...One Third of a Nation...

...One Third of a Nation... is a 1939 American drama film directed by Dudley Murphy and written by Oliver H.P. Garrett and Dudley Murphy. The film stars Sylvia Sidney, Leif Erickson, Myron McCormick, Hiram Sherman, the future director Sidney Lumet and Muriel Hutchison. The film was released on February 10, 1939, by Paramount Pictures.[3][4][5]

...One Third of a Nation...
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDudley Murphy
Screenplay byOliver H.P. Garrett
Dudley Murphy
Based onOne-Third of a Nation
1937 play
by Arthur Arent
Produced byHarold Orlob
StarringSylvia Sidney
Leif Erickson
Myron McCormick
Hiram Sherman
Sidney Lumet
Muriel Hutchison
CinematographyWilliam Miller
Edited byDuncan Mansfield
Music byNathaniel Shilkret
Production
company
Dudley Murphy Productions
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • February 10, 1939 (1939-02-10)
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budgetunder $200,000[1] or $165,000[2]

Plot

When a fire breaks out in a run-down tenement in New York City, a young boy named Joey Rogers (Sidney Lumet) attempts to flee using a fire escape. It collapses due to ill repair, and Joey is severely injured. Joey's much older sister, Mary (Sylvia Sidney), rushes him to the hospital with the help of wealthy Peter Cortlant (Leif Erickson), who pays for Joey's medical bills on the spot. Cortlant is told by his business manager (Percy Waram) that he owns the building where the fire occurred.

The local district attorney investigates the fire, and tells Mary that the tenement's age means it was exempt from modern building safety codes. Since no tenants complained about the building before the fire, no crime has been committed. When Cortlant visits the tenement, he is warned to stay away from Mary by Mary's boyfriend, Sam (Myron McCormick).

Mary is upset when she learns that Cortlant owned her building. She removes Joey from the hospital. Crippled and suffering from delusions that the building is talking to him, Joey vows revenge on the tenement. Mary meets with Cortlant, and convinces him to turn his decrepit tenements into public housing and rebuild them. Appalled at the cost, Cortlant's sister, Ethel (Muriel Hutchison), tries to blackmail Cortlant into stopping the project by telling the press that he's having an affair with Mary.

Joey dies after setting fire to the tenement. Sam tells Cortlant that he will marry Mary to avoid scandal, which allows Cortlant to proceed with his plan.

Cast

Production

It was the last feature film shot at Astoria Studios in New York until its reopening in the 1970s.[6]

References
  1. "Orb's 2nd in Astoria to be 'Trial Honeymoon'". Variety. 15 Feb 1939. p. 5.
  2. "Orlob's Astoria-Made to Precede Howard's". Variety. 14 December 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  3. "one third of a nation... (1939) - Overview". TCM.com. 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  4. Nugent, Frank S. (1939-02-11). "Movie Review - One Third of a Nation - THE SCREEN; Dudley Murphy's Film of 'One-third of a Nation' Opens at the Rivoli-'Tail Spin' at Roxy". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  5. "...One Third of a Nation..." Afi.com. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  6. "Old Par Studio in Astoria Gets Ritual Revival". Variety. November 12, 1975. p. 3. Retrieved June 26, 2022 – via Archive.org.


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