To the People of the United States: Difference between revisions

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| editing =
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| distributor = [[War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry]]
| distributor = [[War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry]]
| released = {{Film date|1943|11|21}}
| released = 16 April 1944
| runtime = 21 minutes
| runtime = 21 minutes
| country = United States
| country = United States
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| budget =
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'''''To the People of the United States''''' is a short propaganda film produced by the US Public Health Service in 1943 to warn the American GIs against [[syphilis]]. It was directed by [[Arthur Lubin]] and produced by [[Walter Wanger]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety152-1943-11/page/n3|page=4|title=Wagner, Lubin Make Social Disease Shortie|date=November 3, 1943}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Walter Wanger, Hollywood independent|last=Bernstein|first= Matthew |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |page=175}}</ref>
'''''To the People of the United States''''' is a short propaganda film produced by the US Public Health Service in 1943 to warn the American GIs against [[syphilis]]. It was directed by [[Arthur Lubin]] and produced by [[Walter Wanger]].<ref name="variety">{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety152-1943-11/page/n3|page=4|title=Wagner, Lubin Make Social Disease Shortie|date=November 3, 1943}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Walter Wanger, Hollywood independent|last=Bernstein|first= Matthew |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |page=175}}</ref> The film was subject to protests from the Catholic Legion of Decency.<ref>{{cite book|page=78-80|title=Surgeon General's warning : how politics crippled the nation's doctor|last=Stobbe|first= Mike|year=2014 |publisher=University of California Press}}</ref>
==Plot==
==Plot==
The film opens with the ground crew of a flying fortress talking to their colleagues about being grounded. It seems the other planes in their unit are off to fight the enemy, but they and their plane lay idle because their pilot is "sick". The pilot, whose face is never shown, talks with a doctor, feeling very embarrassed and guilty about what has happened. The doctor assures him that he will fly again when he gets better. When the pilot interjects that he has heard he wouldn't, the doctor asks "Heard from who? The kid next door or the drug patent salesman? Surely not anyone who knew what he was talking about." The doctor then informs him that if the disease is caught early, and he keeps up a strict treatment he will be able to go about his business normally again.
The film opens with the ground crew of a flying fortress talking to their colleagues about being grounded. It seems the other planes in their unit are off to fight the enemy, but they and their plane lay idle because their pilot is "sick". The pilot, whose face is never shown, talks with a doctor, feeling very embarrassed and guilty about what has happened. The doctor assures him that he will fly again when he gets better. When the pilot interjects that he has heard he wouldn't, the doctor asks "Heard from who? The kid next door or the drug patent salesman? Surely not anyone who knew what he was talking about." The doctor then informs him that if the disease is caught early, and he keeps up a strict treatment he will be able to go about his business normally again.
Line 39: Line 39:
*[[Robert Mitchum]] as Bomber Ground Crew
*[[Robert Mitchum]] as Bomber Ground Crew
==Production==
==Production==
The film was made at the request of the Public Health Service and the California State Department of of Public Health, using public funds.<ref name="of">Of Local Origin
⚫
The director and all the actors volunteered their time for the film. However, the Catholic [[Legion of Decency]] protested, saying it failed "to stress that promiscuity is the principal cause of venereal disease." The Legion said the film would "pave the way for a flood of pictures by producers who do not hesitate to avail themselves of every opportunity for lurid and pornographic material for financial gain." The protests worked and on March 30 1944 the Public Health Service withdrew its sponsorship of the film. <ref>VENEREAL FILM HALTED: Sponsorship Is Withdrawn at Request of Legion of Decency
New York Times 27 Apr 1944: 18.</ref> The director and all the actors volunteered their time for the film and it was shot in November 1943. The intent was for the film to be distributed free by the Public Health Service to the armed services, schools, civic organisations and industrial groups.<ref name="variety"/> The film was made with the co operation of the office of the Surgeon General and the script was approved by the army and the Office of War Information.<ref>PUBLIC TO SEE FILM ON VENEREAL DISEASE: Wanger Says California Health Unit Has Released It
New York Times (1923-Current file); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]31 Mar 1944: 23. </ref> It was only shown to a few select audiences.<ref>{{cite book|page=78-80|title=Surgeon General's warning : how politics crippled the nation's doctor|last=Stobbe|first= Mike|year=2014 |publisher=University of California Press}}</ref>
New York Times 17 Apr 1944: 38.</ref>
==Protests==
⚫
The Catholic [[Legion of Decency]] protested the finished film, saying it failed "to stress that promiscuity is the principal cause of venereal disease." The Legion said the film would "pave the way for a flood of pictures by producers who do not hesitate to avail themselves of every opportunity for lurid and pornographic material for financial gain."<ref name="halt"/>

Producer Wanger argued that the film did not violate the Production Code section on sex and hygenie as the Code did not apply to government films. He said the Code did apply to commercial pictures and would ensure any commercial film did not promote promiscuity. However the protests worked and on March 30, 1944 the Public Health Service withdrew its sponsorship of the film. <ref name="halt">VENEREAL FILM HALTED: Sponsorship Is Withdrawn at Request of Legion of Decency
New York Times 31 Mar 1944: 23. </ref>

On April 16, the California Department of Health made the film available for public showing.<ref name="of"/>

Catholics continued to protest the movie.<ref>BISHOP ASSAILS MOVIE ON SOCIAL DISEASE FIGHT
Chicago Daily Tribune 8 Dec 1944: 20. </ref>


==Awards==
==Awards==

Revision as of 07:34, 14 August 2019

To the People of the United States
Directed byArthur Lubin
Written byEdmund L. Hartmann
Produced byUnited States Public Health Service
Walter Wanger
StarringJean Hersholt
Narrated byJean Hersholt
CinematographyMilton Krasner
Distributed byWar Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry
Release date
16 April 1944
Running time
21 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

To the People of the United States is a short propaganda film produced by the US Public Health Service in 1943 to warn the American GIs against syphilis. It was directed by Arthur Lubin and produced by Walter Wanger.[1][2] The film was subject to protests from the Catholic Legion of Decency.[3]

Plot

The film opens with the ground crew of a flying fortress talking to their colleagues about being grounded. It seems the other planes in their unit are off to fight the enemy, but they and their plane lay idle because their pilot is "sick". The pilot, whose face is never shown, talks with a doctor, feeling very embarrassed and guilty about what has happened. The doctor assures him that he will fly again when he gets better. When the pilot interjects that he has heard he wouldn't, the doctor asks "Heard from who? The kid next door or the drug patent salesman? Surely not anyone who knew what he was talking about." The doctor then informs him that if the disease is caught early, and he keeps up a strict treatment he will be able to go about his business normally again.

Once the pilot leaves the doctor addresses the audience "Do you want the facts? Well the first question is the extent of syphilis in America." A visit to the local draft board later reveals that nearly 47 of every thousand men called up have to be dismissed because they had syphilis. He then visits an Army hospital and is informed by the doctor that syphilis is like a "forest fire", no organization or saboteur could do half the damage that venereal disease does to the army.

The doctor then goes into the social stigma associated with syphilis, and the fact that so many people will not get a blood test to check for syphilis. He notes in his native Scandinavia, people were much more open about it, and it was a normal sight for people to get a blood test for syphilis. He shows a diagram of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, which he says has a comparable population as the State of New York, and how fewer Scandinavians have VD than New Yorkers, The film ends with a plea for everyone to get a blood test.

Cast

Production

The film was made at the request of the Public Health Service and the California State Department of of Public Health, using public funds.[4] The director and all the actors volunteered their time for the film and it was shot in November 1943. The intent was for the film to be distributed free by the Public Health Service to the armed services, schools, civic organisations and industrial groups.[1] The film was made with the co operation of the office of the Surgeon General and the script was approved by the army and the Office of War Information.[5]

Protests

The Catholic Legion of Decency protested the finished film, saying it failed "to stress that promiscuity is the principal cause of venereal disease." The Legion said the film would "pave the way for a flood of pictures by producers who do not hesitate to avail themselves of every opportunity for lurid and pornographic material for financial gain."[6]

Producer Wanger argued that the film did not violate the Production Code section on sex and hygenie as the Code did not apply to government films. He said the Code did apply to commercial pictures and would ensure any commercial film did not promote promiscuity. However the protests worked and on March 30, 1944 the Public Health Service withdrew its sponsorship of the film. [6]

On April 16, the California Department of Health made the film available for public showing.[4]

Catholics continued to protest the movie.[7]

Awards

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.[8][dead link][9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Wagner, Lubin Make Social Disease Shortie". Variety. November 3, 1943. p. 4.
  2. ^ Bernstein, Matthew (2000). Walter Wanger, Hollywood independent. University of Minnesota Press. p. 175.
  3. ^ Stobbe, Mike (2014). Surgeon General's warning : how politics crippled the nation's doctor. University of California Press. p. 78-80.
  4. ^ a b Of Local Origin New York Times 27 Apr 1944: 18.
  5. ^ PUBLIC TO SEE FILM ON VENEREAL DISEASE: Wanger Says California Health Unit Has Released It New York Times 17 Apr 1944: 38.
  6. ^ a b VENEREAL FILM HALTED: Sponsorship Is Withdrawn at Request of Legion of Decency New York Times 31 Mar 1944: 23.
  7. ^ BISHOP ASSAILS MOVIE ON SOCIAL DISEASE FIGHT Chicago Daily Tribune 8 Dec 1944: 20.
  8. ^ "NY Times: To the People of the United States". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  9. ^ "The 16th Academy Awards (1944) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved May 29, 2019.


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