"On the Firing Line with the Germans" Film Annotations (2017)

The announcement of the Durborough film noted the film’s local connections, Chicagoans Wilbur H.
Durborough and Daily News’ own correspondent Oswald F. Schuette. Shortly after Durborough’s return
to Chicago, the paper featured an interview with him accompanied by a photo of Schuette with
Durborough in the Stutz Bearcat roadster. The article covered some of his personal experiences while in
Germany and also included his tribute to its Berlin office: “It is like a branch consular office to Americans
….”, and to Schuette: “He is popular with all classes, official and private, and has the confidence of those
in highest position. His friendship was valuable to me in my task of getting real war pictures….”
For Durborough, as he acknowledged in his praise, the key to obtaining access to the war zone was likely
Schuette, who spoke fluent German, understood the German culture, and clearly had developed very
good contacts in the Foreign Office. As noted earlier, Jane Addams attributed him with obtaining
meetings with the Chancellor and Foreign Minister on very short notice. Later, H. L. Mencken, only
recently back from the front when the U.S. broke diplomatic relations, would credit Schuette for getting
approval within a day from General Ludendorff out at the front, the only one who could waive the
military restriction on his leaving the country so soon with Ambassador Gerard’s train. As an additional
tribute, Durborough inserted an intertitle with Schuette’s greetings to friends back home in the Stutz
repair scene of the Chicago film and as already described, a similar one in the first film showing in
Milwaukee where Schuette had also worked as a newspaperman: “The American camp. Mr. Schuette, of
the Chicago Daily News, is some mechanic as well as one of the best newspapermen I have ever met.”
No documentation has yet been found but one might also surmise Schuette was not only helpful to
Durborough in getting his “real war pictures” but may have been the critical link for the Daily News’
sponsorship of its early Chicago presentation. Yet whatever his role in facilitating Durborough’s access
to film in the war zone or the Daily News’ Chicago sponsorship for the film, Lawson’s announcement
labeling the film as the “Durborough-Schuette pictures” greatly exaggerated Schuette’s role. There is no
indication he participated in any part of the actual filming or film production process; that appears to
have all been done by Durborough with Ries’ assistance. But while Schuette’s influence behind the
scenes in obtaining sponsorship back home may have been important, there is little doubt his influence
in Germany was the critical difference that enabled Durborough, far more than Albert K. Dawson and
Edwin F. Weigle, to enjoy the support of the Foreign Office and the German Army for access to the front
lines for filming.
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