The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-16
BIC film SHOWN
State Did Not Stop ''Birth of a
NatiOn' Picture.
To Be Exhibited Tonight and
Again Next Week.

Shown under the guns of the state,
seeking to suppress it; with every seat
in the Grand theater occupied and the
s. r. o. sign out, David Wark Crit
fith's THE Birth of a Nation" sim
pie, powerful, magnificent, brought 81
lent tears and laughter to the eyes of
Topeka audience Friday night. 1t
was an audience such as has been sell
dom equalled at the Grand.
THE Birth of Nation" won its
case. Today, no one is condemning
it. Friday night, despite the fact there
was no orchestra and the fact a car
load of special scenery and effects
usually carried were missing, the film
seemed literally to unfold its grip on
the spectators.
Griffith, the producer, has asserted
that Intolerance" his other master
production recently shown mere, is as
to 1.-The Birth of a Nation" as is a
superfeature to the one-reel moving
picture that was produced when the
moving picture industry was in its in
fancy. Griffith may have made the
statement to boost Intolerance"
which is a later creation. On the 9TH
err hand he may have believed it. In
either case he didn't consider the all
important verdict of tn. public, which
makes or breaks a production.
1t is the belief of many no one will
give to the world a picture equaling
THE Birth of a Nation" The picture
was adapted from Dixon's book. THE
Clansman.'
Only a few scenes were eliminated
from the picture shown Friday night.
They did not detract from the pic
lures worth.
Two distinct efforts We're made Fri
day by the state to stop the film here.
Representatives from the attorney
generals office, at o'clock in the aft
ernoon, tried to rush thru an injunc-
fn 6oi,
petition heard in the Shawnee county
district court. Judge Whitcomb,
hearing a damage suit, wasted no time
in telling attorneys he had no time
for the case. Judge Dana was out of
the city. The attorney generals rep
resentatives made another attempt.
They ordered Robert Carver, county
attorney, to get out warrants for L.
NJ. and Roy Crawford, owners of the
Grand theater, charging them with
violating the censorship law by adver-
Using the show. L. NJ. Crawford,
when arrested, was met at the door
of the court house by L. L. Kiene
former sheriff, and despite the fact
he could sign his own bond for $500,
kiene insisted on going the bond.
When Roy Crawford heard of the
warrant he went to the court house
and arrested himself, giving bond for
5000. The arrests, however, did not
stop the show
When the hundreds comprising the
audience settled in their seats there
was still an uncertainty as to whether
the film would be shown. The lights
went off and the first caption flashed
on the screen The audience held it's
breath for minute expecting state Of
, ficials to make some unannounced
coup. Nothing happened, however,
and in no more than five minutes,
everything else, save the story unfold
ing, was forgotten. At the end of the
show it was announced, on behalf of
the management, that the film would
be shown again this afternoon and to-
night. Next week it will be shown, it
was announced, to the accompaniment
of a special orchestra of twenty pieces.
grand opera soloists, and a carload
/ of special scenery and effects