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IMDbPro

It's a Big Country: An American Anthology

  • 19511951
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
596
YOUR RATING
It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
  • Comedy
  • Drama
The story, told in eight episodes, covers different facets of the American Spirit, from racial and religious tolerance to the dangers of self-centeredness and myopic reasoning. The parables ... Read allThe story, told in eight episodes, covers different facets of the American Spirit, from racial and religious tolerance to the dangers of self-centeredness and myopic reasoning. The parables represent a broad cross-section of the American experience: the elderly woman whose pride ... Read allThe story, told in eight episodes, covers different facets of the American Spirit, from racial and religious tolerance to the dangers of self-centeredness and myopic reasoning. The parables represent a broad cross-section of the American experience: the elderly woman whose pride is injured when she's forgotten in the latest census; the novice minister more pleased wit... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
596
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Clarence Brown
    • Don Hartman
    • John Sturges
  • Writers
    • Dore Schary(story for picture)
    • William Ludwig(screenplay: episode one)
    • Edgar Brooke(story: episode one)
  • Stars
    • Ethel Barrymore
    • Keefe Brasselle
    • Gary Cooper
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Clarence Brown
    • Don Hartman
    • John Sturges
  • Writers
    • Dore Schary(story for picture)
    • William Ludwig(screenplay: episode one)
    • Edgar Brooke(story: episode one)
  • Stars
    • Ethel Barrymore
    • Keefe Brasselle
    • Gary Cooper
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 23User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos12

    It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Nancy Reagan, Robert Hyatt, and Fredric March in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Keefe Brasselle and Marjorie Main in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Van Johnson and Lewis Stone in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Elisabeth Risdon and James Whitmore in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Gene Kelly, Janet Leigh, and S.Z. Sakall in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Ethel Barrymore, George Murphy, Bill Welsh, and Keenan Wynn in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Nancy Reagan in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Nancy Reagan and Angela Clarke in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Robert Hyatt and Fredric March in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)
    Nancy Reagan, Angela Clarke, and Robert Hyatt in It's a Big Country: An American Anthology (1951)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ethel Barrymore
    Ethel Barrymore
    • Mrs. Brian Patrick Riordanas Mrs. Brian Patrick Riordan
    Keefe Brasselle
    Keefe Brasselle
    • Sgt. Maxie Kleinas Sgt. Maxie Klein
    Gary Cooper
    Gary Cooper
    • Texasas Texas
    Nancy Reagan
    Nancy Reagan
    • Miss Colemanas Miss Coleman
    • (as Nancy Davis)
    Van Johnson
    Van Johnson
    • Rev. Adam Burchas Rev. Adam Burch
    Gene Kelly
    Gene Kelly
    • Icarus Xenophonas Icarus Xenophon
    Janet Leigh
    Janet Leigh
    • Rosa Szaboas Rosa Szabo
    Marjorie Main
    Marjorie Main
    • Mrs. Wrenleyas Mrs. Wrenley
    Fredric March
    Fredric March
    • Joe Espositoas Joe Esposito
    George Murphy
    George Murphy
    • Mr. Callaghanas Mr. Callaghan
    William Powell
    William Powell
    • Professoras Professor
    S.Z. Sakall
    S.Z. Sakall
    • Stefan Szaboas Stefan Szabo
    Lewis Stone
    Lewis Stone
    • Church Sextonas Church Sexton
    James Whitmore
    James Whitmore
    • Mr. Staceyas Mr. Stacey
    Keenan Wynn
    Keenan Wynn
    • Michael Fisheras Michael Fisher
    Leon Ames
    Leon Ames
    • Secret Service Manas Secret Service Man
    Angela Clarke
    Angela Clarke
    • Mama Espositoas Mama Esposito
    Robert Hyatt
    Robert Hyatt
    • Joey Espositoas Joey Esposito
    • (as Bobby Hyatt)
    • Directors
      • Clarence Brown
      • Don Hartman
      • John Sturges
    • Writers
      • Dore Schary(story for picture) (written by: episode seven)
      • William Ludwig(screenplay: episode one)
      • Edgar Brooke(story: episode one)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The St. Thomas Episcopal Church in the film is located at 18th and Church Streets near DuPont Circle in NW Washington, DC. Completed in 1899 it was largely destroyed by an arson fire in 1970.
    • Goofs
      When the census taker asks Ethel Barrymore her name, she replies "Mrs. Brian Patrick Riordan" and he writes it down. Always with censuses, a woman's given name is entered.
    • Quotes

      Rosa Szabo Xenophon: Marry me? You don't know anything about me.

      Icarus Xenophon: You're a girl. You're pretty and you're modest. What else is there to know?

    • Connections
      Edited into A Letter from a Soldier (1951)
    • Soundtracks
      God Bless America
      (uncredited)

      Written by Irving Berlin

    User reviews23

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Big cast and big ideas
    I'm not sure why this anthology film was made, but its segments seem to reflect a desire by new MGM head of production Dore Schary, a Democrat, to demonstrate that liberal values are American values. (There was a lot of equating liberals with communists, at that time).

    An opening segment on a train, that draws us into the whole thing, features James Whitmore as a patriotic, "I love America" type. "Which America?" asks the always-debonair and well-spoken William Powell. We then see the many sides of our country depicted through vignettes.

    There are a couple of segments against prejudice. One is about a Greek-hating Hungarian American father of several girls (S. Z. Sakall) whose eldest daughter (Janet Leigh) falls for a young Greek American (Gene Kelly - actually pushing 40 at the time but you'd never guess it). As a piece against xenophobia, it's nice, and gets its point across with humor, wit, and romance.

    There's also a segment against religious prejudice, where an ex-seviceman named Maxie Klein (Keefe Brasselle) visits the mother (Marjorie Main) of a dead war buddy. At first the mother doesn't know the man because her son had used his nickname in his letters. She's suspicious of his motives because he's Jewish. Eventually she's grateful for the comfort the stranger has given her, putting aside whatever prejudices she was harboring, and requesting his mother's address so that she can write her about it all.

    The segments are all fairly interesting, but not exactly first-rate drama or comedy.

    There's one about a minister (Van Johnson) who learns a lesson in humility from a deacon (played by Louis Stone). There's one in which Fredric March plays a working-class Italian American who won't be convinced by a schoolteacher (Nancy Davis) his son needs glasses. Gary Cooper plays a cowboy in a humorous monologue about Texas. Louis Calhern narrates a documentary sequence about African Americans. Ethel Barrymore and George Murphy star in a dramatic sketch wherein an old Boston-Irish woman is upset because the US Census ignored her. Etc.

    The overall effect is a little like picking up an old copy of Reader's Digest.

    Without the stars, this would be very minor, indeed. With them, it becomes a big film. Not a great film, but, undoubtedly, a big one. It covers a lot of ground, and comes up a little bit short.
    helpful•3
    1
    • jhkp
    • Aug 26, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 20, 1951 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Hungarian
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • It's a Big Country
    • Filming locations
      • 1772 Church Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,013,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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