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Pare Lorentz papers, 1914-1994, bulk 1932-1960

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Series I: Ecce Homo, 1938-1942, undated
Series II: The Fight For Life, 1921-1942, undated
Series III: The Plow That Broke The Plains, 1935-1942, undated
Series IV: The River, 1935-1943, undated
Series V: Other Films, 1938-1969, undated
Series VI: Office Files, 1935-1979, undated
Series VII: U.S. Army Air Forces, 1941-1947
Series VIII: Atomic Power and Nuclear War, 1945-1982
Series IX: McCall's, 1935-1941
Series X: General, 1914-1994, undated
Series XI: Digitized Negatives, 1930s, undated

Series III: The Plow That Broke The Plains, 1935-1942, undated

The Plow That Broke The Plains was Pare Lorentz's first effort as a director. A half-hour-long documentary with orchestral music and a portentous narration, the film dramatizes the plight of American farmers and extols the efforts of President Roosevelt's New Deal. The film was made under the aegis of the Resettlement Administration – the name would soon change to the better-known Farm Security Administration – an ambitious agency that hoped to encourage farmers to move from dust bowl areas to ecologically stable land. The film premiered in March 1936, in a special presentation before Roosevelt in the White House.

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Subseries 1. Publicity and Clippings, 1936-1941, undated

After initially struggling to generate enthusiasm for his film, Lorentz eventually packed his picture into suitcases and traveled the nation, appealing directly to reporters and theater owners. These reviews and feature stories, clipped from newspapers and magazines, are the result of that effort.


Box 38 Folder 1 Posters, 1936

Box 38 Folder 2 to 6 Clippings, 1936-1941, (5 Folders)


Box 39 Folder 1 Rural Rehabilitation in Region One , 1937

Box 39 Folder 2 to 6 Press Releases--Region 1, 1935-1938, (5 Folders)

Box 39 Folder 7 Press Releases--Region 2-5, 1936-1937


Box 40 Folder 1 Press Releases--Region 7-8, 1936-1938

Box 40 Folder 2 to 3 Press Releases--Region 9, 1936-1938, (2 Folders)

Box 40 Folder 4 Press Releases--Region 11, 1936-1937

Box 40 Folder 5 Information for the Press, 1936-1937

Box 40 Folder 6 Minutes and Memoranda, 1936-1938

Box 40 Folder 7 Weekly Information Memos, 1937-1938

Subseries 2. Production and Distribution, 1935-1942

These folders contain booking forms and records, notes on distribution.


Box 41 Folder 1 to 2 Financial Records, 1935-1936, (2 Folders)

Box 41 Folder 3 Old Plow Bills, 1936-1937

Box 41 Folder 4 Lorentz Plow Travel, 1935-1936

Box 41 Folder 5 to 6 Bookings--Commercial, 1936-1938, (2 Folders)


Box 42 Folder 1 to 2 Bookings--Commercial, 1936-1937, (2 Folders)

Box 42 Folder 3 to 5 Bookings--Non-Commercial, 1936-1937, (3 Folders)


Box 43 Folder 1 to 4 Bookings--Non-Commercial, 1936-1938, (4 Folders)

Box 43 Folder 5 to 6 Bookings--Reports and Distribution, 1936-1937, (2 Folders)


Box 44 Folder 1 Bookings--Reports and Distribution, 1937-1939

Box 44 Folder 2 Distribution, 1936-1939

Box 44 Folder 3 Foreign Distribution, 1936-1937

Box 44 Folder 4 Confidential Report, undated

Box 44 Folder 5 Fan Mail, 1936

Box 44 Folder 6 Correspondence--Edwin Locke, 1940

Box 44 Folder 7 Description of Scenes, 1935

Box 44 Folder 8 General Information, 1935

Box 44 Folder 9 Notes on Purpose and Production, undated


Box 45 Folder 1 Memos and Correspondence, 1936-1942

Box 45 Folder 2 General Information, undated

Box 45 Folder 3 Study Guide, undated

Box 45 Folder 4 Ecological Map, 1935

Box 45 Folder 5 Shooting Script, undated

Box 45 Folder 6 Requests, Prints, Previews, 1938-1939

Box 45 Folder 7 Music and Narration, undated

Box 45 Folder 8 Regional Information, 1936

Box 45 Folder 9 Correspondence--Washington, 1936-1937

Box 45 Folder 10 to 11 Publicity, 1936-1939, undated, (2 Folders)

Subseries 3. Stills, 1935, undated

The stills in this subseries include photos of the crew working on location.


Box 46 Folder 1 to 2 Stills, 1935, (2 Folders)

Box 46 Folder 3 to 6 Carded Stills, undated, (4 Folders)