1 / 8
RUNTIME
Did you know
Tight 76-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
American Madness
"The Great American Picture of Today!"
1932 1h 16m EN
👍
6.9
SOLID
★6.9TMDB · 49
DramaCrime
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Socially-conscious banker Thomas Dickson faces a crisis when his protégé is wrongly accused of robbing the bank, gossip of the robbery starts a bank run, and evidence suggests Dickson's wife had an affair... all in the same day.
“The Great American Picture of Today!”
Cast
Walter Huston
Thomas Dickson
Pat O'Brien
Matt Brown
Kay Johnson
Phyllis Dickson
Constance Cummings
Helen
Gavin Gordon
Cyril Cluett
Arthur Hoyt
Ives
Robert Emmett O'Connor
Police Inspector
Edwin Maxwell
Clark (uncredited)
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Frank Capra
- Writers
- Robert Riskin
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
94 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Frank Capra, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Mischa Bakaleinikoff. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Maurice Wright shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Walter Huston and Pat O'Brien and Kay Johnson carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "The Great American Picture of Today!".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0022626 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Frank Capra directs. Joseph Walker behind the camera. Mischa Bakaleinikoff scores. Maurice Wright cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Tight 76-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
- 294 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 3Directed by Frank Capra, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Mischa Bakaleinikoff. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Maurice Wright shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Walter Huston and Pat O'Brien and Kay Johnson carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "The Great American Picture of Today!".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0022626 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Only 49 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Joseph Walker
- Original score
- Mischa Bakaleinikoff
- Editing
- Maurice Wright
- Runtime
- 76 min · 1h 16m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
Also by
Frank Capra
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
Columbia Pictures
US
Key crew
- ProducerHarry Cohn
- ProducerFrank Capra
- EditorMaurice Wright
- Art DirectionStephen Goosson
- DialogueRobert Riskin
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- banker
- bank
- bank manager
- banking
- great depression
- pre-code
- small community
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere1932-08-04· New York City, New York
- Theatrical1932-08-15
Also known as
International titles
- FaithUS
- MoneyUS
- Bankkrach in AmerikaAT
- Bankkrach in AmerikaDE
