Poster, WWII era Five Sullivan Brothers. Office of War Information poster, no. 42. A photomontage in black, white, red and blue of five brothers killed in action while serving on the same ship. Not only was the story of the Sullivan brothers the basis for the movie Saving Private Ryan, but as a result of their fate the Navy instituted a policy that brothers would never serve on the same ship.
Provenance: Miki and James J. Mangan III of Fairfield, CT
Size: H. 28.25" x L. 22.25"
Weight: 10oz
Condition: Very good with minor fold marks.
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One family lost all of their sons when the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa were killed at Guadalcanal on the cruiser Juneau on November 11, 1942. When public sympathy swelled, the Navy ruled that brothers could not serve aboard the same vessel. The story of this tragedy caught Hollywood's attention and in 1943 the film, The Sullivans, was released, starring Anne Baxter, Thomas Mitchell, Selena Royle and Ward Bond. At the New York Premier, in the lobby of the Roxie Theater, the Sullivan brothers' parents sold war bonds to raise money for the war effort and to boost public morale.