Fiction film about a German immigrant becoming a US citizen
Creator(s)
- Florentine Films
- Frederic Ullman Jr. (Producer)
- Slavko Vorkapich (Director)
Scope and Content
16mm film "This is America" Part of a series produced by Frederic Ullman Jr. in the 1940s. This episode, "New Americans," which dates from around the late 1940s, focuses on a German immigrant (or refugee) and his quest to become a United States citizen. Depicted are his arrival in the city via Ellis Island, meetings with immigration officials, and attempts to find housing and a job. He is led to the National Refugee Service where he finds friendly assistance. He perseveres and is eventually sworn in as a United States citizen.
Note(s)
From the Joseph E. Beck Papers at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania: https://hsp.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/migrated/findingaid3083beck.pdf. Joseph E. Beck (1904-1981), a native of Racine, Wisconsin, was a social worker who helped Jewish refugees during World War II. Having previously worked for various social agencies in Cleveland, Ohio, and Scranton, Pennsylvania, Beck became the executive director of the Jewish Family Society of Philadelphia in 1934. He headed this organization until 1942 when he accepted the executive directorship of the National Refugee Service, in New York City. He left this organization in 1950 and moved to California, where he continued social work and eventually retired.
Subjects
- ELLIS ISLAND
- EINSTEIN, ALBERT
- IMMIGRATION
- REFUGEES
- UNITED STATES
Places
- New York, NY, United States
Genre
- Film
- Feature.