Rhapsody of Steel (1959)

Sponsor: U.S. Steel Corp.
Production Co.: John Sutherland Productions
Director: Carl Urbano
Art Director: Eyvind Earle
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Narrator: Gary Merrill
Resources : Copyright 17/11/1959 MP9970; “Pittsburgh Premiere of the United States Steel Technicolor Film Rhapsody of Steel,” Bus Scrn 20, no. 8 (1959): 35–37; Howard Thompson, “High Budget Film on Steel Slated,” NYT, Jan. 9, 1960, 14; “Rhapsody of Steel,” Bus Scrn 21, no. 3 (1960): 35–38; “PR Films: Soft Sell in the Chemical Industry,” Chemical & Engineering News, July 11, 1960, 76.
Holdings : LC/Prelinger.

Big-budget film about iron and steel that was produced as part of U.S. Steel’s campaign against competing steel imports and alternative materials like aluminum. Told with animation and few words, Rhapsody of Steel presents the panoply of products made from steel, including a rocket that blasts into space.

Note: The film had a production budget of $350,000 and was shown theatrically in Pittsburgh and seven other cities. Dimitri Tiomkin’s score was also made available by U.S. Steel as a sound recording. Released in Technicolor. Distributed in 35mm and 16mm.

© John Sutherland Productions