The Shame Of A City

''The Shame of a City'' is a 2006 feature-length documentary directed by Tigre Hill about the final month of the 2003 Philadelphia Mayoral Election. During that election, incumbent Democrat John Street sought to defeat his Republican challenger Sam Katz. Philadelphia is predominantly Democratic, but early polls showed Katz with a small lead. Twenty-seven days prior to the election, the FBI revealed that it was investigating Street for corruption, but polls showed that the public supported Street more after the scandal broke. Hill attempts to investigate how Street turned the corruption scandal into an advantage.

The film is named after Lincoln Steffens’s 1904 book ''The Shame of the Cities'', which sought to expose the wrongdoing of public officials in cities across the United States.

Plot summary

Twenty-seven days before the election, an FBI bug was found in the mayor’s office. When asked about the bug, the FBI admitted that Street was under investigation. The discovery at first seemed like a death knell to the Street campaign and a near certain victory for Katz; however, Street and his supporters argued that the FBI investigation was an instance of institutional racial prejudice, polarizing the campaign. Moreover, Street successfully reoriented the campaign away from local issues and towards a referendum on the locally unpopular, Republican-controlled federal government. As a result, Street won re-election by a sixteen- point margin even as his closest supporters were indicted.

Media attention

The film won “Best Feature-Length Film” at the 2006 Philadelphia Film Festival's Festival of Independents and was reviewed positively by the ''Philadelphia Inquirer''.

''Shame of a City'' would be shown at—among other places—the National Constitution Center, and be referenced by name in five successive issues of ''Philadelphia'' magazine.

Hill was interviewed on Imus in the Morning about the documentary.

Selected quotes

Political impact

The timing of the documentary's initial release benefited reform-minded city council member Michael Nutter, who was attempting to succeed Street as the Democratic nominee for mayor. Nutter's primary opponents were Congressmen Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah, two Street supporters portrayed negatively in Hill’s movie. After receiving Hill’s endorsement, Nutter himself screened ''The Shame of a City'' five times to sold-out audiences, using it to raise money and awareness. The DVD release was also timed to coincide with the primary election cycle, reminding voters of the previous elections' controversies. Although he began as underdog, Nutter would eventually win the May 2007 (Democratic) primary and then defeat his (Republican) opponent in the general election.

''The Shame of a City'' also provided an introduction to a Katz campaign consultant, Carl Singley, whose strongly positive appearance in the movie briefly made him the focus of an early, informal city-wide campaign for him to run for mayor. Singley declined to run.“Former Street Ally to Eschew Mayoral Run,” ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', November 7, 2006

References

Specific citations

General sources

* “A Backroom Look at Katz vs. Street,” ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', March 31, 2006

External links

*

Full Movie on Vimeo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shame of a City
2006 films
Documentary films about Philadelphia
Documentary films about American politicians
Politics of Pennsylvania
2006 documentary films
2000s American films