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American Girl, An - the Problems of Prejudice (Part III) (1958)

An adolescent girl in a small town tests her democratic heritage when she pretends to be Jewish and encounters prejudice. She explores the problem of antiSemitism by reading her diary at a PTA meeting.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Production Company: Anti-Defamation League Of B'nai B'rith
Audio/Visual: sound, B&W
Keywords: need keyword

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: anthology_of - - August 27, 2009
Subject: ?
It's a wonderful three-part short, but when the father mentions the War, it's not explained to the girl in context. He brushes over it, leaving her with, "The War is over,.." .
With this being produced and released in 1958, it seems odd that it wasn't expanded upon in dialogue.
Given that the shorts main goal was prejudice, but I think it would have helped Norma if his statement had been expanded upon. GREAT SHORT, REGARDLESS.

Reviewer: ERD - - September 4, 2005
Subject: American Girl...comes across
I think this was a very well made short film for the era it was made in. I think it showed the ugliness of prejudisim- of any group. (As she said, "I don't hate anyone.") Unfortunately, this problem still goes on in our country today.

Reviewer: Matthew Kroh - - June 27, 2005
Subject: ?
just like the charms of norma's bracelet, we were left hanging. according to the anti-defamation league, you don't have to 'like' jews, you just can't 'hate' them.

noa, matt, and glen

Reviewer: Spuzz - - October 13, 2003
Subject: Jewish Ideals as Fashion Statement
When I first started watching this film and came across it's bombastic beginning dedicating this film t teens with bombastic decency (note the underlining) I thought for sure it was going to be this social guidance melodrama. What I DIDN'T know was that it was going to be of all things, anti-semitism! A teenage girl gets a bracelet for her birthday by her otherwise bothersome (but great) younger sister. She goes back to the jeweler with her friends when she finds out there is a second part to it. That second part is a star of David pendant! Her friends, and soon, pretty much the whole town shuns her, thinking that she's jewish. I marvelled at the lead actress's defiance in wearing the trinket when everyone, including her parents, wondered why she kept wearing it. Soon, the whole thing ends up rather pat with The Big Speech And Everything Is OK Again, but still, this has a LOT going for it and is a MUST SEE on this site.