Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1925-09-24
HOW DAVID W. GRIFFITH
CAME TO MAKE AMERICA
nesveous of Giving Fellow Country
,neus "a Real Worthwhile Picture
;Story' of Beginning OF Coun
sry Squared Him On.

of eAmerica," which bmany crltlcS
ROW declare is greater than MT
Criffth's earlier picture, "The Blrtf
Of Nation"
Several years ago. Mr.. Gri1iith oe
gar planning an elaborate and &C
corate film story of the American
Revolution; but at that time. so
called costume plays were not pop
ulsr. His research staff had mar
vested many unusual and whimsical
fact, long shadowed as trifles, but
vividly revealing the lifeof that day.
In May, 1928. the Daughters OF
the American Revolution addressed
a letter to the picture industry, in
curing why film of the Revolu-
Gonary War had not been undertake
en-. and suggestion it should not be
delayed.
Mr.. Will Hays received the letter
and asked Mr. Griffith to undertake
tn. work.
Before doing it. he made escret
,irip to Boston. visiting all the shrines
Sf patriotism in that vicinity. He
vent 10 the Old North Church, mo-
tored along that Paul Revere made,
crossed the bridge at Concord and lay
on the bank in the hot spring sun for
more than an hour directly where
othe shot heard round the world"
was fired.
That night he decided to make the
film, not to show in chronological de-
tail the Incidents of the war, but to
por1ary the spirit of sacrifice which
encouraged the little band of Ameri-
cans untarined in war, to defy adm
conquer the hosts of the invading
army.
He believed it would be of moral
value as well as passing entertain
men for the American people to see
again the bravery and unbearable
will thattheir forefathers presented
against the agonizing woes and hos
tile scourages through a cold, ill
dressed and hungry warfare, without
adequate arms or discipline leaders.
He first took the ride of Paul
Revere, a brief incident in the story
hut one that required three weeks to
film. The engine in horseflesh Sc
iected as the mount defeated nine rid
ers before Harry O'Neill was found
to handle him. His playful prelimi-
nary to work one morning at the
filming, was TO leap over the hood
Of a bo gmotor truck. This horse is
one of the most famous jumpers in
the world, but too uncontrolled for
show or competitive purposes.
The only time is was ever quiet
enough to handle with ease came
4xsfen it became sea-sick taking the
boat ride from the Mamaroneck stu
dio TO Lexington, for the cross-coun-
try scenes. Remember this through
out che picture that every
historic scene shown in the film was
photographed in part on the actual
ground where the historic action oc
Cured.
Mr.. Griffith then took his players
to Lexington for scenes at the old
Clark home, showing Hancock and
Adams arriving and leaving there.
This is the same house that sheltered
them in TT.
The scenes in Lexington were atk-
en- with thes kindly aid of Edwin B.
Worthen, president of the Lexington
Historical Society.
Next, Mr.. Griffith went to the Old
North Church, in Boston, where
Charles X. Bolton. president of the
Boston Athenneum and senior war
den of Old North Church, permitted
him to wire the belfry. the first time
ever done. Police and fire guards
were in constant attendance to guard
against possibility of fire or damage.
The scenes shown in the picture
are actual photographs of this church
which stands exactly as it did when
Paul Revere received his alarm.
Through Secretary of War John
w. Weeks, Mr.. Griffith received the
assistance of the United States Army
IN arranging tfiebattle scenes. Major
William C. Rose, of Governors Is
land, sent the 18th and 18th Infantry
under command ofg Captain George
T. Shank.
Lexington Common and Buckman's
Tavern were reproduced with photo
graphic exactness on the studio
grounds, and there the Battle of Lex
ington was staged after the Doolittle
drawings which are accepted as fsith-
fni .by historians.
The larger batsle-soenes were made
near tbe Putnam County border in
New York State.
As the guest of Robert w. Cham
bers, Mr. Griffith then went into the
Mohawk Valley Country in New York
State, to travel over thescenes of the
Indian conflicts. He personally Wis
tied every important battlefield
there, travelling hundreds of miles.
Before the chill of Autumn, he
wished to secure the magnificent Vir-
ginia estates in all the glory of full
foliege.
With his players and staff, he
uox,+ 10 uosAox,o, ~, %ba VopooS r;vo,.