An American Romance

Brian Donlevy stars as an immigrant who comes to America in the late 19th century and rises through hard work to become a success.

This film was written, produced, and directed by the great King Vidor at MGM and was meant to be an American industrial epic culminating in a WW II propaganda piece with bombers flying in formation. It was also supposed to be the story of an immigrant and his family. The film was screened at 150 minutes, and Louis B. Mayer demanded the film cut down to 120 minutes. Vidor has no part in the edit, so what remains is a choppy story with lots of documentary-like scenes of industry. Most of the family story got deleted.

Initially set up at MGM to star Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Joseph Cotten, by the time Vidor was ready to film, Mayer balked at the cost and proceeded with a B cast of Brian Donlevy, Ann Richards, and Walter Abel. John Qualen and Stephen McNally are the only other name actors in the cast.

Saddled with a B cast, Vidor still tried to make the film he envisioned, but there are far too many cost-saving things going on, especially the cheesy sets. While there are some location shots, these are pretty much confined to industrial scenes.

The real pity is that Donlevy gives a terrific performance as does Abel in a much-reduced part. Australian-born Richards, however, is pretty bad, and her accent seems to change in every scene. With the family stuff omitted by Mayer, the narrative is choppy and the "heart" of the film is gone.

It's no surprise that after this bowdlerized version was released in 1944, it was a major flop. MGM lost a bundle and Vidor never worked for the studio again.

"An American Romance" from 1944 is partly propaganda and partly about immigrants who came to this country and went for the American dream. Originally, the stars were to be Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman instead of Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards, which would have made it seem like a much bigger film. King Vidor thought he had an agreement that Tracy and Bergman would star; apparently MGM heard something else. As it is, the film is done in color and had a good budget.

The version I saw is 121 minutes; originally the film was 150 minutes and the studio ordered 30 minutes cut. There are long scenes of factory work as iron, steel, cars, and airplanes are produced, and Vidor thought the 30 minutes would come from those scenes, which are wonderful but plentiful. Instead dramatic portions were cut. The film ends abruptly.

Need I add, this was the last film King Vidor did for MGM.

The story concerns a Czech, Stefan Dangos, who emigrates to America, intending to get a job in the iron mines with his cousin. That happens, and he works his way up, along the way marrying his English tutor (Ann Richards). He graduates to steel, and finally goes into business making cars.

This is truly a story about achieving the American dream, with a lot of patriotism thrown in, as the film spans from the 1890s into World War II and America's entry into it.

The factory scenes and the scenes in the iron mines are fascinating. Of note, during World War II, there were no passenger car assembly lines in operation. As a result, Vidor had to borrow cars from Chrysler, take them apart, and reassemble them in a simulated assembly line.

Brian Donlevy, who usually plays the heavy, does a fine job here. He's no Spencer Tracy, but I liked him in the role. He's rough around the edges and very believable and likable. Ann Richards is lovely as his wife - I assume if Ingrid Bergman had done this role, it would have been built up quite a bit. Stephen McNally and Walter Abel are also featured; McNally, as one of Stefan's son, is the narrator.

Good, not great, but certainly an interesting film.

I saw this movie as a nine year old child and never forgot it. Later it appeared on television and more recently on TCM. I was impressed by the hero's fortitude in walking to Minnesota to join his cousin at the Mesabe Iron Range, his hard work, and his learning to read and eventually marrying the teacher. Each of his male children was named for a president after a friend remarked their child might reach that office. The movie taught me how iron ore was shipped east and processed into steel. Dangos also moves east and becomes a foreman. He eventually becomes an automobile manufacturer and his new ideas bring him success. His children succeed by achieving through the benefits of education. The movie ends after a documentary of American industry's contribution to the war effort. The Technicolor was gorgeous and Donlevy's performance believable. I still enjoy watching this film and believe King Vidor put his heart into it.

I saw this movie as a kid of 10 in Port Arthur, Texas, which had four theaters in a four block area. I don't remember all the details, but it was definitely a feel-good film. The protagonist was an Eastern European immigrant whose name was long and hard to pronounce, so he was re-christened Steve Dangos. Steve first got a job iron ore in an "op'm pit". Being bright and ambitious, he later became an automobile manufacturer and, if the movie is to be believed, was the first to build an enclosed sedan. He was proud to be an American (this was at a point in World War II when the outcome was expected but not guaranteed) and he named his sons after Washington and Theodore Roosevelt. He had his share of sorrow when one of the sons was killed in World War I. This was not one of the all-time film classics, but it must have made a great impression on me for the basic plot to have stayed with me for all these 62 years.

Watching this film tonight and for the first time in about 40 years I also was seeing it in color for the first time and made me even more curious as to why no name stars were in the title roles with such an expensive production. From Robert Osborne I learned tonight that Spencer Tracy was originally going to be Steven Danglos instead of Brian Donlevy. Personally I would have waited for Tracy to become available and not because Donlevy gave a bad performance.

Donlevy's role is that of an Eastern European immigrant who starts work at a steel mill and by dint of his own hard work ethic rises to become a captain of industry. Along the way he woos and weds Ann Richards and they have a girl and four boys. A lot of immigrants did it that way and some are still doing it though many are illegal now. Back when we had virtually unlimited immigration because we wanted to grow the country a lot of stories like Donlevy's were possible although few rose to his heights. On both sides of my family that story could be told modified quite a bit.

In the end Donlevy is confronted with of all things labor management problems. He proves as stubborn as people like Henry Ford in that regard. If you remember in Citizen Kane a drunken Joseph Cotten tells off Orson Welles that something called organized labor is coming on the scene and what you gave your employees as largess is now thought of as their rights. Donlevy has the same paternalistic approach.

American Romance is also a tribute to the power of American industry which was growing to what we thought in 1944 as having unlimited potential. It was the backbone of our war effort and the last ten minutes without words show what Donlevy's Steven Danglos was a part of.

For reasons I think that no name star was in the lead, American Romance did not do that well. That's a pity because it's a fine film with wonderful cinematography which I finally saw on a color TV. Nice casting all around with such familiar folks as Walter Abel, John Qualen, and Stephen McNally. I hope TCM broadcasts it again soon.