By the mid-1950s, U.S. Steel had produced sixteen films seen by millions of Americans in movie theatres, educational institutions, and trade and industrial organizations across the country. The corporation also underwrote The U.S. Steel Hour, a television program featuring hour-long dramas that ran from 1953 to 1963. The following selections include clips from four U.S. Steel films, dating from the 1930 to 1953, and a sponsored message from a 1960 U.S. Steel Hour program.

Full films are available online. Please refer to each clip for details.

This silent short film released in 1930 features the building of the Empire State Building. The film was presented by the American Bridge Company, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel.

Full film available at: https://archive.org/details/EmpiresOfSteel

Produced in 35 mm technicolor and highly praised for its production quality, this documentary served as a major informational piece for U.S. Steel. The film features shots of steel mines and mills in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.

Full film available at: https://www.filmpreservation.org/sponsored-films/screening-room/steel-man-s-servant-1938

This postwar film follows Jim Robbins, a young veteran returning from the war, as he transitions back to his job at U.S. Steel. The film showcases the corporation’s peacetime expansion and modernization program.

Full film available at: https://archive.org/details/Unfinish1948

This film presented by U.S. Steel shows the building of the Fairless Works steel mill plant in Pennsylvania and the Fairless Hills community for plant employees. The film underscores the corporation’s outreach efforts with the local community. 

Full film available at: https://vimeo.com/353587440

Beginning in the 1950s, U.S. Steel turned to the new medium of television as part of its PR campaigns. The corporation sponsored the United States Steel Hour, which showcased dramas by renowned playwrights and included sponsored messages informing the public about U.S. Steel.

Licensed through the UCLA Film & Television Archive and used with permission from the United States Steel Corporation.
Full film available at: https://youtu.be/0SvqGTWrJyU