Tomatoes for Troops

Australia, 1942

Film
Tomatoes for Troops thumbnail image.

This film, produced by the Victorian Department of Agriculture, is an example of propaganda for the war effort, encouraging farmers to grow tomatoes for the armed forces during the Second World War. The film includes footage of soldiers on the Kokoda Trail, and outlines the importance of vegetables for the armed forces in combat overseas.

The film takes the viewer through the stages of tomato production on a mass scale, showing the process of collecting, disinfecting and washing seeds; cultivating and fertilising the soil; planting the seedlings and maximising growth. The film then outlines common diseases and pests that threaten the healthy growth of tomato plants, such as spotted wilt, tomato moths and weevils, along with preventative measures to mitigate these risks.

Finally, the film shows the industrial-scale quality assessment and canning of tomatoes in a factory. The final product, shown in the hands of an active soldier, is a can of SPC peeled tomatoes.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

producer/director

Jack Keane

production company

Victoria. Dept. of Agriculture. Film Unit

writer

Bob Harper

Duration

00:15:57:00

Production places
Australia
Production dates
1942

Appears in

Group of items

Agricultural Collection

Explore

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

B2004340

Language

English

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Black and White

Holdings

MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - overscan

MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - presentation

MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - overscan

MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - presentation

MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI External Digital Access Copy

U-Matic (low band); Master

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/119309--tomatoes-for-troops/ |title=Tomatoes for Troops |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=28 March 2024 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}