The House I Live In (1945)

Frank Sinatra teaches a group of young boys a lesson in religious tolerance.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy (uncredited)

Writer:

Albert Maltz

Stars:

Frank Sinatra, Teddy Infuhr, Harry McKim

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Frank Sinatra	...	Self

Storyline

A young Frank Sinatra is in the studio with a full orchestra. He records a take of "If You Are But a Dream," then breaks for a smoke. From the studio, he steps into an alley where he sees nearly a dozen kids chasing one smaller boy. Frank stops them, asks why, and they tell him it's because of the boy's religion. So Frank asks them if they're Nazis and explains a few things about America, blood banks, World War II, and teamwork. Then he sings "The House I Live In" for them. Off the lads scamper, and the kid Frank's saved gives him a look of gratitude.

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Plot Keywords:

social problem | ethnicity | italian american | common good | do the right thing | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The lyrics to the song "The House I Live In" were written by Abel Meeropol, author of "Strange Fruit" made famous by Billie Holiday. He is credited as Lewis Allan because of the black list. When he saw the film for the first time he walked out because the line in his lyric "my neighbors white and black" was not included in the film.

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Connections

Featured in Sinatra: All or Nothing at All: Part 1 (2015)

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Soundtracks

America the Beautiful
(uncredited)
Music by Samuel A. Ward
Performed by studio orchestra

User Reviews

Positive review

This is a very excellent movie. Although it is very short (10 minutes or so) it shows an ideal of America. Frank Sinatra used this vehicle to show his attitude toward this ideal of tolerance and understanding. It is worth seeing by just about anyone but I would especially like to see it shown to young people. It is probably too short to ever be a commercial success and I have not been able to find a VHS or DVD copy of it anywhere. I have only seen it twice and heard the complete sound track (not just the music, but the entire dialog as well) twice. I would certainly like to have it in my personal collection.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

The House I Live In

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frank Ross Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

11 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1