Fit to Win (1919)

Interesting facts

Fit to Fight is a silent sex hygiene film about the dangers of venereal disease written and directed by Edward H. Griffith. It was produced by the Commission on Training Camp Activities and initially shown to American World War I soldiers. After the war, a slightly edited version was commercially released to the public in 1919, under the title Fit to Win. The film proved controversial due to its graphic imagery and its limited support for prophylaxis. It was subject to censorship attempts, and contributed to the emergence of the exploitation film as a distinct niche.

Production and release

Fit to Fight was produced by the Commission on Training Camp Activities (CTCA). It was written and directed by Edward H. Griffith (who, at the time, had the rank of lieutenant), and photographic work was performed by the Army Medical Museum's instruction laboratory.

The film was initially screened only for US soldiers. After the war, the CTCA transferred the rights for the film (along with another CTCA production, The End of the Road) to the American Social Hygiene Association (ASHA). The ASHA reached an agreement with Isaac Silverman's Public Health Films to distribute the films to American theatres, with ASHA to receive 25% of the profits.

Fit to Win initially had the support of the US Public Health Service. Assistant surgeon general C. C. Pierce issued a letter requesting that state and local governments provide the film forbearance from their normal censorship practices, given its educational value. As part of Public Health Films' release strategy, screenings would be segregated by sex, and forbidden to children under 16. It was released on March 2, 1919.

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