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   Archival Collections Portal > Rare Book & Manuscript Library Collections > Finding Aid: Pare Lorentz Papers

   Pare Lorentz Papers, 1914-1994 [Bulk Dates: 1932-1960].

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Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Pare Lorentz Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library. I

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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.

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.

Posters,
1936

Box 38
Folder 1
Clippings, 1936-1941
(5 Folders)
Box 38
Folder 2 to 6
Rural Rehabilitation in Region One,
1937

Box 39
Folder 1
Press Releases--Region 1, 1935-1938
(5 Folders)
Box 39
Folder 2 to 6
Press Releases--Region 2-5, 1936-1937
Box 39
Folder 7
Press Releases--Region 7-8, 1936-1938

Box 40
Folder 1
Press Releases--Region 9, 1936-1938
(2 Folders)
Box 40
Folder 2 to 3
Press Releases--Region 11, 1936-1937
Box 40
Folder 4
Information for the Press, 1936-1937
Box 40
Folder 5
Minutes and Memoranda, 1936-1938
Box 40
Folder 6
Weekly Information Memos, 1937-1938
Box 40
Folder 7

Subseries 2. Production and Distribution, 1935-1942

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

Financial Records, 1935-1936
(2 Folders)

Box 41
Folder 1 to 2
Old Plow Bills, 1936-1937
Box 41
Folder 3
Lorentz Plow Travel, 1935-1936
Box 41
Folder 4
Bookings--Commercial, 1936-1938
(2 Folders)
Box 41
Folder 5 to 6
Bookings--Commercial, 1936-1937
(2 Folders)

Box 42
Folder 1 to 2
Bookings--Non-Commercial, 1936-1937
(3 Folders)
Box 42
Folder 3 to 5
Bookings--Non-Commercial, 1936-1938
(4 Folders)

Box 43
Folder 1 to 4
Bookings--Reports and Distribution, 1936-1937
(2 Folders)
Box 43
Folder 5 to 6
Bookings--Reports and Distribution, 1937-1939

Box 44
Folder 1
Distribution, 1936-1939
Box 44
Folder 2
Foreign Distribution, 1936-1937
Box 44
Folder 3
Confidential Report,
undated
Box 44
Folder 4
Fan Mail,
1936
Box 44
Folder 5
Correspondence--Edwin Locke,
1940
Box 44
Folder 6
Description of Scenes,
1935
Box 44
Folder 7
General Information,
1935
Box 44
Folder 8
Notes on Purpose and Production,
undated
Box 44
Folder 9
Memos and Correspondence, 1936-1942

Box 45
Folder 1
General Information,
undated
Box 45
Folder 2
Study Guide,
undated
Box 45
Folder 3
Ecological Map,
1935
Box 45
Folder 4
Shooting Script,
undated
Box 45
Folder 5
Requests, Prints, Previews, 1938-1939
Box 45
Folder 6
Music and Narration,
undated
Box 45
Folder 7
Regional Information,
1936
Box 45
Folder 8
Correspondence--Washington, 1936-1937
Box 45
Folder 9
Publicity, 1936-1939,
undated
(2 Folders)
Box 45
Folder 10 to 11

Subseries 3. Stills, 1935, undated

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

Stills,
1935
(2 Folders)

Box 46
Folder 1 to 2
Carded Stills,
undated
(4 Folders)
Box 46
Folder 3 to 6

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