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I'm An American -- Ferdinand Schumann-Heink

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0063

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    Overview

    Description
    On June 22, 1941 Ferdinand Schumann-Heink spoke with William H. Carmichael, District Director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, about his mother German-American Opera Singer Madame Ernestine Schumann-Heink. The actor shares his family’s immigration story. The two men describe Ernestine as very patriotic. She was so devoted to America that she named her only American-born child George Washington. Ferdinand reveals his family was divided during WWI; and Ernestine always said, “You don’t have to be a soldier to do your duty for this country.”Ferdinand talks about the family still living in Germany. The program concludes with Ferdinand stating our job is to make the American dream for everyone come true.

    Ferdinand Schumann-Heink was born on August 9, 1893 in Hamburg, Germany. Ferdinand and several of his brothers enlisted in the Army during World War I. He went on to become a prolific actor with more than 65 films to his credit. His mother, Ernestine Schumann-Heink (b. Ernestine Amalie Pauline Rössler) was born on June 15, 1861 in Libeň, Kingdom of Bohemia to a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father. At the age of 13, she began voice lessons with retired opera singer Marietta LeClair. She secured a position at the Hamburg Opera in 1883. Ernestine was asked to sing without rehearsal the title role in Carmen; which she did to great acclaim. The rising star was offered a ten-year contract for her performance. Ernestine went on to be hailed by critics in Europe and the U.S. as “the world’s outstanding counteralto”. However, those who knew her on stage or by reputation called her “Mother” or “Madame”, reflecting the respect she inspired.
    Date
    Broadcast:  1941 June 22
    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.

    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 Ferdinand Schumann-Heink:
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0776742/bio
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Schumann-Heink

    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

    Technical notes: This reel is damaged.
    Recorded Sound Source
    Library of Congress - Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS)
    Record last modified:
    2024-02-21 07:27:11
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn621013

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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

    I'm An American -- Anton Lang

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Guy Lombardo

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Ludwig Bemelmans

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Hans Kindler

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Luise Rainer

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Charles Pergler

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Gaetono Salvemini

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Paul Muni

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Béla Schick

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Leopold Stokowski

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Attilio Piccirilli

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Igor Sikorsky

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Louis Adamic

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Konrad Bercovici

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Emil Ludwig

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Walter Damrosch

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Guiseppe Bellanca

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Thomas Mann

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1942 part 2

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1942 part 3

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1942 part 4

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1943 part 1

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1943 part 2

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    I'm An American Day 1943 part 3

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day -- Christmas in Freedom

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Walter Huston

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    I'm An American -- Robert Zuppke

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    I'm An American -- Efrem Zimbalist

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    I'm An American -- Daniel Tobin

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    I'm An American -- Edith Kempthorne

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    I'm An American -- Pitirim Sorokin

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1942 part 1

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    I'm An American -- Vilhjálmur Stefánsson

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    I'm An American -- César Saerchinger

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    I'm An American -- Frank Kingdon

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    I'm An American -- Richard Waring

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    I'm An American -- William Schlamm

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    I'm An American -- Max Lerner

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    I'm An American -- Fortune Gallo

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    I'm An American -- Fred Perry

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    I'm An American -- Raymond Loewy

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

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

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    I'm An American Day 1941 -- Fiorello LaGuardia

    Recorded Sound

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

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    I'm An American -- Henry Morgenthau Sr

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Kurt Weill

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Franz Werfel

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    I'm An American -- Frank Capra

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    I'm An American -- Xavier Cugat

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    I'm An American -- Anton Carlson

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    I'm An American -- Johannes Steele

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    I'm An American -- Yolanda Mero-Irion

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    I'm An American -- Jean Hersholt

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    I'm An American -- Rabbi Stephen Wise

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    I'm An American -- Gregory Zilboorg

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