Don't You Believe It (1943)

This Passing Parade entry looks at several historical "truths" that just aren't so: Steve Brodie never jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge; Mrs. O'Leary's cow did not start the great Chicago ... See full summary »

Director:

Edward L. Cahn

Writers:

Cran Chamberlin (story), Gene Piller

Stars:

John Nesbitt, Harry Cording, Albert Godderis

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Nesbitt	...	Narrator

Storyline

This Passing Parade entry looks at several historical "truths" that just aren't so: Steve Brodie never jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge; Mrs. O'Leary's cow did not start the great Chicago fire; Nero didn't fiddle while Rome burned; and Lady Godiva never rode naked through the streets of Coventry.

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Plot Keywords:

nero | lady godiva | cow | brooklyn bridge | fire | 

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Genres:

Short

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Passing Parade No. 41: Don't You Believe It

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

11 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The film neglects to mention that George Washington was elected President of the United States after the U.S. Constitution was ratified and adopted. No one who "headed" the U.S. while the Articles of Confederation were used has ever been considered President.

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Connections

Follows Trifles of Importance (1940)

User Reviews

Passing Parade dispenses with myths...

DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT examines some well-known facts we're all taught in school about history, dispensing with myths that it claims are actually untrue.

50% of history is nonsense, so it says, and we're given some examples--such as, Steve Brody never jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, doing away with the notion that somebody can "pull a Brody".

Nero was "fast asleep" when Rome burned, never having been the great arsonist we're told he was.

It wasn't Mrs. O'Leary's cow that knocked over the lantern--it happened actually in another neighbor's barn.

Lady Godiva was actually a pious and refined woman who never would have dreamed of riding naked through the streets of Coventry to protest taxes. The story was made up by political foes of her husband who decided that emphasizing her charms in a notorious way would spread the rumor successfully. They even decided to include a white horse in the story.

Most surprising fact: George Washington was not proposed as first president of the United States. He was seventh or eighth on a list that had John Hanson's name first. But Washington was sought when the country needed a great leader and decided that, as much as he loved his life on a plantation, when summoned by fellow countrymen he would agree to lead the country.

Summing up: Nothing really startling, it's just an average documentary debunking what it calls popular myths.