It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
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- Approved
- 1h 29min
- Comedy, Drama
- 20 Nov 1951 (USA)
- Movie
Comprised of eight unrelated episodes of inconsistent quality, this anthology piece of American propaganda features some of MGM Studios' best directors, screenwriters and actors; it is narrated by Louis Calhern.
Directors:
Writers:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Ethel Barrymore | ... |
Mrs. Brian Patrick Riordan
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| Keefe Brasselle | ... |
Sgt. Maxie Klein
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| Gary Cooper | ... |
Texas
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| Nancy Reagan | ... |
Miss Coleman
(as Nancy Davis)
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| Van Johnson | ... |
Rev. Adam Burch
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| Gene Kelly | ... |
Icarus Xenophon
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| Janet Leigh | ... |
Rosa Szabo
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| Marjorie Main | ... |
Mrs. Wrenley
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| Fredric March | ... |
Joe Esposito
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| George Murphy | ... |
Mr. Callaghan
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| William Powell | ... |
Professor
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| S.Z. Sakall | ... |
Stefan Szabo
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| Lewis Stone | ... |
Church Sexton
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| James Whitmore | ... |
Mr. Stacey
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| Keenan Wynn | ... |
Michael Fisher
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| Leon Ames | ... |
Secret Service Man
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| Angela Clarke | ... |
Mama Esposito
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| Robert Hyatt | ... |
Joey Esposito
(as Bobby Hyatt)
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| Sharon McManus | ... |
Sam Szabo
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| Jackie Robinson | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Jesse Owens | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Joe Louis | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Sugar Ray Robinson | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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Levi Jackson | ... |
Self - Captain of the Yale Football Team 1949 (archiveFootage)
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Marian Anderson | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Lena Horne | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Ethel Waters | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Duke Ellington | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Louis Armstrong | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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Ananias Berry | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as The Berry Brothers)
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James Berry | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as The Berry Brothers)
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Warren Berry | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as The Berry Brothers)
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Francis Rivers | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as Justice Francis Rivers)
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Jane Bolin | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as Judge Jane Bolin)
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Benjamin W. Anthony | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as Benjamin W. Anthony)
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| Adam Clayton Powell Jr. | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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Bravid Harris | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as The Right Reverend Bravid Harris)
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Irvin Mollison | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Pauli Murray | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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Paul R. Williams | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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Emma Clement | ... |
Self - 1946 Mother of the Year (archiveFootage)
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Ralph Bunche | ... |
Self - Winner of the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize (archiveFootage)
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| George Washington Carver | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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David Alpert | ... |
Greek Athlete (uncredited)
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Jeralyn Alton | ... |
Yolande Szabo (uncredited)
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Dolly Arriaga | ... |
Concetta Esposito (uncredited)
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| Bill Baldwin | ... |
Austin (uncredited)
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| Benny Burt | ... |
Soda Jerk (uncredited)
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| Louis Calhern | ... |
Narrator (uncredited) (voice)
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Dick Cherney | ... |
Church Member (uncredited)
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Ray Chordes | ... |
Narrator (uncredited) (voice)
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Roger Cole | ... |
Reporter (uncredited)
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| George Conrad | ... |
Greek Athlete (uncredited)
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Lucille Curtis | ... |
Miss Bloomsburg (uncredited)
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George Economides | ... |
Theodore (uncredited)
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| John Ericson | ... |
Naval Ensign (uncredited)
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Don Fields | ... |
George (uncredited)
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Tiny Francone | ... |
Girl in Classroom (uncredited)
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| Ned Glass | ... |
Newspaper Office Receptionist (uncredited)
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| Don Gordon | ... |
Mervin (uncredited)
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A. Cameron Grant | ... |
Proprietor of Inn (uncredited)
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Richard Grindle | ... |
Greek Athlete (uncredited)
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Sherry Hall | ... |
Census Bureau Assistant Supervisor (uncredited)
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Hal Hatfield | ... |
Greek Athlete (uncredited)
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June Hedin | ... |
Kati Szabo (uncredited)
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Art Howard | ... |
Church Member (uncredited)
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Jerry Hunter | ... |
Frank Grillo (uncredited)
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Jacqueline Kenley | ... |
Margit Szabo (uncredited)
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Anthony Lappas | ... |
Greek Athlete (uncredited)
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| Carl M. Leviness | ... |
Newsroom Worker (uncredited)
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Mickey Little | ... |
Boy (uncredited)
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| Mickey Martin | ... |
Copyboy (uncredited)
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| George McDonald | ... |
Boy (uncredited)
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Luana Mehlberg | ... |
Lenka Szabo (uncredited)
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| Rhea Mitchell | ... |
School Teacher (uncredited)
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| Roger Moore | ... |
Reporter (uncredited)
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Costas Morfis | ... |
Greek Athlete (uncredited)
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Tom Nickols | ... |
Greek Athlete (uncredited)
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| Carol Nugent | ... |
Girl (uncredited)
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Paul Power | ... |
Church Member (uncredited)
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| Elisabeth Risdon | ... |
Diner on Train (uncredited)
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| Fred Santley | ... |
Census Bureau Supervisor (uncredited)
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Harry Stanton | ... |
Reporter (uncredited)
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Henry Sylvester | ... |
Reporter (uncredited)
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Tony Taylor | ... |
Baby Sitter (uncredited)
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William H. Welsh | ... |
Census Bureau Official (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Clarence Brown | ||
| Don Hartman | ||
| John Sturges | ||
| Richard Thorpe | ||
| Charles Vidor | ||
| Don Weis | ||
| William A. Wellman | ||
Written by
| Dore Schary | ... | (story for picture by) |
| William Ludwig | ... | (screen play by: episode one) |
| Edgar Brooke | ... | (from a story by: episode one) |
| Helen Deutsch | ... | (screen play by: episode two) |
| Ray Chordes | ... | (written by: episode three) |
| Isobel Lennart | ... | (screen play by: episode four) |
| Claudia Cranston | ... | (from a story by: episode four) |
| Allen Rivkin | ... | (written for the screen by: episode five) |
| Lucille Schlossberg | ... | (from a story by: episode five) (as Lucile Schlossberg) |
| Dorothy Kingsley | ... | (screen play by: episode six) |
| Dore Schary | ... | (written by: episode seven) |
| George Wells | ... | (screen play by: episode eight) |
| Joseph Petracca | ... | (from a story by: episode eight) |
Produced by
| Dore Schary | ... | producer (uncredited) |
| Robert Sisk | ... | producer (produced by) |
Cinematography by
| John Alton | ... | director of photography |
| Ray June | ... | director of photography |
| William C. Mellor | ... | director of photography (as William Mellor) |
| Joseph Ruttenberg | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Ben Lewis | ||
| Fredrick Y. Smith | ||
Art Direction by
| Malcolm Brown | ||
| William Ferrari | ||
| Cedric Gibbons | ||
| Eddie Imazu | ||
| Arthur Lonergan | ||
| Gabriel Scognamillo | ||
Set Decoration by
| Jack Bonar | ||
| Ralph S. Hurst | ||
| Arthur Krams | ||
| Fred M. MacLean | ... | (as Fred MacLean) |
| Alfred E. Spencer | ||
| Edwin B. Willis | ||
Makeup Department
| Sydney Guilaroff | ... | hair stylist |
| William Tuttle | ... | makeup creator |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Joel Freeman | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Douglas Shearer | ... | recording supervisor |
Special Effects by
| A. Arnold Gillespie | ... | special effects |
| Warren Newcombe | ... | special effects |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Joan Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Alberto Colombo | ... | music adaptor |
| Adolph Deutsch | ... | music adaptor |
| Johnny Green | ... | music supervisor |
| Lennie Hayton | ... | music adaptor |
| Bronislau Kaper | ... | music adaptor |
| Rudolph G. Kopp | ... | music adaptor |
| David Raksin | ... | music adaptor |
| David Rose | ... | music adaptor |
| Johnny Green | ... | musical director (uncredited) |
| Charles Wolcott | ... | music adaptor (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
Distributors
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1951) (United States) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1952) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Western Electric (sound recording system)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
The story, told in eight episodes, covers different facets of the American Spirit, from racial and religious tolerance to the dangers of self-centeredness and myopic reasoning. The parables represent a broad cross-section of the American experience: the elderly woman whose pride is injured when she's forgotten in the latest census; the novice minister more pleased with the sound of his own voice than with the needs of his congregation; the mother who confronts the illogic of racial intolerance when she meets the best friend of the son she lost to war; and the enigma that is Texas. Episode titles are: 1) Interruptions, Interruptions; 2) Census Taker; 3) Negro Story; 4) Rosika, the Rose; 5) Letter from Korea; 6) Lone Star; (7) Minister in Washington; 8) Four Eyes; a further episode, titled Load, directed by Anthony Mann, with 'Jean Hersholt' (q.v.) and 'Ann Harding' (q.v.), was filmed but deleted.
Written by Chris Stone |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | A World of Entertainment From M-G-M! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $1,013,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | When she discovers that Icarus Xenophon (Gene Kelly) is Greek, Janet Leigh does a spot-on imitation of S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall's (S.Z. Sakall) trademark response to upsetting news, placing her palms against her cheeks and emitting an exasperated "Sheeeesh!" See more » |
| Goofs | When the census taker asks Ethel Barrymore her name, she replies "Mrs. Brian Patrick Riordan" and he writes it down. Always with censuses, a woman's given name is entered. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into A Letter from a Soldier (1951). See more » |
| Soundtracks | God Bless America See more » |
| Quotes |
Rosa Szabo Xenophon:
Marry me? You don't know anything about me. Icarus Xenophon: You're a girl. You're pretty and you're modest. What else is there to know? See more » |