Gary Cooper won an Academy Award for Best Actor of 1941 for his portrayal of one of World War I’s most celebrated heroes, Alvin C. York. The biopic goes from York’s early days as a poor young farmer in Tennessee through his religious awakening after surviving a lightning strike to joining the infantry and saving many of his fellow soldiers from German fire. The film takes all the artistic liberties that were common in biopics of the day. Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the patriotic film was given a national rerelease that made it ultimately the highest grossing film of 1941. It showed at the Plaza Theatre on December 7, 1941, the day of the Pearl Harbor attack. The print we’re showing is Preserved by the Library of Congress. — Jack Fields
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