Thomas Chalmers

The Play of the Nativity of the Child Jesus

The birth of Jesus and the serene Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem.

Puritan Passions

Goody Rickby has a child out of wedlock, but it dies when the father, Gillead Wingate, refuses to acknowledge the child or help the mother get medical aid. Wingate becomes one of the foremost figures in the witch hunts, and Goody plots her revenge with Dr. Nicholas, who is really the Devil.

The Outrage

At a disused railway station, three men -- a con artist, a preacher, and a prospector -- discuss the recent trial and sentencing of the outlaw Juan Carrasco for the murder of a man and the rape of his wife. In their recounting, the three explore the conflicting testimonies of the parties involved in the crimes. Disconcerting new questions arise with each different version of the event.

All the Way Home

In the early 1900's Tennessee, a loving family undergoes the shock of the father's sudden, accidental death. The widow and her young son must endure the heartache of life following the tragedy, but slowly rise up from the ashes to face the hope of renewed life.

Romanoff and Juliet

Political satire has Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet story updated for the cold war era, with the children of the US and Russian ambassadors falling in love.

The Plow That Broke the Plains

A documentary about what happened to the Great Plains of the United States and Canada when uncontrolled farming destroyed the soil and led to the Dust Bowl.

The River

This short Depression-era documentary describes the importance of the Mississippi River to the United States and laments the environmental destruction committed in the name of progress, particularly farming and timber practices and their impact on impoverished farmers.

American Frontier

A school teacher/wheat farmer is solicited by several oil companies for the rights to drill on his family's farm. After accepting an offer, he realizes that North Dakota is again a new frontier in America.

The Love Specialist

A Texas girl wins a trip to Italy where she meets a prince who's afraid to admit that he's flat broke (so is she). They strike up an affair, but things come to a crazy conclusion when he tries to bribe a horse to win a race at the Palio racing grounds.

The Roots of Happiness

Dramatizes the case of a family in which the father respects and loves his wife and children, permitting each to develop as an individual, and contrasts this family with one where discord and hostility prevail.

New Americans

Part of RKO's "This is America" series, this is an Oscar nominated short documentary from 1944 that follows the plight of European immigrants arriving in the USA looking for hope and safety.

Three Plays by Tennessee Williams

A presentation of Tennessee Williams' three one-act plays: "Moony's Kid Don't Cry," "The Last of My Solid Gold Watches," and "This Property Is Condemned."

The Farmer's Daughter

Young Swedish-American Katrin "Katie" Holstrom leaves her family farm in Minnesota, headed for nursing school. After her tuition money runs out, she is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Congressman Glenn Morley. Holstrom endears herself to the genteel Morley, and begins to show a surprising aptitude for politics herself. She launches a campaign for Congress, and, as right-wing reactionaries plot against her, a romance develops.

Blind Alleys

Merchant marine Captain Dan Kirby arrives in New York City with his Cuban bride, María. Leaving his hotel to buy flowers, Dan forgets his billfold but meets Julio Lachados, a former admirer of María's. As Dan crosses the street, he is knocked unconscious by an automobile, and the owner, Dr. Webster, has him taken to a private hospital. Failing to find her husband and learning that an unidentified man has been hospitalized, María becomes innocently involved with two jewel thieves, who kidnap her. Dan, regaining consciousness, leaves the hospital and is nursed by Sally Ray. Freed from her captors, María turns to Julio for help and learns of Dan's relationship with Sally, but Dan perceives Sally's duplicity and is reunited with his bride.