The Flag of Humanity (1940)

This 'Special' entry from the Warners/Vitaphone shorts department is less the story of Clara Barton, and more the story of how Clara Barton helped further the cause of the Red Cross in the ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean Negulesco

Writer:

Charles L. Tedford (story)

Stars:

Nana Bryant, Fay Helm, John Hamilton

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Nana Bryant	...	Clara Barton
Fay Helm	...	Elsie Howard
John Hamilton	...	Gen. James Garfield
Ted Osborne	...	Dr. Bellows (as Ted Osborn)
John Arledge	...	Jeremy

Storyline

This 'Special' entry from the Warners/Vitaphone shorts department is less the story of Clara Barton, and more the story of how Clara Barton helped further the cause of the Red Cross in the United States and the birth of the American Red Cross. Barton went through many trials and setbacks before she succeeded. This short, as was all Warners' shorts, was made for the express purpose of theatrical release and not as something made with the school market in mind. Many of their 'Historic America' shorts were later made available for school showings.

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Plot Keywords:

red cross | american red cross | determination | assassination | medal | 

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Genres:

Short | Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1940 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

19 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vitaphone production reels #9889-9890.

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Soundtracks

"The Star Spangled Banner"
(1814) (uncredited)
Music by John Stafford Smith
In the score when the American flag is shown at the end

User Reviews

Mediocre, at best

Maybe a thoughtful concept, but the execution was mediocre at best. The direction was stiff, the script overly sentimental, and the players over-acted by a country mile. The dialog was out of a Hallmark greeting card--sappy and affectatious. Tremendous dramatic license was obviously taken.

I really had difficulty finding anything redeeming about it, and my vote (of 5) was generous, to say the least.

Made by Warners, surely they could have turned the idea over to their script department and given it some real flesh--the idea really deserves to be a feature length film as the story is one we are familiar with, and the characters are historical. Perhaps in the hands of MGM or Paramount, who had a much better sense of history, it could have had more merit.