One Brick Higher, 1948

The film “One Brick Higher” was released in 1948. The film was directed by Allyn Butterfield and the script was written by G. Arthur Durlan. Funding for the film was provided by chemical engineering alumni and oil businessman, Gerald L. Reasor. “One Brick Higher” was shown at Keith’s Theater in Indianapolis from December 22nd to 26th before it was distributed to Purdue alumni chapters and educational film distributors. “One Brick Higher” narrates Purdue’s development from its founding under the Morrill Act of 1862 to the events and campus life of the late 1940s. The title of the film is derived from Purdue President James H. Smart’s “One Brick Higher” speech following the burning of Heavilon Hall in 1894.