Mike (Robert Bailey) is an American and a Freemason. He is listening to a man on a soapbox (Richard Lane) rage on about what is wrong with America. According to him, the problem with America is minorities. He rants about Jews, immigrants, Negroes and the Catholic church. Mike, quietly listening, begins to nod his head in agreement. Standing next to him is Hungarian immigrant who is now an American citizen. The Hungarian, who used to be a professor, asks him if he believes what the man is ranting about. Mike indicates that he makes sense.
Then the man on the soapbox adds Freemasons to his list of evil minorities responsible for the nation’s problems. Mike is a little confused at this since he himself is a Freemason. The Professor mentions that Mike was ready to agree with the man until he mentioned Freemasons. Mike says that before the man had been talking about other people. The Hungarian sits down with Mike and discusses with him the fact that in America, everyone is in a minority of one kind or another and that is what makes America truly great.
He then gives Mike a lesson on how Hitler destroyed Germany by dividing its people and having them attack each other in a similar way. The Professor explains what fascism is and how it is used to destroy people’s will and take away their liberty. He stresses that the rights of minorities of any kind must be safeguarded, or everyone’s rights are at risk. America is a country of minorities and that is our strength.
“Don't Be a Sucker” was released in the 40’s, perhaps somewhere around 1943 and was produced by Army Pictorial Service’s Signal Corp. It was created for the United States Department of War as an educational film for the Information and Education Division Army Services Forces. Reportedly, a shorter version of the film was re-released somewhere around 1946 or 1947 after the war.
The film is intended to educate people on the evils of discrimination. This little film against propaganda, is in itself propaganda. Supposedly, the film’s anti-racist and anti-fascist themes were part of a plan to make a case for desegregating the Armed Forces. The film was held for preservation by the U.S. National Archives. After the “Unite the Right” rally held by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017, the film was posted on the internet where it went viral.
This was a well-made little film. There are a lot of seasoned character actors in it. The commentator of the film was Lloyd Nolan. In addition to actors such as George Chandler and Martin Kosleck is stock footage containing people such as Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler and Albert Einstein. The director of the film is not named.