Rarely seen by the public, “The Fallbrook Story” (1952) is a short subject film that told the story of a water rights battle between the citizens of the Fallbrook, California area and the federal government. It was produced (without credit) by Frank Capra, and uses many of the techniques he utilized in his famous series of WWII-era propaganda films including the “Why We Fight” series.
The government wanted to have exclusive rights to the water from the Santa Margarita river for the use of adjacent Camp Pendleton, the U.S. Marine Corps base, in conflict with the established use by local ranchers. At the time film director Frank Capra served on the Board of the local water agency, the Fallbrook Public Utilities District (“FPUD”). He produced this short film (without on screen credit) to tell the story from the ranchers perspective, leading to front page publicity from the Los Angeles Times. As a result, the federal government subsequently withdrew their claim on exclusive use of the water. The film was introduced on camera by Cecil B. DeMille.
The background on this film dates to 1952, when Frank Capra and other owners of large ranches in the Fallbrook community banded together to build a dam and thus gain control of area water rights. Capra and a number of other big landowners served on FPUD, Fallbrook’s utility and water commission. This board had the responsibility of overseeing the dam project, which included condemning the land of several smaller landowners in the community. When the small landowners complained, the federal government brought suit against FPUD to stop the dam. Capra felt compelled to shoot this film on the subject, The Fallbrook Story, in which he asked, “Are non-elective usurpers of power in Washington to prevail over the American people? Is Liberty to die? Is freedom to become but a memory?” Ironically, the name of the small landowners’ opposition group, the Willow Glen Water Users Protective Association, failed to remind Capra of the Willet Creek dam project opposed by Jefferson Smith in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. Eventually FPUD was investigated by a Grand Jury, and although the commission was cleared of any deliberate, illegal wrongdoing, the Jury chastised FPUD for its lack of regard for small landowners in the community. Capra, however, had by that time resigned from the commission and made his escape back to Hollywood.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
