Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

June 29, 1918 MOTOGRAPHY 1205 Dr. Paul Smith Invades New York WILL SPEAK AT RUN OF "THE FINGER OF JUSTICE" REVEREND DR. PAUL SMITH of San Francisco has arrived in New York to speak at the run of the super-feature picture, "The Finger of Justice," which will appear shortly on Broadway. Dr. Smith was the spokesman, as president of the San Francisco Church Federation, for the great clean up campaign in Northern California, which resulted in the closing of the world-famous Barbary Coast vice district of San Francisco, the abolition of about three hundred resorts in various California cities, the crippling of a corrupt machine which had dominated politics since '49, and bringing about a revolution of public opinion. Not a Reformer by Choice At the office of the Arrow Film Corporation, Times Building, New York City, which is handling the commercial side of the distribution of this picture, Dr. Smith said: "By temperament or choice I am not a reformer. Nothing was ever further from my thought than to get involved in a tremendous political campaign like that which has swept San Francisco this last year. "Neither did I ever expect to be a motion picture producer. Our one weapon in the California battle was publicity, and when this scenario was brought to me by Miss Sanderson, our group saw at once the possibility of reaching the voters of California with our message through this picture. "The political boss of the picture is a composite of the three big bosses in San Francisco whose power was largely broken in our campaign. Not as Sensational as Subject "In a general way 'The Finger of Justice' is a dramatization of that great battle. While some have thought that the melodrama of the picture was sensational, as a matter of fact it is not nearly so sensational as the melodrama of the actual fight it represents. "One night the wife of a police judge came to the evening service in my church and shrieked out 'You lie!' and insisted on making a speech which almost broke up the meeting. "At another time we had definite reports of a large fund which had been raised to hire a woman who would defame my character. By making this attempted frame-up public it was stopped. "On another occasion, just as I was about to speak in my pulpit, my good friend Senator Grant came up and informed me that a notorious gunman, a big mulatto who had served time in prison, was seated in the congregation very near an exit. "A candidate for city attorney whom we were opposing .because we believed Rev. Dr. Paul Smith. he represented corrupt interests, plastered the city with 24 sheets, 'Elect city attorney. He represents you and not the Reverend Paul Smith.' Propaganda and Entertainment Both "While our picture was designed primarily for propaganda purposes and while it has received the endorsement of distinguished clergymen and social leaders throughout the country, it is none the less a thrilling entertainment picture. I have never been able to see why big ideas could not be dramatized in a fascinating form. "I believe that entertainment has got to be paramount in pictures produced for the theatre constituency. I do not believe that this in any sense precludes the possibility of using the screen for propaganda in behalf of the serious point of view. "Some people say that these great problems of city government which have to do with the control of vice, gambling and crime should not be discussed on the screen. I think that depends entirely upon the manner of presentation, the type of publicity, and the theories which are advocated. "You cannot have propaganda against evil without picturing the evil. '"We studied long and carefully in producing "The Finger of Justice" to make it tell a convincing story without the portrayal of anything suggestive or in bad taste. The universal opinion of ministers and others who have endorsed the picture testifies to our success in this matter. "For instance, Dr. Wilbur F. Crafts of the International Reform Bureau inWashington says: 'Every adolescent girl in America ought to see this picture with her mother.' "J. Frank Chase, secretary of the New England Watch and Ward Society in Boston, has said: 'The conditions centering in the disorderly cafe which you have pictured are actually or potentially present in every American city. We need your picture in Boston.' Upholding the Law Is Theme "The theory of vice control advocated by the picture is the merciless enforcement of the law against the profiteer, the promoter of viciousness, and the merciful restraint of the underworld woman with a chance for her to begin a new life. I do not believe that the Magdalen should be thrown into jail. She ought to be sentenced to a hospital— just what we are doing with her in San Francisco. "The picture shows the shortcomings of toleration or attempted segregation of viciousness. "It presents a tremendous argument by parents of children for their protection against the exploitation of innocence which exists. "One of the very dramatic episodes of the picture is the story of the raid of 300 underworld women upon the church headed by a clever and brilliant woman, a resort keeper, who asked the question: 'What will become of us if you close up the town?' "'With shoes at $16 per pair, and wages at $8 a week, what is a girl to do?' inquired this woman. The story of that episode was flashed by the Associated Press and accounts of it appear in papers throughout the world. Backed by Much Publicity "The picture and the campaign have commanded columns of publicity; we have clippings literally by the bushel in San Francisco. "I believe that the tour of 'The Finger of Justice' over the country, during which I shall make many speeches myself, and social leaders likewise will appear with the picture, will have pro(Continued on Page 1221)