 After American activist Carrie Nation first attacked a saloon in December 1900 , silent motion pictures dealing with the subject of alcohol began to be produced , a testament to Nation 's national notoriety and her influence over studios at the time . Kansas Saloon Smashers was produced by Edison Studios as a parody of Nation 's crusade . Charles Musser , a film historian , writes that " the front page of the New York Journal was an excellent indicator of events considered worthy of the Kinetograph Department 's attention throughout 1901 @-@ 1902 . " 
