Not One Shall Die

One of the series of films produced by the United Jewish Appeal, Not One Shall Die (1957) continues the tradition of using solid, upper-grade actors and behind the scenes talent to raise awareness of the reasons behind the deep need for a charitable gift and, like Man on a Bus (1955), it does it with a polish not usually associated with what is essentially an industrial type film.

Guy Madison is a doctor and Holocaust survivor who has been forced to become a refugee from an unnamed Eastern European country and becomes despondent after being separated from his wife in their escape. Finding himself at the relocation center run by a helpful charity - hint, hint - he tries to work through his grief aided by Agnes Moorehead and her husband who have their own terrible story to convey.

Director David Rich is no Joseph Lewis but he keeps things moving along with no lag in interest, although at around a half an hour, there's not a lot of room for dilly-dallying anyway. It's always a pleasure to see Paul Stewart, wildly out of his usual typecasting as the director of the refugee center. I kept expecting him to start cracking wise so the change-up was refreshing.