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Who was in charge of “how far” a film could go in terms of content? Was it the writers? The producers? The directors? The audience? Well….yes! All of these people had a hand in deciding what filmmakers could and couldn’t do. And for several years it was a wild ride for all concerned!
It seemed that the US was very diverse as far as audiences went in the 1910s and 20s – cities and states had their own ideas of what was and was not acceptable. In some areas, for example, it was inappropriate to show a woman’s ankles. In other areas, it was fine – as long as the topic of pregnancy was never mentioned in the story! Local censors had the job of communicating their own area’s rules to the studios, as well as editing films to their liking before showing it in theaters. The studio heads were pulling out their hair trying to conform to everyone’s varying standards. To top things off, there was also a National Board of Review (to read: censorship) that had their own ideas of what was acceptable for the American public in general!
The moguls of Old Hollywood knew they had a ticking time bomb on their hands. Even though most of them had no involvement with the scandals that popped up in rapid fire during the early 1920's, they HAD TO improve the public image of the film industry. If they didn’t, they would suffer great financial loss. But what to do? Well…they put together the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (which would become the current organization of MPAA). Then, the moguls chose a former Postmaster General (named Will Hays) as their first president. Will, a political bigwig from the Republican party, was also a long-time elder in good standing of the Presbyterian church. Yessir, he was perfect for the job.
Mr. Hays, the Image Fixer.
Will’s job was essentially to “clean up” Hollywood’s image and deal directly with the public – sort of being the “PR man” and calming the many outraged groups and committees that were endlessly launching complaints and criticism. In 1924, he came up with “The Formula” as it was called – a set of recommendations about what should or shouldn’t be included in a script. He also asked all filmmakers to send their script ideas for him to review in advance.
Then, in 1927, along with several major studio executives, Will formed a more formal set of do’s and don’ts for studios to follow. Some self-imposed morality rules that the public could count on. Their committee based the rules on what local censors had complained about before. This set of rules was sometimes called "The Do’s, Don’t’s and Be Careful’s”, and was loosely followed throughout the early 30’s, making all movies (roughly) a PG-average. The executives decided against an “adults only” policy on certain films, as it would be much too difficult for theaters to enforce – and they wanted to make as much money as possible on ticket sales!
"Seals of approval" like this were often shown before the movie
In 1930, it officially became The Motion Picture Production Code, with the guidance of a Catholic priest and a few other religious heads. The Code had a very "Catholic" style to it, as the priest had the most involvement - but that was kept very confidential at the time! It was more strictly enforced from the mid 30’s to the late 60's (receiving many amendments throughout) and was eventually replaced in 1968 by a new ratings system (similar to what we use today).
But what exactly were the original "Do's, Don’t’s and Be Careful’s” of 1927? Here's just a few below:
Dont’s:
Pointed profanity;
Any licentious or suggestive nudity;
The illegal traffic in drugs;
White slavery;
Scenes of actual childbirth—in fact or in silhouette;
Ridicule of the clergy;
Willful offense to any nation, race or creed;
Be Careful’s:
Arson;
The use of firearms;
Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, etc.;
Brutality and possible gruesomeness;
Technique of committing murder by whatever method;
Sympathy for criminals;
The sale of women, or of a woman selling her virtue;
Man and woman in bed together;
Surgical operations;
The use of drugs
Dont'cha just love how white slavery was a no-show, but not black slavery...? And heaven forbid if the clergy was made fun of - but everyone else (particularly minorities) was fair game. It seems that the main purpose of the Be Careful's was to prevent the viewing audience from getting "ideas". Did it work? No. No, it didn't. Sadly, criminals were still criminals, murderers still murdered, women were still sold, etc. If anyone wants to read the entire 1930 code (including the amendments from later years), click here: https://productioncode.dhwritings.com/multipleframes_productioncode.php
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