Directed by Austrian-born American filmmaker Alfred Fred Zinnemann, “The Story of Doctor Carver” dates to 1937 and was released by MGM. The short film dramatically recreates the life story of George Washington Carver (1864- 1943). Based at the Tuskegee Institute, Carver was the most prominent African-American scientist and inventor of the 20th Century. His area of study included agriculture, and he promoted alternative crops to cotton and techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton. He wanted poor farmers to grow other crops, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes, as a source of their own food and to improve their quality of life. The most popular of his 44 practical bulletins for farmers contained 105 food recipes using peanuts.
The film begins with shots of the cotton industry, including picking and baling of cotton (:28). At (:39) the effects of crop failure are shown due to soil depletion. At (:51) the dust bowl is seen in the Deep South. At (1:00) an actor portraying Booker T. Washington consults Professor George Washington Carver about the problem. At (1:00), an episode from the early childhood of the Professor is dramatically recounted, with the infant boy’s mother packing him up in the middle of the night, in order to avoid his being kidnapped by slave traders. At (2:13), the slave traders catch the baby and his mother. The mother is tragically sold and separated from her child. At (2:55), the sickly baby is discovered by the planter on whose property the mother and child lived. The planter, a man named Carver, trades his horse for the child. At (3:22) the planter sends the boy to school and allows him to take on his last name as his own. At (3:35) re-enactment of young Carver attending college and receiving a Master of Science degree. Eventually, Carver comes up with a solution to the cotton crisis (4:10) — to convince farmers to plant peanuts and alternate between peanut and cotton plants. At (4:41) Carver is shown planting peanuts on “hopeless” soil, and then demonstrated how cotton could be grown on the renewed ground afterwards. At (5:17) a hoe moves through the soil. At (5:29) the boll weevil is shown destroying the cotton crop. At (5:42) the peanut crops survive the boll weevil. At (5:57) the market for peanut plants crashes, as the peanut was only used for hog feed. At (6:50), Carver is shown in a re-enactment, studying the peanut in an attempt to find a new use for the crop. Some of his inventions are shown including soap (7:00), paper, dyes, wallboards, and more byproducts. Additional products are shown including meat sauce, coffee, quinine, and other products. At (8:49) an elderly Dr. Carver is shown in his laboratory. At (8:56), Carver is shown developing a massage oil for children suffering from infantile paralysis or polio.
Director Fred Zinnemann won four Academy Awards for directing and producing films in various genres, including thrillers, westerns, film noir and play adaptations. He made 25 feature films during his 50-year career.
The cast of this film includes Clinton Rosemond, Walter Soderling, Frank Mcglynn Jr, William Royle, Forrest Taylor, Ferris Taylor, John Lester Johnson, Bernice Pylet and Fred Warren.
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