The Hedgerow Story: Celebrity and Disappointment

Abstract

Hedgerow, which was in the national spotlight briefly at the beginning of World War II, was there again for a moment at the end. The State Department, anxious to capitalize on the excellent documentary films that had been produced by the Office of War Information (OWI), created a civilian counterpart in 1946 called the “Division of International Motion Pictures” (IMP). The goal of the IMP was to “initiate, plan and develop motion picture projects to promote the objectives of the United States information and cultural program in other countries.”¹ They believed that foreign audiences experienced America primarily through Hollywood movies, and they wanted to provide a broader and more nuanced view. Topics were drawn from cultural events and rural snapshots that, in the words of IMP director, Herbert T. Edwards, reflected “the vast panorama of American life that this nation seeks to have understood abroad.”²