''Is Your Daughter Safe?'', also known as ''The Octopus'', is an early American silent

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...

produced and directed by S. S. Millard. Written by Max Abramson, it was originally released in 1927 and presented around the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the following years.

Cast

*Vivian Winston as The Girl *Jerome Young as The Boy * Henry Roquemore as The Beast *Georgia O'Dell as The Madam *Slim Mahoney as The White Slaver *William Dennis as The Deceiver *Bernice Breacher as The Victim *Palmer Morrison as The Doctor *Winfield Jones as The Governor *Joe Bonner as The Rounder *Hugh Saxon as The Gambler *Hazel Jones as The Maid * Vera White as Lady of Leisure *Hortense Petra as Lady of Leisure *Virginia Hobbs as Lady of Leisure *Alta Faulkner as Lady of Leisure *Dorothy Jay as Lady of Leisure *June D'Eon as Lady of Leisure *Mildred Northmore as Lady of Leisure *Ann Porter as Lady of Leisure *Geraldine Johnson as Lady of Leisure *Mildred McClune as Lady of Leisure * William Hale Thompson as Self (credited as Mayor William Hale Thompson)

Production background

The film was created as a compilation of footage that was, in some cases, nearly fifteen years old,Schaefer, 52. and included stock footage such as medical reels containing footage of

venereal disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

s and films depicting white slavery.Schaefer, 145. The basic plot was a

cautionary tale A cautionary tale or moral tale is a tale told in folklore to warn its listener of a Risk, danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is ...

about a young woman's journey into

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

and white slavery, but, like the other films of the era, the plot was secondary to the sexual content. Many of the presentations were introduced at the front door, with live

nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...

women in glass booths at the entrances. Inside, the films were usually accompanied by a medical slideshow about

and a lecture from an alleged

sexual education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, birth control, sexual healt ...

specialist. This was a typical presentation template in the 1920s for a sex hygiene film, and set an example for later exploiters. In

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, Millard was forced to retitle his film ''Is Your Daughter Safe?'' to ''The Octopus'' in order to meet the demands of city officials who found the title objectionable. The film was described by '' Variety'' as "possibly the strongest and most dangerous" film of its kind at that point, but it still passed the standards of a group coordinated by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America's Jason Joy, with the group initially stating that the movie taught "a very splendid lesson and that every girl over sixteen years of age ought to be compelled to see it." The MPPDA, surprised at the lack of a condemnation, was eventually successful in gaining the condemnations from various women's groups and succeeded in withdrawing the film from a number of theaters in the Northwestern United States, paving the way for further challenges to the genre.Schaefer, 146-147. The success in San Diego led to the film being censored or banned in a number of other communities as time progressed, including persuading a Main Street theater chain in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, not to run the film and drawing condemnation for ''Is Your Daughter Safe?'' and a number of similar films by the

Motion Picture Theater Owners of America Cinema United, formerly known as the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), is an American trade organization whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most of the operators of worldwide List of movie theater chains, major theat ...

. In spite of the controversy and censorship, however, some studies suggested that the film had a positive influence on youth. The Payne Fund interviewed a number of troubled teenagers about the films, and one interview cited ''Is Your Daughter Safe?'' as a movie she learned from, saying that it "taught erhow to beware of boys." Millard also was not above corruption to get clearance, casting

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

mayor William Hale Thompson in the film to ensure passage by the city's censors.

References

Bibliography

* Felicia Feaster and Bret Wood, ''Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Film'' (Baltimore, Maryland: Midnight Marquee Press, 1999) * David F. Friedman, ''A Youth in Babylon: Confessions of a Trash-Film King'' (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1990) * Internet Movie Database
S. S. Millard
URL accessed April 13, 2007 * Larry Langman, ''American Film Cycles: The Silent Era'' (Greenwood Press, 1998) * Eric Schaefer, ''Bold! Daring! Shocking! True!: A History of Exploitation Films, 1919-1959'' (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1999)

External links

* Douglass Theatre,

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

An internal letter
discussing the booking of ''Is Your Daughter Safe?'' * * Lauderdale, Vance (May 15, 2021),
''Is Your Daughter Safe?'' — A Sex Education Film from 1928 Starring a Former Memphian
" ''Memphis Magazine'' (2 newspaper ads for the film) {{DEFAULTSORT:Is Your Daughter Safe? 1927 films 1927 documentary films 1920s American films 1920s English-language films 1920s exploitation films American black-and-white films American sexploitation films American silent feature films Articles containing video clips Films about sexually transmitted diseases

Cast

Production background

See also

References

Bibliography

External links