Mr. and Mrs. America
Encyclopedia
Mr. and Mrs. America was a propaganda short produced by the US Department of Treasury in 1945 to urge citizens to buy and keep war bonds.
Mr. and Mrs. America contains a series of pre-taped messages from leading figures in American life, including Franklin D. Roosevelt
, the presidents of the AFL
, CIO
, US Chamber of Commerce, and Secretary of the Treasury
Henry Morgenthau, Jr.
. In between these messages there are montages of various battle scenes, dead enemy soldiers, and wounded GIs. After the president of the Chamber of Commerce's message, there is a more optimistic montage of life in America after the war and a series of vignettes in which a cross section of the US population - a young woman, middle aged immigrant industrial worker, an African-American man, an elderly Admiral, etc - explain what they will do with their bonds once the war is over, such as start a business or send their children to school. The film ends with an American GI asking the audience to buy bonds.
Mr. and Mrs. America contains a series of pre-taped messages from leading figures in American life, including Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, the presidents of the AFL
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
, CIO
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
, US Chamber of Commerce, and Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
Henry Morgenthau, Jr.
Henry Morgenthau, Jr.
Henry Morgenthau, Jr. was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He played a major role in designing and financing the New Deal...
. In between these messages there are montages of various battle scenes, dead enemy soldiers, and wounded GIs. After the president of the Chamber of Commerce's message, there is a more optimistic montage of life in America after the war and a series of vignettes in which a cross section of the US population - a young woman, middle aged immigrant industrial worker, an African-American man, an elderly Admiral, etc - explain what they will do with their bonds once the war is over, such as start a business or send their children to school. The film ends with an American GI asking the audience to buy bonds.
See also
- List of Allied propaganda films of World War II
- United States home front during World War IIUnited States home front during World War IIThis page, United States home front during World War II, covers the developments within the United States, 1940–1945, to support its efforts during World War II.-Economics:...