To the People of the United States
- To the People of the United States
Infobox Film
name = To the People of the United States
image_size =
caption =
director = Arthur Lubin
producer = United States Public Health Service
writer = Edmund L. Hartmann
narrator = Jean Hersholt
starring = Jean Hersholt
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry
released = 21 October1943
runtime = 21 min
country = flagicon|US U.S.A.
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0036445
"To the People of the United States" was a short propaganda film produced by the US Public Health Service in 1943 to warn the American GIs against syphilis. It was directed by Arthur Lubin.
The film opens with the ground crew of a flying fortress talking to their colleagues about being grounded. It seems the other planes in their unit are off to fight the enemy, but they and their play lay idle because their pilot is "sick'. We then see the pilot, whose face is never shown, talking with a medical, feeling very embarrassed and guilty about what has happened. The doctor assures him that he will fly again when he gets better. When the pilot interjects that he has heard he wouldn't, the doctor asks "heard from who? The kid next door or the drug patton sells man? Surely not anyone who knew what he was talking about". The doctor then informs him that if the disease is caught early, and he keeps up a strict treatment he will be able to go about his business normally again.
Once the pilot leaves the doctor addresses the audience "Do you want the facts? Well the first question is the extent of syphilis in America" We then visit the local draft board, and they say that nearly 47 of every thousand men called up have to be dismissed because they had syphilis. He then visits an Army hospital and is informed by the doctor that syphilis is like a forest fire, no organization or saboteur could do half the damage that VD does to the army.
The doctor then goes into the social stigma associated with syphilis, and the fact that so many people will not get a blood test to check for syphilis. He notes in his native Scandinavia, people were much more open about it, and it was a normal sight for people to get a blood test for syphilis. He shows a diagram of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, which he says has a comparable population as the State of New York, and how fewer Scandinavians have VD than New Yorkers, The film ends with a plea for everyone to get a blood test.
See also
*List of Allied propaganda films of World War II
External links
* [http://www.archive.org/details/TothePeo1944 Complete film at Internet Archive]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036445/ IMDB page]
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
The Presidents of the United States of America (band) — This article is about the band. For a list of Presidents of the United States, see List of Presidents of the United States. The Presidents of the United States of America Background information Origin … Wikipedia
The United States Christian Commission — Commission Com*mis sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster] Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. South. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
The United States Sanitary Commission — Commission Com*mis sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster] Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. South. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Mass racial violence in the United States — Mass racial violence, also called race riots can include such disparate events as: attacks on Irish Catholics, the Chinese and other immigrants in the 19th century. attacks on Italian immigrants in the early 20th century, and Mexicans and Puerto… … Wikipedia
History of baseball in the United States — National League Baltimore Orioles, 1896 Part of the Baseball series on … Wikipedia
History of baseball outside the United States — Perhaps the first recorded instances of baseball played outside North America came in 1874, when a party comprising members of the Boston and Philadelphia clubs toured England both playing cricket and demonstrating baseball. A further tour, by… … Wikipedia
Second Amendment to the United States Constitution — The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the pre existing individual right to possess and carry weapons (i.e. keep and bear arms ) in case of confrontation.… … Wikipedia
Article One of the United States Constitution — United States of America This article is part of the series: United States Constitution Original text of the Constitution Preamble Articles of the Constitution I … Wikipedia
Politics of the United States — United States This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United States … Wikipedia
History of the United States — The United States is located in the middle of the North American continent, with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The United States ranges from the Atlantic Ocean on the nation s east coast to the Pacific Ocean bordering the west, and … Wikipedia
Foreign policy of the United States — United States This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United States … Wikipedia