It does help if you get the basic facts right...

In the Golden Age magazine for September 13, 1922, three films were advertised for purchase by the Kinemo Film Corporation. If you punch the search term KINEMO into this blog you will find a series of three articles about the project and what ultimately happened to it. 

The three origional films were made over 1920-1921. There was one on Palestine, one on the Great Pyramid and one on Imperial Valley, California. The latter was seen as an example of what could be done to cultivate land and make an area into a paradise.

There is quite an amazing review of the Imperial Valley one by Paul Johnson in his paper for September 1925.

"BRO. RUTHERFORD TAKING A TRIP THROUGH IMPERIAL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA"

"The picture shows Bro. R. and party in an automobile, ready for the tour. Then it shows them driving to some of his friends, to ask them if they would allow their son to go with him through Imperial Valley to take pictures. The boy's parents readily consented to let him go with the judge, though they were all prepared to start on a trip of their own through the mountains. The boy kisses his family good-bye, jumps into Bro. R.'s car, and away they go. Then the pictures go on to show Bro. R. passing through the valley on foot, examining fruit, vegetables and many other things grown there. According to the pictures, everything certainly was in good condition. Of course, the picture shows Bro. R. walking through these gardens, which takes up quite a time. On one occasion he is pictured as looking around and laughing as he turns over a very large pumpkin, saying: `It reminds me of the pumpkin pies mother used to make.'

Then the picture changes. It shows Bro. Rutherford's party with a newspaper giving the picture of a terrible automobile accident. Then the auto is shown falling down the side of a steep mountain, the occupants falling out and all being killed—they were the boy's family. Thereupon Bro. R. is seen trying to comfort the boy. It also shows Bro. R. writing a letter and handing it to the boy, telling him not to open it until when in 1925 he would hear of Abraham being resurrected. Later, the pictures show the boy in 1925 reading a morning paper with large head lines: 'ABRAHAM RESURRECTED IN PALESTINE.' Suddenly it dawns on the boy to read the letter the judge had given him. He looks at the calendar, which shows 1925; then he opens the letter, which tells him to telegraph Abraham and ask him that his famliy might be resurrected and restored to him. Finally, the boy is shown very happy as he telegraphs Abraham in Palestine in 1925."

This would be a fascinating film to see with JFR in such a prominent acting role. It’s a shame the Oscars didn’t start until 1929. There is only one slight problem with all of this – the description and review is FALSE FROM START TO FINISH.                                                               

We can see the actual film today because a copy has survived, although missing a little footage at the end of the reel. At the time of writing this is the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zIClU8TQtM  but if it disappears just use the search term KINEMO again on YouTube,

It can quickly be seen that the Imperial Valley film is just a travelog, taking you around the area, showing roads being built, ditches beng dug and produce being harvested, as an illustration of what could be possible for the earth in the future. That is about it. JFR appears briefly in some scenes, a bit like an Alfred Hitchcock cameo.

There is one where he is looking over a field.

 

And another has him holding a tall sheaf of grain, probably sarghum from the surrounding subtitles.

When you read the small print in Johnson’s article, he tries to excuse himself:

“The Editor never saw these moving pictures, but sometime ago one of the brethren sent him a brief description of them.”

So that’s all right then. It’s someone else’s responsibility. One of the “brethren” must have been just daydreaming or playing a joke. And none of Johnson’s readers apparently noticed.

The joke still continues it seems. When this material was published elsewhere, I backtracked on blog entry sources and came across a Polish message board, where, allowing for the quirks of Google translate, someone was arguing that Johnson's "review" was accurate. It appears there had been a secret cover-up to censor all existing prints after 1925... (In reality, Kinemo was a commercial flop and people who bought projectors and films in the obsolete 17.5 mm gauge were trying to sell them cheap in the pages of the New Era Enterprise by 1925. So the market was awash with prints in private hands).

But it is an interesting and unexpected take on the subject. Oh yes, and Elvis was abducted by aliens...