An American Romance (1944)

Director:

King Vidor

Writers:

King Vidor (story)
Herbert Dalmas (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 April 1945 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In Glorious Technicolor!

Plot:

Stefan Dangos immigrates to America and works his way up from the iron mines and steel mills to become...

Plot Keywords:

Steel | Steel Mill | Iron Mine | Patriotism | Christmas

Cast

Brian Donlevy	...	Steve Dangos
Ann Richards	...	Anna O'Rourke Dangos
Walter Abel	...	Howard Clinton
John Qualen	...	Anton Dubechek
Stephen McNally	...	Teddy Roosevelt Dangos (as Horace McNally)
Mary McLeod	...	Tina Dangos
Bob Lowell	...	George Washington Dangos

Runtime:

USA:121 min (Turner library print) | 151 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #9710) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

After the world premiere in Cincinnati, Ohio, the New York Office of M-G-M ordered 30 minutes to be cut from the film, since exhibitors complained about its length. In his autobiography, King Vidor says he expected the cuts to come out of the documentary footage in the film, but that footage was already wedded to the music. So the cuts came out of the dramatic portions. Many of the actors listed in the cast may not be seen in the 121-minute cut version which Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has shown.

Soundtrack:

Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean

An unapologetic "immigrant boy makes good" story,

I saw this movie as a kid of 10 in Port Arthur, Texas, which had four theaters in a four block area. I don't remember all the details, but it was definitely a feel-good film. The protagonist was an Eastern European immigrant whose name was long and hard to pronounce, so he was re-christened Steve Dangos. Steve first got a job iron ore in an "op'm pit". Being bright and ambitious, he later became an automobile manufacturer and, if the movie is to be believed, was the first to build an enclosed sedan. He was proud to be an American (this was at a point in World War II when the outcome was expected but not guaranteed) and he named his sons after Washington and Theodore Roosevelt. He had his share of sorrow when one of the sons was killed in World War I. This was not one of the all-time film classics, but it must have made a great impression on me for the basic plot to have stayed with me for all these 62 years.