Man of Action (1955)

this is the story of an average sort of fellow who lives in a nice average neighborhood in a nice average town every night he comes home to his nice average house and in due time he goes to sleep but suppose that one morning [Music] what is it possible for a neighborhood overnight to become a slum well perhaps not quite although While most of us have been asleep housing has become our number one social and economic problem absolutely and getting bigger all the time oh it's you I might have known you had a stake in this a big stake one of our most profitable fields of operation and so easy to manage I just check up people do all the work yes people think houses take care of themselves but they don't houses left to themselves go to Pieces well maybe this kind of thing wouldn't happen if people understood the problem wouldn't make the slightest difference we disagree let's go back to the beginning suppose we get this fellow out here educate him a little and see what happens what's going on here just checking on your house who are you you're the relax I'm not him I'm just one of his project supervisors division of urban destruction what Urban destruction we don't need any destroying around here beat it I don't destroy anything I just keep track of the schedules people do the destroying did I let that paint peel did I crack that step did I neglect that Rusty drain what are you talking about my house is the best in the whole block oh what's the use wait a minute you haven't told him the whole story keep talking Talk's no [Music] good this is a slum one of my favorite projects but what till you see [Music] inside six people sleep in this one room eight in here seven in here cooking facilities Plumbing 32 children in the house and here is their playground this is one of your favorites huh I can't really claim credit for it people did it all do you remember how this looked 40 years ago when it was a new development called Paradise Gardens Paradise Gardens my grandmother and grandfather lived here gee it was a nice neighborhood they all start nice what happened [Music] [Applause] [Music] watch by now the street wasn't wide enough for the traffic load so that's when Grandpa moved out when the street cars came a good many moved out about then and the neighborhood began to [Music] change property values went down fast but landlords found ways to keep up revenues one family houses became 10 family houses time poverty and neglect did the rest every step of the way right on schedule and I didn't lift a finger what's your interest in all this anyhow this kind of neighborhood is fine for our business juvenile delinquency alcoholism crime Yep this is a great little neighborhood too bad it won't last why not there might be a fire why you wait a minute is my neighborhood in that book sure is is my house in it yep you're on my schedule well that's one place your schedule's going to be [Music] wrong well well and this is the day he usually plays golf what's the matter you surprised it doesn't mean a thing one man working by himself what can he do man's got to start somewhere let's see time for the evening paper Paradise Garden most unfortunate I sent flowers this morning you hypocrite you probably started the fire why should I with all that overcrowding and violation of every Safety Code it was inevitable it was not if IID known when the fire was going to be I might have been able to prevent it impossible it's all right here in the book everything past present and future everything hey wait a minute you said it didn't make any difference whether people knew or not that's right I did but where's he going he's going to City Hall to report the facts to the city officials ridiculous there's city hall there's your boy now most of the facts are known to the official but what can they do their hands are tied listen to the mayor what good is our slum clearance program if we can't prevent disasters Like Paradise Gardens we've got to do something do something now the expert will tell them what to do that's the city planner we're in the same difficulty as every other city in the United States slum clearance is not enough we've got to prevent slums being formed in the first place a most worthy object and what's to prevent it taxes budget you see they're barking why even if the planner tells them the exact trouble spots State Street South Street Hogan's alley but we mustn't forget the public I've got some houses on State Street just leave us alone salt street is okay too there you have it there's nothing to be done just a minute the city planner is absolutely right State Street South Street they're both in the book I can tell you exactly what's going to happen baloney and there's nothing the matter with Hogan's alley Hogan's alley holy smokes Hogan's alley is the worst of the lot this afternoon the chimney's going to fall this afternoon the chimney's going to fall who are you sir where did you get your information it's all right here this is the devil's own book throw him out he's crazy what iing bang and another Crusader bit the dust give me back my book 2:00 the chimney [Music] [Music] get everybody out of the building the chimney's going to [Music] fall get out of the building the chimney's going to fall [Music] he says the chimney's going to [Music] fall where's the fire no fire chimney's going to fall in about 5 minutes get the people out of these houses you better be right mister also on 90 [Music] days now what do you think you're doing I'm trying to prevent another disaster he says the chimney's going to fall down in exactly 3 minutes arrest that man he's a troublemaker he says the chimney's going to fall down it can't fall down I own it you ought to be ashamed of yourself that chimney should have been torn down 3 years ago it's as sound as a dollar I'll stake my life on it when did you say it was to fall down in exactly 1 minute I'll show you what I think of your [Music] prediction there she go we've got to prevent things like this happening from now on but we can't do it without public support we need a Citywide group to study the whole problem right and the time to start it is right now ladies and gentlemen ladies and gentlemen we need a Citizens committee on housing with representatives from every neighborhood in town all those in [Music] favor this is only the beginning now things will really start to move more groups more organizations joining in and who do you think is the main spark plug I know we can win this battle because I know the fellow we've got to lick you all know what he looks like there if your house needs a coat of paint he's there if your sidewalk has a crack in it he's there find a leaky roof he's there find a neighborhood without a playground an overcrowded School a traffic Hazard a zoning violation a violation of the building code the sanitary code he's in every neighborhood maybe in your own house wherever he is go get him [Music] so they went after him everybody went after him when everybody went after him there was no place he could [Music] hide hello there how's everything going get out of [Music] here it didn't happen overnight but things began to get [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] better hey where you going you and your blank blank committees I've got my book back now your book what good is it now no good here but this isn't the only town in [Applause] America well they've driven him out of one town but he may be on his way to your community right now he may be there already but you know how to handle him he can't stand organized groups where people work together if enough of us work together we can run him right out of the [Music] [Applause] country