In the midst of World War II, Sternberg, in a civilian capacity, was asked by the United States Office of War Information to make a single film, a one-reel documentary for the series entitled "The American Scene", a domestic version of the combat and recruitment oriented "Why We Fight". Whereas his service with the Signal Corps in World War I included filming shorts demonstrating the proper use of fixed bayonets, this 11-minute documentary "The Town" is a portrait of a small American community in the Midwest with emphasis on the cultural contributions of its European immigrants.