The Million Dollar Nickel

Starring: Pier Angeli, John Nesbitt, Ricardo Montalban, Leslie Caron, Zsa Zsa Gabor
Directed by: N/A
Rating: N/A
Genre: Short
Length: 10 minutes
1952

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Discusses the power of the nickel, especially in regards to mailing letters to aid the American war effort.

Review:

Tim: The Million Dollar Nickel is an interesting short film. It is a bit odd, because the title seems to suggest this film will explore the American nickel- and to a certain extent, that's how the film starts out. It discusses what you could buy with a nickel in America and how important the little piece of currency is. However, this is all a prelude to the main focus of the film- the nickel can be used to buy a stamp to support the American war effort by sending letters to family overseas. These aren't just any letters, but letters that speak to what life is really like in America (just don't brag, as we're told!).

In the film, we're reminded of the lies and anti-American propoganda that our enemies around the globe are telling their people- lies about American starvation, crime, traffic woes, and many other made up issues. We're told to write letters to our families in Poland, France, and around the world and tell the truth about what American life is really like.

It's not incredibly exciting to hear about the power of letter writing, so the film recruits some high-powered celebrities to endorse the effort. We see Ricardo Montalban, Leslie Caron, and Zsa Zsa Gabor address the audience in their native language (with subtitles, of course!) selling this letter-writing effort.

While The Million Dollar Nickel isn't a terrific short film, it does give us an interesting look at the mindset in America during this time. At 10 minutes, it's a quick little look, but it was certainly interesting.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: N/A