Sponsored Films

Rhapsody of Steel (1959)
Sponsor: U.S. Steel Corp. Production Co.: John Sutherland Productions. Director: Carl Urbano. Art Director: Eyvind Earle. Music: Dimitri Tiomkin. Narrator: Gary Merrill. Transfer Note: Scanned from a 16mm print held by the Library of Congress. Running Time: 23 minutes.

Big-budget film about iron and steel that was produced as part of U.S. Steel’s campaign against competing steel imports and alternative materials like aluminum. Told with animation and few words, Rhapsody of Steel presents the panoply of products made from steel, including a rocket that blasts into space.

Note: The film had a production budget of $350,000 and was shown theatrically in Pittsburgh and seven other cities. Dimitri Tiomkin’s score was also made available by U.S. Steel as a sound recording. Released in Technicolor. Distributed in 35mm and 16mm.

Resources
“Pittsburgh Premiere of the United States Steel Technicolor Film Rhapsody of Steel,” Business Screen 20, no. 8 (1959): 35–37; Howard Thompson, “High Budget Film on Steel Slated,” New York Times, Jan. 9, 1960, 14; “Rhapsody of Steel,” Business Screen 21, no. 3 (1960): 35–38; “PR Films: Soft Sell in the Chemical Industry,” Chemical & Engineering News, July 11, 1960, 76.