The Monroe Doctrine (1939)

The story of President Monroe's response to attempts by Spain to interfere in South America.

Director:

Crane Wilbur

Writer:

Charles L. Tedford

Stars:

Grant Mitchell, Charles Waldron, James Stephenson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Grant Mitchell	...	John Quincy Adams
Charles Waldron	...	President James Monroe
James Stephenson	...	Senor De La Torre
Frank Wilcox	...	Henry Clay
George Reeves	...	John Sturgis
Nanette Fabray	...	Rosita De La Torre (as Nanette Fabares)
Sidney Blackmer	...	Theodore Roosevelt
Tom Chatterton	...	John Randolph
Ted Osborne	...	John C. Calhoun
Emmett Vogan	...	Daniel Webster
Howard Lang	...	William Wirt
Edwin Stanley	...	President James K. Polk
Erville Alderson	...	William Seward
Millard Vincent	...	President Millard Fillmore
Stuart Holmes	...	Grover Cleveland

Storyline

This two-reel short tells the tale of the effects of the Monroe Document in a historical and historical-fictional manner, and its effects---fact and fictional---in North and South America...and Europe and,how through the years, various U.S. Presidents have upheld it in various ways. The ending has Theodore Roosevelt delivering a speech that probably left the viewing audiences, in various countries, talking about it in various languages.

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Plot Keywords:

president | speech | spain | reference to tsar alexander | prime minister | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1939 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

22 min 22 min (original) 16 min (re-release) 19 min (DVD release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Frank Wilcox.

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Quotes

Theodore Roosevelt: Speak softly but carry a big stick!

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Connections

Edited into March On, America! (1942)

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Soundtracks

"Yankee Doodle Dandy"
(uncredited)
Composed by George M. Cohan (1904)
Integrated into background score

User Reviews

A Brief Peek At American History

A Warner Brothers Short Subject.

THE MONROE DOCTRINE asserts the rights of the Americas to be left alone from all European entanglements.

This little film gives a good look at the reasons behind the Monroe Doctrine and how it was defined by succeeding American governments. It moves briskly and is well acted, especially by Grant Mitchell as John Quincy Adams and Sidney Blackmer as Teddy Roosevelt. Nanette Fabray & George Reeves very briefly portray young lovers caught up in history's flow.

Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.