MOVIE OF THE DAY: "WHERE ARE MY CHILDREN?" (1916)

Eugenics and abortion aren't topics you expect to see in a movie over a century old, unless you've watched Where Are My Children?, one of the most fascinating American silent dramas. Mixing religious fantasy with realistic drama, Where Are My Children? today will likely draw huzzahs and condemnation from the usual suspects, while providing entertainment from people like me, who simply want to put the cultural wars to bed for an hour or so.

District Attorney Richard Walton, believing eugenics would put an end to crime once and for all, finds himself in the uneasy position of being forced to prosecute a social worker for making a birth control pamphlet available to the public. Walton himself has yearned for children with his wife Helen -- of whom he's unaware is referring friends to Dr. Malfit, the local abortionist. When Helen's brother Roger knocks up the daughter of Walton's housekeeper, Malfit botches the abortion, leading to her death. Walton successfully prosecutes the doctor, only to learn that Helen has had several abortions during their marriage, and is now unable to give birth. This certainly isn't the Walton family America is more familiar with.

Dr. Malfit wouldn't mind getting rid of those
hats, either.

Likely because the writer and director was the pioneering female filmmaker Lois Weber, Where Are My Children? takes no easy way out. While the overall message is clearly anti-abortion -- in a climactic subtitle, Walton tells his wife, "I -- an officer of the law -- must shield a murderess!" -- the movie nevertheless isn't shy about promoting birth control to prevent unwanted children. (A subtitle makes a point of reminding us that the birth-control-promoting social worker was found guilty by "a jury of men.")

From Eternity to here (and back again, if you
have the mark of the serpent).

The realism, however, is often negated by the movie's strange depiction of "The great portals of Eternity, where the souls of little children waited to be born." These souls, we learn, are divided into three categories: the "chance" children (presumably, the ones where the parents weren't necessarily hoping for the little brats); the "unwanted" souls who are returned for being "morally or physically defective" and "bearing the mark of the serpent" (hey, no judging!); and the "fine and strong souls" who were created by prayer, "marked by the approval of the Almighty" (well, aren't you special!).

This fantastical depiction contrasts mightily with the shockingly violent, ugly segments of couples who aren't financially or psychologically fit to have children. One fight between a drunken husband and wife in front of their young kids is incredibly distressing to watch even today, especially when they turn their fury on the social worker trying to stop them -- the same social worker found guilty of publishing the birth control pamphlet. This guy can't catch a break anywhere!

You'd never know this guy's son would play
Zorro.

The actors in the lead roles of Richard and Helen Walton, however, are typical of the melodramatic theater-trained style of the day. When not in court, Richard does nothing but mope around all day, looking longingly at other people's children, while Helen hosts or attends daytime parties with her rich friends between trips to Dr. Malfit's office. But what notches up the interest is that the couple is played by real-life married couple Tyrone and Helen Power. No, not that Tyrone Power. This Tyrone Power was his father. Luckily, Junior didn't inherit Dad's looks.

Roger's suit should have been a giveaway.

As for the other primary actors, Alva D. Blake is appropriately creepy as Helen's no-good brother Roger. The actresses playing Helen's friends could pass for real life turn-of-the-century Kardashians. (After one of their trips to Dr, Malfit, a child's soul goes back to Eternity while a subtitle reads "One of the 'unwanted' ones returns, and a social butterfly is again ready for house parties.") In an interesting note of realism, a poor woman who can't take care of her children kills herself by jumping off what was known in Pasadena at the time as "Suicide Bridge". 

Where's a flyswatter when you need one?

There's enough melodrama in Where Are My Children? to last an entire Broadway season, including the images of unborn children haunting the women who don't want them. Yet some of it is still quite effective, especially at the climax.  Discovering the truth about Helen and her friends, Richard  looks at his wife and demands via subtitle, "Where are my children?" He knows the answer, of course, and contemporary audiences would yell, "Hey, weren't they hers, too!".

Give the people what they want.

Yet, that kind of thing works for me, as does the closing scene. As Roger and Helen sadly sit near a blazing fireplace, the images of three young children they might have had -- one of them played by that Tyrone Power in his movie debut -- appear onscreen sitting at their feet. Dissolve 20 or 30 years into the future, when the-now adult children look upon the elderly couple fondly, figments of the parents' melancholy imagination. 

Where Are My Children?'s lengthy prologue indicates Universal Pictures knew it had a hot-button release on its hands (it was the studio's highest-grossing production of the year). It also pulls a fast one by stating that "the subject of birth control should not be presented before children", while two sentences later says that bringing children to see the movie "would do them an immeasurable amount of good." Hollywood hype was slick even in 1916!

                                                            ****************