''Don't Be a Sucker'' is a short film produced by the United States Department of War released in 1943, and adapted as a slightly shorter version in 1947. It has anti-racist and

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

themes, and was made to educate viewers about prejudice and

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

. The film was also made to make the case for the desegregation of the United States armed forces. It is held for preservation by the U.S. National Archives.

Plot

An American

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

who has been listening to a racist and bigoted rabble-rouser, who is preaching

hate speech Hate speech is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation". Hate speech is "usually thoug ...

against ethnic and religious minorities and immigrants, is warned off by a naturalized Hungarian

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

, possibly a Holocaust survivor or escapee, who explains to him how such rhetoric and demagoguery allowed the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

to rise to power in Weimar Germany, and warns Americans not to fall for similar demagoguery propagated by American racists and bigots.

In popular culture

In August 2017, the short film went viral on the internet in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and various copies have been uploaded to video-sharing sites since then.

Cast

* Paul Lukas as the Hungarian Refugee * Richard Lane as the Soapbox Orator * Felix Bressart as the Anti-Nazi Teacher *

Bob Bailey Bob Bailey may refer to: *Bob Bailey (actor) (1913–1983), American radio actor *Bob Bailey (baseball) (1942–2018), American third baseman in Major League Baseball *Bob Bailey (ice hockey) (1931–2003), Canadian ice hockey right winger *Bob Bai ...

as Mike * Robert Adler as a Listener *

Chick Chandler Fehmer Christy "Chick" Chandler (January 18, 1905 – September 30, 1988) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 130 films from 1925 through the mid-1950s. Chandler was known for his starring role as Toubo Smith in ...

as a Con artist *

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the televi ...

as Sucker * Kurt Kreuger as Hans *

Frank O'Connor Frank O'Connor (born Michael Francis O'Donovan; 17 September 1903 – 10 March 1966) was an Irish author and translator. He wrote poetry (original and translations from Irish), dramatic works, memoirs, journalistic columns and features on a ...

as a Listener

Gallery

File:Don't Be a Sucker (DontBeaS1947) 00 00 00.png, 00:00:00 File:Don't Be a Sucker (DontBeaS1947) 00 17 08.png, 00:17:08 File:Don't Be a Sucker (DontBeaS1947) 00 17 14.png, 00:17:14

References

Other sources

*
PDF
*

External links

*
''Don't Be a Sucker'' download
on the Internet Archive
''Don't Be a Sucker'' download
by Prelinger Archives on the Internet Archive * 1943 short films 1943 films 1947 films Anti-fascist propaganda films American social guidance and drug education films United States Department of War American World War II propaganda shorts Germany–United States relations Articles containing video clips American black-and-white films American war films 1940s war films Anti-racism in the United States 1940s American films {{short-film-stub