The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-15
CRAB WORKERS
FILM BUT CAN'T
SUPPRESS MOVIE


An audience OF over 400 in Milwau-
kee cheered and roared their approval
of the stirring new two-reel motion
picture Of the international Workers
Aid, called prisoners for Progress"
The picture showed scenes Of the
French and Russian revolutions, Of
demonstrations in France and Ger
many broken up by police Of strike
breaking by public and private Off
Gals, Of political prisoners and the
bastilles in which they are confined.
Moron MauIs Film.
This was the second attempt within
three days to show this film, the first,
at the May Day celebration in Freie
Gemeinde Hall, having been ruined,
apparently by sabotage. Tho the film
had been run thru without hitch or
break in a private projection room on
the morning Of May Day, the pictures
were clear and steady and brilliant,
and the committee member who saw
the showing was flushed with antici-
patton of the effect on the big crowd
at the celebration where the film was
to be the principal and pleasing fea-
ture.
When time came to show the film
the operator seemed very i'll at ease.
Himself a strapping lad, he had with
him two husky friends, potential
bodyguards. No sooner had the first
titles flashed on the screen when the
film broke. That was not so serious
altho it took an exceptionally long
time to fix it, Then anot. or scene
and another break After tn had
been repeated nine times within three
minutes Of running time the chairman
announced that the picture would
have to be dispensed with for that
evening, since something seemed to
have happened to the film during the
day.
Comrades Take Legal Action.
The reporter for one of the local
capitalist papers smelled the trouble
when he wrote a facetious report in
his sheet the next day. The Com
munists, he wrote, would like very
much to find out just who was respon-
sible for the capitalist plot against
their movie revolution. The operator
also limited at the cause of the trouble
when he said that someone must have
tempered with the film, and asked if
there were any enemies who could
be held responsible. The film had
been in the custody Of his employers,
who also furnished the projection, all
day. Legal action for damages is con-
templated by the local comrades.
The film was taken to another COM
pany and inspected, and il was found
that aside from the first hundred feet
that had been butchered in the at
tempted showing the night before, the
film was in excellent shape. So an
other show was Immediately arranged
the following night, and this time the
film showed clearly and without hitch
or break before an even more enthusi-
astic audience.
This little episode shows that our
enemies recognize the power OF the
working class film as weapon Of our
movement, and that they will do
everything in their power to check its
influence. Where censorship prevails
it is used to choke off such pictures.
Where there is no such restriction
other means are sought. The MIL
waukee comrades have run every
film ever issued by our movement.
some Of them twice, and now they are
waiting for more.
Such occasions as this one in Mil
waukee are very rare, happening per
haps in one out Of two hundred shows,
but where possible they should be
guarded against.
ANY locals seeking movies as fea-
lures Of their meetings, or as complete
programs for education, entertainment
and the raising of finance for worthy
labor causes, should communicate i'm
mediately with the International
Workers Aid, 10 s. Lincoln St. Chi
cago, III.