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Film Description
The Making of an American (1920)
Sponsor: Dept. of Americanization, State of Connecticut. Production Co.: Worcester Film Corp. Director: Guy Hedlund. Transfer Note: Scanned at 24 frames per second from a 28mm print held by the Library of Congress. Running Time: 10 minutes.
Docudrama encouraging immigrants to master English and become successful, assimilated Americans. In the story the poor English-language skills of an Italian immigrant limit his employment possibilities and lead to an on-the-job accident. Learning from his experience, the immigrant puts himself through night school, lands a factory job, advances to foreman, and becomes a community leader. The film includes scenes shot at the Hartford Rubber Works Co.
Note: According to Jan-Christopher Horak, The Making of an American was shown to more than 100,000 people in 1920. Selected for the National Film Registry.
Resources
“Americanization Rally Call Issued,” Christian Science Monitor, Oct. 20, 1919, 8; Jan-Christopher Horak, “Making Americans: Program Notes,” Northeast Historic Film.