It's a Big Country (1951)
Comprised of eight unrelated episodes of inconsistent quality, this anthology piece of American propaganda features some of MGM Studios' best directors, screenwriters and actors; it is narrated by Louis Calhern. Stories are framed by the lecture of a university professor. In one tale a Boston resident becomes angry when the census forgets to record her presence. Another sketch chronicles the achievements of African Americans while still another pays tongue-in-cheek tribute to Texas.
Directors: Clarence Brown, Don Hartman, John Sturges, Richard Thorpe, Charles Vidor, Don Weis, William A. Wellman.
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Ethel Barrymore as Mrs. Brian Patrick Riordan |
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Keefe Brasselle as Sgt. Maxie Klein |
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Gary Cooper as Texas |
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Nancy Reagan as Miss Coleman |
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Van Johnson as Rev. Adam Burch |
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Gene Kelly as Icarus Xenophon |
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Janet Leigh as Rosa Szabo Xenophon |
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Marjorie Main as Mrs. Wrenley |
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Fredric March as Joe Esposito |
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George Murphy as Mr. Patrick Callaghan |
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William Powell as Professor |
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S.Z. Sakall as Stefan Szabo |
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Lewis Stone as Church Sexton |
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James Whitmore as Mr. Stacey |
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Keenan Wynn as Michael Fisher |
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Elisabeth Risdon as Diner on Train (uncredited) |
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Sharon McManus as Sam Szabo |
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Angela Clarke as Mama Esposito |
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Robert Hyatt as Joseph Esposito |
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John Ericson as Naval Ensign (uncredited) |
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Louis Calhern as Narrator (voice) (uncredited) |
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Leon Ames as Secret Service Man |
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Benny Burt as Soda Jerk (uncredited) |
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George Conrad as Greek Athlete (uncredited) |
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Don Gordon as Mervin (uncredited) |
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A. Cameron Grant as Proprietor of Inn (uncredited) |
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Fred Santley as Census Bureau Supervisor (uncredited) |
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Dolly Arriaga as Concetta Esposito (uncredited) |
| Directing | Clarence Brown | Director |
| Directing | Don Hartman | Director |
| Directing | John Sturges | Director |
| Directing | Richard Thorpe | Director |
| Directing | Charles Vidor | Director |
| Directing | Don Weis | Director |
| Directing | William A. Wellman | Director |
| Writing | Edgar Brooke | Story |
| Writing | Ray Chordes | Writer |
| Writing | Claudia Cranston | Writer |
| Writing | Helen Deutsch | Writer |
| Writing | Dorothy Kingsley | Writer |
| Writing | Isobel Lennart | Story |
| Writing | William Ludwig | Writer |
| Writing | John McNulty | Story |
| Writing | Charles Palmer | Writer |
| Writing | Joseph Petracca | Story |
| Writing | Allen Rivkin | Story |
| Writing | Dore Schary | Writer |
| Writing | Lucille Schlossberg | Writer |
| Writing | George Wells | Story |
| Production | Dore Schary | Producer |
| Production | Robert Sisk | Producer |
| Camera | Ray June | Director of Photography |
