The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-30
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, D. G.
SCREEN CRINfEs.

I men NRa1rieS and highway Pete are
doomed. They were driven from the
stage when the movies largely took the
i place of the one-night stand. companies
and their repertoires of nelodram ma.
: the rapid decline of their careers in
1 the rapid decline oftheir careers in
paper-back literature. And now comes
| Oklahoma with a crusade to attack the
| criminal hero and villain as they APP
pear on the screen in 'thr.llers."
| Oklahoma's complaint is that some
/ times bank robbers, outlaws and other
criminals, after serving sentence, re-
ceive extravagant offers from moving
picture producers, and are soon en-
gagged in the profitable and congenal
occupation of committing crime be-
| fore the camera
/ When such characters become
| heroes of romance, and it is widely adj
vertised that they display their
methods in the latest play, Oklahoma
| gets hot around the collar. Okla homa
happens to be the aggressive state,
| because it's quota of criminals called
! to be movie stars has been unusually
large. The result to the state has been
Ia good deal of publicity as the criminal
stars professional field of action, and
| this is unpleasant to the worthy citi-
zens who regard Oklahoma one OF
the most progressive q and civilized
states in the Union.
| 1t is impossible to define in law all
| the types OF character which nation
]
homa lawyers emphasize the point that
| the criminals demonstrate their crimes
| before the camera, and thereby pro-
vide bad examples. Professional de-
| tails of crime are often registered by
closeup scenes, as they are features
| of the productions that star ex-con-
| victs. This exposition of criminal
| tricks. the Oklahoma State Bar asso-
citation declares. has a serious effect
on the youthful PATROLS of moving
| niCtnrPC
To put a stop to it. the association
has had Senator Gore and Representa-
tive Harreld of Oklahoma introduce
are similar in both houses, prohibit
the transportation from one state to
| another of moving picsure films show
ing or stimulating criminals in the act
of committing g me-.
| This would apparently mean ban
ishment from the pictures of Jesse
James and his host of fellow brigands.
| burglars, and highwaymen, for who
can imagine a picture dominated by
| a thug, even thug with wavy hair
and a dimple. in which no crime
played a prominent part7 The gen.
tleman burglar who picks locks and
| jimmies his way into the hearts of the
heroine at the same time has had
many buffets from defenders of art
and morals, but this bill would deal
! MIN a DOQy dow. lie COulQ JuSBA
/ with cash boxes and stab his enemies
| only with the camera removed to
distance so great that nobody in the
taudience would be able to tell exactly
what happened. In that case, OF
course, he might as well do the dirty
iwork off screen, and the next scene
would have to show the policeman
telling the maid about the terrible
tragedy with appropriate captions, but
no pictures of the crime scenes.
| A deleted version of this sort would
undoubtedly lack both punch and con-
viction. The director with fondness
for crfrae would have to start over
| and make his hero or villain which
| ever happens to be the bold desperate,
| a young man with only slight tenden-
| cies to crime which would lead him
to steal a love letter out of an un-
locked dresser drawer This feat he
might accomplish without revealing
any of the secrets of the trade. Even.
| this might be barred because, If 1t
were the story of a real crime being
filmed, 1t would break the law.
| . The proposed law is primarily IN
tended to attack the ex-convict or
| criminal who poses as a hero. 1t for
bids the transportation of films show
! ing such persons they commit crime.
| or escape from the scene, and also IL
| forbids the filming of the trial AS the
bill is worded. the prohibition is taken
4
stofy of a real crime, whether the part
of the criminal is taken by the orig
| inal offender or by stock actor
This excludes use of all famous crimes,
and their trials, such as have been
popularity filmed in the past few
years, often with the original -prin-
cipals in the screen roles.
| The bill, we understand. would not
prevent the filming of Shakespeare.
| Shakespeare is continually being al
1 most barred from modern life by some
reform or other. but at the last minute
a cautious reformer usually inserts
proviso in his favor. The present bill
does not, as 1t now reads. mention
Shakespeare's historical plays nor
other phases of history. We are told,
| however, that it is not intended to
legisiate the French revolution nor
Richard II out of the silent drama
Whether Shakespeare gave England
a bad name by advertising the
| murders committed by her kings ard
bandits is neglected point of Shakes
| peariana- Time throws a veil of
| romance over historical characters.
/ Hence the vogue of our staggering
highwaymen, of pioneer days. who in
reality were sordid and unromantic
| figures.
The criminal iR real life is no more
! dashing than a grocer or blacksmith.
| Pictured as he really is, he is not
suitable subject for popular romance,
| but only for some great work of
1 realism such as Galsworthy's Justice"
/ Usually, therefore, the criminal of the
movies wears evening clothes and all
the graces, and is about as true to life
| as. a coroneted king would be in a
soviet. Still the public gets the all
desirable thrill. and is satisfied
In satisfying the desire for thrills
in this way, the film producer; con-
sciously or not, is promoting crime,
! claims Representative Harreld.
The crime of bank robbing is on
/ the increase" he states. land the work
is done largely by young men,
Representative Harreld quotes vari-
| Gus instances of criminals being made
! heroes of boys aid young men.