Frank Capra's 1920s immigrant trilogy: immigration, assimilation, and the American dream.(Critical Essay) From: MELUS | Date: June 22, 2004| Author: Cavallero, Jonathan J. | COPYRIGHT 2004 The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnics Literature of the United States. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

"I'm Proud of Being a Dago, and I'm Proud of that Wheel Gag."

--Capra, after Mack Sennett called him a "dago" and insulted one of his gags. (1)

Although almost every author who writes about Frank Capra's films mentions the famed director's Italian ethnicity and his immigrant origins, few delve into how these identities influenced his work. Most feel that the immigrant filmmaker, in an attempt to distance himself from his lower class, ethnic, immigrant origins...