As part of its Memorial Day Weekend Marathon, TCM presents films from the First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU), which was formed in 1942 and produced some 400 World War II training, morale-building and propaganda films for the Army Air Force. Among those who played a key role in the organization of FMPU was studio head Jack Warner, who was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the AAF. The Unit was eventually located at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, CA, which became known as "Fort Roach."

The FMPU's first production, Winning Your Wings (1942), a recruiting film narrated by Lt. James Stewart, was credited with winning 150,000 new recruits and won an Oscar nomination as Best Documentary Short. Stewart, who eventually attained the rank of brigadier general, says to potential candidates, "Young America, your future is in the sky; your wings are waiting!" In a light moment, he advises the guys to consider the effect of an airman's shining wings on the "gals."

First Motion Picture Unit (1943), with Ronald Reagan as himself, is a brief documentary explaining the Unit's functions. Reagan, who was promoted to captain the same year the film was released, had been in the Cavalry Reserves when WWII started and was transferred to the FMPU because of his combination of military and movie experience.

In Resisting Enemy Interrogation (1944), Oscar-nominated as Best Documentary Feature, Arthur Kennedy is among the uncredited young actors who play American airmen shot down over Germany and captured by the Nazis. In this noir-flavored film, the Americans are tricked into revealing military secrets, leading to the deaths of several of their comrades. The film offers instructions to other airmen in resisting such treatment.

Ronald Reagan also appears in the documentary short Recognition of the Japanese Zero (1942), playing Lt. Saunders, an overeager pilot who almost shoots down one of our own planes. The focus is on aircraft identification, instructing American pilots in the difference between an American P-40 and a Japanese Zero.

Here is the schedule for the following First Motion Picture Unit Films on 3/26:

8:00 pm ET First Motion Picture Unit
8:30 pm ET Resisting Enemy Interrogation
9:45 pm ET Winning Your Wings
10:00 pm ET Recognition of the Japanese Zero
10:30 pm ET Code of Conduct