Michael_Elliott Lady Fights Back, A (1944) *** (out of 4) The 50th entry in MGM's Passing Parade short isn't like many in the series, which usually told people stories from the past that they might have forgotten or didn't know at all. This entry tells us the story of the French ship Normandie and how it started out as a luxury liner before the war when it was nearly destroyed due to a major fire. This film really doesn't work too well as part of John Nesbitt's series but it does work as a part of history. There's a lot of stock footage of various voyages of the ship as well as a lot of footage from the eventual fire, which took place on the shores of Manhattan. Seeing this footage is certainly a big treat especially for fans of history and I'm sure it's history buffs who will get the majority of entertainment out of this. I really enjoyed hearing the brief story of this ship and it was interesting to see some of the items on board the ship including the rather amazing wine cellar. It's also worth noting, as the film does, that the rich folks dogs got better food than most humans were eating at the time of the war.