Dangers in the Dark: Motion Picture Reform in Progressive-Era Milwaukee

The battle over motion picture reformduring the early years of film exhibition in Milwaukee took place during a transitional period in the city's politics, as socialists and non-partisan progressives chased scandaltainted machine politicians from office. Their varied approaches led to reforms of both the content of films and the physical environments in which they were seen. The drive for reform culminated in the creation of the Milwaukee Motion Picture Commission, which survived as a film censorship body until 1971.