Unfortunately one big disappointment this year is that Band of Brothers, The Pacific and Taking Chance are not available for free streaming on Amazon Prime.

Turner Classic Movies (all times listed are EST):

Friday, May 23rd
9:30 AM – Glory (1989)
11:45 AM – Sgt. York (1941)
4:00 PM – The Steel Helmet (1951)
5:30 PM – The Green Berets (1968)

Saturday, May 24th
12:00 PM – Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
12:30 AM – Wings (1927)

Monday, May 25th
5:00 PM – Battle of the Bulge (1965)
8:00 PM – The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Netflix
Hamburger Hill (1987)
Jarhead (2005)
Five Came Back (2019)
World War II in HD (2009)
Women at War 1914-1918 (2014)
Women at War 1939-1945 (2015)
Medal of Honor (2018)
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)

Amazon Prime Video
Gallipoli (1981)
American Experience: The Great War (2017)
Journey’s End (2018)
The Great War (2019)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Sands of Iwo Jima (1950)
The Battle of Britain (1969)
Flying Tigers (1942)
The Bridge at Remagen (1969)
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955)
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
Heroes of the Forgotten War: The Heroes of Kapyong (2011)
Dick Winters: Hang Tough – Honoring Leadership on D-Day (2005)
Vietnam: The Battle of Khe Sanh: The Fires of Hell (2006)

Tubi
Go For Broke (1951)
The True Glory (1945)
Desert Victory (1943)
Navajo Code Talkers of World War II (2018)
The Way Ahead (1945)

Pluto
Gallipoli (1981)

Crackle
Bat 21 (1988)

Tubi, Crackle and Pluto are free apps, Netflix and Amazon Prime require subscriptions. Check these links for information on free trials of Amazon Prime and Amazon Prime Video. As a member of the Amazon affiliate program, I may receive commissions for qualified purchases at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

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May 27 2016
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Film

Movies For Memorial Day 2016

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday May 30th, I would like to thank all military veterans and active members of the armed forces for their service and sacrifice.

Some of my earliest movie memories are of watching old combat films from the 40’s and 50’s on a black and white TV on Saturday afternoons at my grandparents house.  They were mostly lower budget films and I’ve forgotten many of their titles, but those Saturday afternoon films on TV made the combat movie one of my favorite film genres.

Every year I check the TV listings and streaming services for the best military themed films to watch over Memorial Day Weekend.  Turner Classics always has a solid lineup of feature films, but Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu have a great selection of feature films and documentaries as well.  Here are some highlights:

On Turner Classic Movies (All Times Eastern):

Saturday May 28th:

11:15 AM: The Flying Leathernecks (1951)
1:00 PM: They Were Expendable (1945)
8:00 PM: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
11:00 PM: A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Sunday May 29th:

3:00 PM: Mister Roberts (1955)
8:00 PM: Glory (1989)
10:15 PM: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Monday May 30:

3:30 AM: The Big Parade (1925)
9:00 AM: Sergeant York (1941)
2:15 PM: The Great Escape (1963)

Netflix:

Restrepo (2010)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
The Longest Day (1962)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
The Enemy Below (1957)
Brothers In War (2014)
Unsung Heroes: The Story of America’s Female Patriots (2014)
Honor Flight (2012)
World War II In Colour (2009)
Ken Burns: The War (2007)
Ken Burns: The Civil War (1990)
Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
Von Ryan’s Express (1965)

Amazon Prime:

Band of Brothers (2001)
Ken Burns: The Civil War (1990)
The World At War (1973)
Taking Chance (2009)
The Longest Day (1962)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
Rescue Dawn (2006)
When Trumpets Fade (1998)
The Man Left Behind (2012)
The Enemy Below (1957)
Von Ryan’s Express (1965)

Hulu:

Medal of Honor: The History (2014)
War Stories with Oliver North (2001)
A Time for Honor (2002)

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May 23 2014
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Film

Movies For Memorial Day 2014

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday May 26th, I’d like to take this moment to thank all veterans and active members of the armed forces for their service and sacrifice.

Every Memorial Day weekend I scan the TV listings, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video for some of the best military themed films to watch.  More than a few of the films listed below have been included on previous Movies For Memorial Day posts (Sergeant York, Band of Brothers, Gallipoli, The Big Red One, and The Best Years of Our Lives to name a few), but I also try to find a few lesser known films as well.  This year it’s an even mix of old favorites and new additions.  And while the films scheduled on Turner Classic Movies have made up the majority of my recommendations over the last couple of years, this year’s list is mostly made up of films available on Amazon Instant Video and Netflix.

On Turner Classic Movies (all times listed are EST):

Saturday, May 24th

1:45 PM – The Steel Helmet (1951)
3:15 PM – Objective, Burma! (1945)

Sunday, May 25th

12:00 PM – Mr. Roberts (1955)

Monday May, 26th

7:30 AM – Sergeant York (1941)
6:00 PM – The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
8:00 PM – Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
10:30 PM – The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

On Amazon Instant Video:

Medal of Honor (2008)*
Gallipoli (1981)*
Wings (1927)*
Taking Chance (2009)*
Fixed Bayonets! (1951)*
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The Longest Day (1962)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
The Big Red One (1980)
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
The Green Berets (1968)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Hamburger Hill (1987)
The Fighting 69th (1940)
* = Amazon Prime

Netflix:

Restrepo (2010)
Ken Burns: The War (2007)

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