Upcoming Exhibit: The Scopes Trial in Literature and Film

The Riesenfeld Center is preparing for an upcoming spring exhibit celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial (1925). In telling the story of the historic trial, the exhibit will highlight some of the material from the rich Clarence Darrow Collection at the Center, including briefs from the appeal case, letters, debates, books, and other items related to the trial. 

Another area of the Darrow Collection that will be featured contains items relating to Inherit the Wind, a notable play that was loosely based on the Scopes Trial, which debuted in 1955. Inherit the Wind was the first of several plays written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee that addressed contemporary issues. In the early 1950s, they were inspired by the ongoing Communist paranoia and Hollywood blacklists, and they saw parallels to the theme of free speech in the Scopes Trial. While Inherit the Wind follows the story of the trial, many aspects of the true story are fictionalized. The names of the key players change (Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan become Henry Drummond and Matthew Harrison Brady) and many of the exchanges are dramatized. Most notably, William Jennings Bryan, who argued for the prosecution, faces particular criticism, as Lawrence and Lee intentionally chose to target creationism, which Bryan adamantly defends. While in reality, Bryan died shortly after the trial due to health issues, in the play, Bryan dramatically dies after collapsing during his final speech.

Although the play received some criticism due to its dramatization of the Scopes trial, it became the longest running drama then on Broadway and was adapted into several movie versions. When the first film premiered in Dayton in 1960, John Scopes attended the premiere and promoted the film, noting that, “of course, it altered the facts of the real trial,” but “the film captured the emotions in the battle of words between Bryan and Darrow.”

On display in the exhibit will be several collection items connected to the play, including a first edition of Inherit the Wind inscribed by the authors to one of Darrow’s granddaughters. Other items trace the play’s popularity and connect to the movie versions that were made in 1960 and 1988. One interesting document from 1960 outlines the United Artists Corporation’s advertising campaign that aimed to reach a younger audience by hiring teenagers in large cities “to play up the movie for their local newspapers, radio and television stations, as well as for school publications and organizations.” The exhibit will also highlight several lobby cards, which would have promoted the movie ahead of its release in theatre lobbies, depicting scenes from the film. 

Inherit the Wind’s story also found relevance across the globe, and several items related to translated versions of the movie will also be on display. A lobby card in Spanish follows the same format as lobby cards from the original movie release, and a small Danish pamphlet provides photos from the movie in addition to information about the plot and cast. Another is a Czech movie poster, which features a stylized and impressionistic design. The Czech translation of the title, “Who Sows the Wind,” referencing Hosea 8:7 (“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”), is boldly displayed and differs slightly from the English title. The original play's title, Inherit the Wind, is also drawn from a Bible verse, Proverbs 11:29 (“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind”). The artistic titles, based on Biblical quotes, help to amplify the courtroom drama in the play and suggest Lawrence and Lee's viewpoint.

   - Sophia Charbonneau, Special Collections Assistant