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I'm An American -- Paul Muni

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0044

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    Overview

    Description
    On February 23, 1941 Paul Muni, spoke with Marshall E. Dimock, Second Assistant Secretary of Labor, about the importance of democracy. Muni shares he and his family’s first impression of the United States with Mr. Dimock. He explains why it is possible for immigrants to never become citizens. Muni encourages state and federal agencies to become more involved in immigrant’s talents and interests. He emphatically states, “Democracy has never been more vital than it is today.” The actor believes that although it is his job to carry out the vision of the writer, all writings today should be rooted in social thinking to be successful. Muni suggests complex problems of the world be tackled by young people in democracy. He closes the broadcast with a quote from a recent movie discussing suffrage. He reads, “When a monarch misrules he changes the people; when a president misrules the people change him.”

    Paul “Moony” Muni (b. Frederich Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund) was born on September 22, 1895 in Lemberg, Galicia, Austria-Hungary to a Polish Jewish family. In 1902, he and his family immigrated to Chicago and began performing at a Yiddish theater. Paul developed a talent for special effects makeup. At the age of twelve, he made his acting debut. He joined the Yiddish Art Theatre in New York in 1908 and was the star of the Yiddish stage in the 1920s. He landed his first Broadway role in 1926 and Hollywood film in 1929. The ambitious actor signed with Warner Brothers in the 1930s and became the company’s most prestigious star. Muni became known for his in-depth portrayal of historical figures.
    Date
    Broadcast:  1941 February 23
    Format
    WAV

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Genre/Form
    Radio broadcasts.

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    This archival media can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations.
    Copyright
    NBC Universal
    Conditions on Use
    Contact NBC Universal at www.nbcuniarchives.com for permission to duplicate and use this film or sound recording.

    Keywords & Subjects

    Geographic Name
    United States.

    Administrative Notes

    Legal Status
    In process
    Recorded Sound Provenance
    The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum purchased digital copies of these sound recordings from the Library of Congress in March 2018.
    Recorded Sound Notes
    More information about Paul Muni:
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0612847/bio
    http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/137331%7C122175/Paul-Muni/
    https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Muni

    More information about I’M AN AMERICAN:
    https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/historians-mailbox/im-american
    https://www.npr.org/2017/10/16/557338355/im-an-american-radio-show-promoted-inclusion-before-world-war-ii
    Recorded Sound Source
    Library of Congress - Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS)
    File Number
    Source Archive Number: RGA 9794
    Record last modified:
    2024-02-21 07:30:12
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn620821

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    Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

    I’M AN AMERICAN premiered in 1940 on the eve of WWII. The NBC radio broadcast was spearheaded by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Labor to foster a “deeper consciousness of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship and more tolerance for fellow american of all birthplaces”. The weekly program featured distinguished foreign-born citizens discussing their naturalization process, the meaning of “democracy” and reminding all Americans of the value/privilege of U.S. citizenship. Sound recordings of I’M AN AMERICAN are available from the NBC Radio Collection in the Library of Congress.

    Date: 1940-1944

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    I'm An American -- Emil Ludwig

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    I'm An American -- Guiseppe Bellanca

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    I'm An American Day 1942 part 2

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    I'm An American Day 1942 part 3

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    I'm An American Day 1943 part 1

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    I'm An American Day 1943 part 2

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    I'm An American Day 1943 part 3

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    I'm An American Day -- Christmas in Freedom

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    I'm An American -- Walter Huston

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Robert Zuppke

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    I'm An American -- Efrem Zimbalist

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Daniel Tobin

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Edith Kempthorne

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    I'm An American -- Pitirim Sorokin

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    I'm An American Day 1942 part 1

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    I'm An American -- Vilhjálmur Stefánsson

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- César Saerchinger

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Ferdinand Schumann-Heink

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Frank Kingdon

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Richard Waring

    Recorded Sound

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    I'm An American -- Max Lerner

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Fortune Gallo

    Recorded Sound

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    I'm An American -- Raymond Loewy

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1941 -- The Dangerous Days

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1941 -- I'm An American Day

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1941 -- Fiorello LaGuardia

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    I'm An American Day 1941 -- One Nation Indivisible

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Henry Morgenthau Sr

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Kurt Weill

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Franz Werfel

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Frank Capra

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Xavier Cugat

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Anton Carlson

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Johannes Steele

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Yolanda Mero-Irion

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    I'm An American -- Jean Hersholt

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Rabbi Stephen Wise

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    I'm An American -- Gregory Zilboorg

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