They Made America : Newcomers (2004)

Genres - Historical Film  |   Run Time - 60 min.  |   Countries - United States  |  
  • AllMovie Rating
  • User Ratings (0)
  • Your Rating

Share on

Synopsis

Part 3 (of four) profiles "Newcomers" A.P. Giannini, Samuel Insull and Ida Rosenthal, immigrants who "brought a special quality of fizz to the society," says Harold Evans, who wrote the book on which this series is based. Rosenthal, who fled Russia at the turn of the 20th century for political reasons, became a "social revolutionary" here when she and her husband invented the uplift bra in 1921 and soon formed the Maidenform company. Giannini's Bank of America was based on the premise that "we're going to open our doors to everybody," says Evans. And Insull, a protégé of Thomas Edison, did the same with electricity. "At a time when few had electricity, Insull foresaw a wired future for all," says narrator David Ogden Stiers.