It's a Big Country

Last updated

It's a Big Country
It's a Big Country FilmPoster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
Story by Dore Schary
(story for picture)
Produced by Robert Sisk
Starring
Narrated by Louis Calhern
(uncredited)
Cinematography
Edited by
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by Loew's Inc.
Release date
  • November 20, 1951 (1951-11-20)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,013,000 [1] [2]
Box office$655,000 [1]

It's a Big Country: An American Anthology is a 1951 American anthology film consisting of eight segments by seven directors: Richard Thorpe, John Sturges, Charles Vidor, Don Weis, Clarence Brown, William A. Wellman and Don Hartman.

Contents

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, 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, starting with their military service in the Navy. There are clips of a Black midshipman becoming an ensign upon graduating from Annapolis, 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, Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and Levi Jackson. Entertainers Marian Anderson (performing in front of the Lincoln Memorial after the DAR refused her the use of Constitution Hall), Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, 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 winner Dr. Ralph Bunche. Finally, there is newsreel footage of George Washington Carver, 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. He claims that Hungarians and Greeks 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. 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 soldier who was wounded during the Korean War, 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. His parishioners include the President of the United States, 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, 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:

Uncredited (in order of appearance)
Louis Calhern unseen narrator
Elisabeth Risdon Train passenger in dining car who extols America (episode 1)
Ned Glass Newspaper office receptionist who greets Mrs. Riordan (episode 2)
Fred Santley Census Bureau supervisor who receives a call from Editor Callaghan (episode 2)
Bill Welsh Census Bureau official who receives a call from Editor Callaghan (episode 2)
John Ericson Ensign kissing girl upon graduating from Annapolis (film clip within documentary footage in episode 3)
Hal Hatfield Greek athlete who is romantically interested in one of Papa Szabo's daughters (episode 4)
Carol Nugent Girl in Miss Coleman's classroom sitting in front of Joey Esposito (episode 8)
Rhea Mitchell Schoolteacher colleague of Miss Coleman (episode 8)
Don Gordon Mervin (episode 8)

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. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xanthippe</span> Ancient Athenian, wife of Socrates

Xanthippe was an ancient Athenian, the wife of Socrates and mother of their three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. She was likely much younger than Socrates, perhaps by as much as 40 years.

<i>10 Things I Hate About You</i> 1999 film by Gil Junger

10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger in his film directorial debut and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith is a modernization of William Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew, retold in a late-1990s American high school setting. The film follows new student Cameron James (Gordon-Levitt) who is smitten with Bianca Stratford (Oleynik) and attempts to get bad boy Patrick Verona (Ledger) to date her antisocial sister Kat (Stiles) in order to get around her father's strict rules on dating. Named after a poem Kat writes about her romance with Patrick, the film was mostly shot in the Seattle metropolitan area, with many scenes filmed at Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington.

<i>Joey</i> (TV series) American sitcom

Joey is an American sitcom created by Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan. It is a spin-off to Friends, with Matt LeBlanc reprising his role as Joey Tribbiani. It premiered on NBC on September 9, 2004. Midway through the second season, the show was placed on a hiatus but returned on March 7, 2006. Only one more episode aired before the show was pulled. NBC canceled the series due to low ratings in May 2006.

<i>The Hand That Rocks the Cradle</i> (film) 1992 film by Curtis Hanson

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a 1992 American psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson, and Julianne Moore. Its plot follows the pregnant wife of a Seattle obstetrician who kills himself after he is accused of sexual misconduct by his patients. The shock leads the wife to miscarry, after which she poses as a nanny for one of her husband's accusers, and slowly begins to infiltrate the family. The title is taken from an 1865 poem by William Ross Wallace and there are several nods to the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance.

<i>Hercules</i> (1998 TV series) American animated television series

Disney's Hercules: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the 1997 film of the same name and the Greek myth. The series followed Hercules as a teenager, in training to be a hero, prior to the events of the film.

<i>Nothing Sacred</i> (film) 1937 film by William A. Wellman

Nothing Sacred is a 1937 American Technicolor screwball comedy film directed by William A. Wellman, produced by David O. Selznick, and starring Carole Lombard and Fredric March with a supporting cast featuring Charles Winninger and Walter Connolly. Ben Hecht was credited with the screenplay based on the 1937 story "Letter to the Editor" by James H. Street, and an array of additional writers, including Ring Lardner Jr., Budd Schulberg, Dorothy Parker, Sidney Howard, Moss Hart, George S. Kaufman and Robert Carson made uncredited contributions.

<i>Madigan</i> 1968 film by Don Siegel (as Donald Siegel)

Madigan is a 1968 American neo-noir crime drama thriller film directed by Don Siegel and starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda and Inger Stevens.

<i>Remember the Night</i> 1940 film by Mitchell Leisen

Remember the Night is a 1940 American Christmas romantic comedy trial film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray and directed by Mitchell Leisen. The film was written by Preston Sturges and was the last of his scripts shot by another director, as Sturges began his own directorial career the same year with The Great McGinty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxie Jones</span> Fictional character

Maxie Jones is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the eldest daughter of supercouple Frisco Jones and Felicia Cummings, raised most of her life by Mac Scorpio. The role was first portrayed by Robyn Richards for eleven years, from 1993 to 2004. The role was then recast with Kirsten Storms. In 2011, Storms took an extended medical leave, resulting in the temporary recasting of the character with Jen Lilley. Storms has since returned to the role. In 2009, Storms was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her portrayal of Maxie Jones.

"Whistle While Your Wife Works" is the fifth episode of season five of Family Guy, the last episode produced for Season 4. The show originally aired on Fox on November 12, 2006. The plot follows Peter losing his fingers after an accident while holding fireworks. Behind on his work and threatened with the possibility of dismissal, he asks Lois to catch up on his work for him, to which she agrees. However, he repeatedly attempts to seduce her, eventually succeeding, distracting her from the work. Meanwhile, Brian begins dating a woman named Jillian who, much to Stewie's delight, lacks general knowledge and intelligence.

<i>Christmas in July</i> (film) 1940 film by Preston Sturges

Christmas in July is a 1940 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, and starring Dick Powell and Ellen Drew.

<i>The Girl in White</i> 1952 film

The Girl in White is a 1952 American drama film directed by John Sturges and starring June Allyson, Arthur Kennedy and Mildred Dunnock. It is based on the memoirs of the pioneering female surgeon Emily Dunning Barringer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Summer Man</span> 8th episode of the 4th season of Mad Men

"The Summer Man" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 47th overall episode of the series. It aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 12, 2010. The episode was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and writers Janet Leahy and Lisa Albert. It was directed by Phil Abraham.

"Mother's Day" is the 287th episode of the American legal drama television series Law & Order, and the tenth episode of the show's thirteenth season. The 45-minute episode was filmed in New York City, was written by Janis Diamond, was directed by Jace AAlexander, and originally aired on NBC on January 8, 2003.

"Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" is the 11th episode of the American fairy tale/drama television series Once Upon a Time, which aired in the United States on ABC on January 29, 2012.

<i>Maxie</i> (1985 film) 1985 film by Paul Aaron

Maxie is a 1985 American fantasy-comedy film directed by Paul Aaron, and starring Glenn Close, Mandy Patinkin, Valerie Curtin, Ruth Gordon and Barnard Hughes. The plot is based on the novel Marion's Wall (1973) by Jack Finney about a woman who is possessed by a very outgoing female ghost — a budding actress from the 1920s — named Maxie, who wants to fulfill her destiny.

The Seventh Brother is a 1995 Hungarian-German-American animated fantasy-comedy-drama film for children made and produced at Hungary's Pannonia Film Studio. It was co-produced with Magyar Televízió, Germany's RealFilm, and the U.S. outlet Feature Films for Families.

<i>All About the Washingtons</i> 2018 American TV series or program

All About the Washingtons is an American comedy television series created by Jeremy Bronson that premiered on August 10, 2018, on Netflix. The series is executive produced by Bronson alongside showrunner Andrew Reich and stars Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons, Justine Simmons, and Kiana Ledé. In October 2018, it was announced that Netflix had canceled the series after one season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axe and Grind</span> 6th episode of the 6th season of Better Call Saul

"Axe and Grind" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. Actor Giancarlo Esposito directed the episode written by Ariel Levine. The episode aired on May 16, 2022, on AMC and AMC+. In several countries outside the United States and Canada, the episode premiered on Netflix the following day.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles, CA: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study, OCLC   801258228 .
  2. Glenn Lovell, Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges, University of Wisconsin Press, 2008, p. 60 ISBN 978-0-299-22834-7