HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''It's a Big Country: An American Anthology'' is a 1951 American
anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of three or more shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme, premise ...
consisting of eight segments by seven directors:
Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe (born Rollo Smolt Thorpe; February 24, 1896 – May 1, 1991) was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His obituary called him "a capable and versatile director willing to take on any ass ...
, John Sturges, Charles Vidor,
Don Weis Don Weis (May 13, 1922 – July 26, 2000) was an American film and television director. Biography Weis was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Emma (née Wiener; 1889–1971) and Meyer Weis (1886-1942). He graduated from the University of Southern ...
,
Clarence Brown Clarence Leon Brown (May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director. Early life Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to Tennessee when h ...
, William A. Wellman and
Don Hartman Samuel Donald Hartman (18 November 1900 – 23 March 1958) was an American screenwriter and director and former production head of Paramount Pictures. He and Stephen Morehouse Avery were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story for ''The Ga ...
.


Plot

In episode 1, "Interruptions, Interruptions", directed by Richard Thorpe, a professor traveling on a train is asked by a talkative fellow passenger if he too loves "America". The professor then asks, "Which America?" After listening to the professor explain the different aspects of America, the exhausted passenger goes to the dining car and, upon hearing an older woman comment how wonderful America is, he asks, "Lady, which America?" In episode 2, "The Lady and the Census Taker", directed by John Sturges, Mrs. Brian Riordan, an elderly Irish immigrant living in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, is upset about not being counted in the 1950 census. She visits newspaper editor Callaghan and asks him to intervene on her behalf. He sends reporter Michael Fisher to interview her by pretending to be a census taker, but she recognizes Fisher, having seen him at the newspaper. Callaghan gets on the phone and calls every government office, right up to the White House. A census taker arrives; she insists on seeing his identification. Episode 3, "The Negro Story", with no director credit, is a five-minute narrated documentary featuring
Black Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, starting with their military service in the
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
. There are clips of a Black
midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...
becoming an
ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...
upon graduating from
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, Black sailors, WACs, and paratroopers are shown, followed by scenes in London of the first Black general Benjamin O. Davis Sr. and his son Benjamin O. Davis Jr. The newsreel footage then moves on to sports figures
Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
,
Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who made history at the Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics, 1936 Olympic Games by becoming the first person to win four gold meda ...
,
Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...
,
Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarde ...
and Levi Jackson. Entertainers
Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...
(performing in front of the
Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...
after the DAR refused her the use of Constitution Hall),
Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...
,
Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
,
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
,
Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and the Berry Brothers are also shown. Those who have contributed to public service are then featured — New York City judges Francis Rivers and Jane Bolin, radiologist Benjamin W. Anthony, New York Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the Right Reverend Bravid Harris, Federal judge Irvin Mollison, California Deputy Attorney General Pauli Murray, architect Paul Williams, 1946 American Mother of the Year Mrs. Emma Clement and
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
winner Dr. Ralph Bunche. Finally, there is newsreel footage of
George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American Agricultural science, agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent bla ...
, who died in 1943, "and in New York University's American Hall of Fame are the figures of many great Americans of the past and among them is the immortal Booker T. Washington", who died in 1915. In episode 4, "Rosika the Rose", directed by Charles Vidor, Hungarian immigrant Stefan Szabo is in the business of selling
paprika Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
. He claims that Hungarians and
Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
have hated each other for thousands of years. One of his six daughters, Rosa, secretly falls in love with—and marries—Icarus Xenophon, who is
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
. When the truth comes out, Icarus offers a consoling cup of coffee to Szabo, who rejects “Greek coffee”. Icarus produces a can of Washington Post coffee, with Washington's picture on it. In episode 5, "Letter from Korea", directed by Don Weis, Maxie Klein, a young
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
soldier who was wounded during the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, is on his way home. He stops along the way to look up the now-widowed mother of an Army buddy who was killed in action. The mother is suspicious because her son did not mentioned a “Maxie,” but softens when she learns that he is the “JoJo.” of the letters. Maxie reads her a letter he received from her son, and she asks for his mother's address so she can write to her. In episode 6, "Texas", directed by Clarence Brown, a tall Texan takes it upon himself to separate the fact from the myth. In episode 7, "Minister in Washington", directed by William A. Wellman, Adam Burch is a summer minister in 1944
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
His parishioners include the
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
, and he tailors his erudite sermons specifically for the President, who is unable to attend. After a few weeks, the sexton tells him he is failing by ministering only to one person. Rev. Burch gives a sermon apologizing for his neglect and promising to do better. The President, who wad at the back, congratulates him. In episode 8, "Four Eyes", directed by Don Hartman, Miss Coleman, a school teacher in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, discovers that her pupil Joey needs glasses. Joey's father, Mr. Esposito, believes they are not necessary and will only bring Joey ridicule from his peers. In the end, the father learns the danger of this attitude.


Cast

WITH THE FOLLOWING CITIZENS:


Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $526,000 in the US and Canada and $129,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss to the studio of $677,000.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:It's A Big Country 1951 films 1951 drama films American anthology films American black-and-white films American drama films American propaganda films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Charles Vidor Films directed by Clarence Brown Films directed by Don Weis Films directed by John Sturges Films directed by Richard Thorpe Films directed by William A. Wellman Films set in the United States Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by William Ludwig 1950s American films