The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of industry guidelines governing the production of American motion pictures. The Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA), which later became the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), adopted the code in 1930, began effectively enforcing it in 1934, and abandoned it in 1967 in favor of the subsequent MPAA film rating system. The Production Code spelled out what was and was not considered morally acceptable in the production of motion pictures for a public audience. Cover of Time Magazine (September 13, 1926) William Harrison Hays (November 5, 1879–March 7, 1954) was the namesake of the Hays Code, chairman of Republican National Committee and U.S. Postmaster General. ... American cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. ... The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), originally called the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America, is a non-profit trade association based in the United States which was formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ... See also: 1929 in film 1930 1931 in film 1930s in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films The Indians Are Coming Madam Satan Der Blaue Engel Academy Awards Best Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front - Universal Studios Best Actress: Norma Shearer - The Divorcee... See also: 1933 in film 1934 1935 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn (of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) finally purchased the film rights to The Wizard of Oz from Frank J. Baum for $40,000. ... Lauren steiger, born in 1992 at Royal Womens hospital started acting and modelling at the age of 2 and is now currently 15 working in Milan on the catwalks. ... The MPAA film rating system is a system used in the United States and territories and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Provisions of the Code

The Production Code enumerated three "General Principles":

1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
2. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.

Specific restrictions were spelled out as "Particular Applications" of these principles: In religion evil refers to anything against the will or law of the god(s). ... Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral rule, or the state of having committed such a violation. ... Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ...

• Nudity and suggestive dances were prohibited.
• The ridicule of religion was forbidden, and ministers of religion were not to be represented as comic characters or villains.
• The depiction of illegal drug use was forbidden, as well as the use of liquor, "when not required by the plot or for proper characterization."
• Methods of crime (e.g. safe-cracking, arson, smuggling) were not to be explicitly presented.
• References to alleged "sex perversion" (such as homosexuality) and venereal disease were forbidden, as were depictions of childbirth.
• The language section banned various words and phrases that were considered to be offensive.
• Murder scenes had to be filmed in a way that would discourage imitations in real life, and brutal killings could not be shown in detail. "Revenge in modern times" was not to be justified.
• The sanctity of marriage and the home had to be upheld. "Pictures shall not infer that low forms of sex relationship are the accepted or common thing." Adultery and illicit sex, although recognized as sometimes necessary to the plot, could not be explicit or justified and were not supposed to be presented as an attractive option.
• Portrayals of miscegenation were forbidden.
• "Scenes of Passion" were not to be introduced when not essential to the plot. "Excessive and lustful kissing" was to be avoided, along with any other treatment that might "stimulate the lower and baser element."
• The flag of the United States was to be treated respectfully, and the people and history of other nations were to be presented "fairly."
• "Vulgarity," defined as "low, disgusting, unpleasant, though not necessarily evil, subjects" must be treated within the "subject to the dictates of good taste." Capital punishment, "third-degree methods," cruelty to children and animals, prostitution and surgical operations were to be handled with similar sensitivity.

Johnny Weissmuller in Glorifying the American Girl with an unidentified showgirl.

“Clothes free” redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Spirits redirects here. ... Safe-cracking is the process of opening a safe, generally without the combination. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... A skirmish with smugglers from Finland at the Russian border, 1853, by Vasily Hudiakov. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), also known as sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), are diseases that are commonly transmitted between partners through some form of sexual activity, most commonly vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex. ... Parturition redirects here. ... Guðrún agitates her sons, Hamðir and Sörli, to avenge their sister. ... For the record label, see Marriage Records. ... Adultery is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse. ... Frederick Douglass with his second wife Helen Pitts (standing) who was white, a famous 19th century American example of miscegenation. The woman standing is her sister Eva Pitts. ... Lust is any intense desire or craving for self gratification. ... Union Jack. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... Torture is defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he... Child abuse is the physical, sexual, or emotional maltreatment or neglect of children by parents, guardians, or others. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Whore redirects here. ... “Surgeon” redirects here. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan in Tarzan and His Mate. ... A Las Vegas showgirl, from the Folies Bergere. ...

History

Before the Production Code

After the United States Supreme Court ruled in 1915 (Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio) that motion pictures were not covered by the First Amendment, cities began to pass ordinances banning the public exhibition of "immoral" films, and the studios feared that state or federal regulations were not far off. Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest judicial body in the... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Mutual Film Corporation v. ... The Bill of Rights in the National Archives The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights. ... A movie studio is a controlled environment for the making of a film. ...

In the early 1920s, three major scandals had rocked Hollywood: the manslaughter trials of comedy star Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle who was charged with being responsible for the death of actress Virginia Rappe at a wild party in San Francisco during Labor Day weekend of 1921; the murder of director William Desmond Taylor in February 1922 and the revelations regarding his bisexuality ; the drug-related death of popular actor Wallace Reid in January 1923. The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle aka Fatty Arbuckle (March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film comedian. ... Virginia Rappe Virginia Rappe (pronounced []) (September 19, 1895 - September 9, 1921) was an American silent film actress. ... Labour Day (or Labor Day) is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ... William Desmond Taylor William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner April 26, 1872 in Carlow, Ireland – February 1, 1922 in Los Angeles) was a successful US film director and a popular figure in the growing Hollywood film colony of the 1910s and early 20s. ... Bisexuality is a sexual orientation which refers to the romantic and/or sexual attraction of individuals to other individuals of both their own and the opposite gender or sex. ... Wallace Reid Wallace Reid, born April 15, 1891 in St. ...

Other drug-related deaths of stars Olive Thomas, Barbara La Marr, Jeanne Eagels, and Alma Rubens resulted in persistent calls for censorship and "cleaning up" of Hollywood all through the '20s. These stories were sensationalized in the press and grabbed headlines across the country. They appeared to confirm a widespread perception that many Americans had of Hollywood—that it was "Sin City". Olive Thomas (20 October 1894, Charleroi, Pennsylvania – 10 September 1920 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) was an American silent film actress. ... Barbara La Marr (Reatha Dale Watson) (July 28, 1896 in Yakima, Washington – January 30, 1926 in Altadena, California) was a popular American stage and motion picture actress, cabaret artist and writer. ... Jeanne Eagels (born June 26, 1890; died October 3, 1929) was an actress on Broadway and in several motion pictures. ... Alma Rubens Alma Rubens (February 19, 1897 - January 22, 1931) is an american silent film actress. ...

Public outcry over perceived immorality, both in Hollywood and in the movies, led to the creation in 1922 of the Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association (which became the Motion Picture Association of America in 1945). Intended to project a positive image of the movie industry, the association was headed by Will H. Hays, who had previously been United States Postmaster General and the 1920 campaign manager for President Warren G. Harding. Hays pledged to establish a set of moral standards for the movies. See also: 1921 in film 1922 1923 in film 1920s in film years in film film Events November 26 - Toll of the Sea debuts as the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor (The Gulf Between was the first film to do so but it was not widely... The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), originally called the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America, is a non-profit trade association based in the United States which was formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ... Cover of Time Magazine (September 13, 1926) William Harrison Hays (November 5, 1879–March 7, 1954) was the namesake of the Hays Code, chairman of Republican National Committee and U.S. Postmaster General. ... The United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the 29th President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. ...

Hays spent eight years attempting to enforce a moral authority over Hollywood films, with little effect. The Hays office did issue a list of 'Don'ts and Be Carefuls' in 1927, but filmmakers continued to do pretty much what they wanted, although in numerous cases, certain lines of dialogue, scenes, or shots would not make the final cut. See also: 1926 in film 1927 1928 in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events January 10 - The film Metropolis by Fritz Lang premieres. ...

1930 to 1934: The start of the Hays Code

With the advent of talking pictures in 1927, it was felt that a more formal written code was needed. The Production Code was written, and adopted on March 31, 1930, but no provisions were made for effective enforcement. Even though the Code existed, consistent application of its provisions had not yet been attained. 1902 poster advertising Gaumonts sound films, depicting an optimistically vast auditorium A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

This and future codes were often called the Hays Code due to its leadership. Although Hays' name is thus often associated with censorship, he was fairly mild-mannered and easily persuaded and manipulated.^{[citation needed]} Censorship is defined as the removal and/or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. ...

The MPPDA responded to criticism of the racy and violent pre-Code films by strengthening the Code. The Code was further fortified by the creation of the Catholic Legion of Decency, which designated "indecent" films that Catholics should boycott. The Catholic Legion of Decency was set up in 1934 to combat the trend of immoral films. ...

Enforcement

As adopted in 1930, the code had no effective method of enforcement. An amendment to the Code, adopted on June 13, 1934, established the Production Code Administration, and required all films released on or after July 1, 1934 to obtain a certificate of approval before being released. For more than thirty years following, virtually all motion pictures produced in the United States adhered to the code. ^[1] Blondell in Nightmare Alley (1947) Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 - December 25, 1979) was an Oscar-nominated American actress. ... Bathers building, now a Maritime Museum at San Franciscos Aquatic Park, 1937, evokes a streamlined double–ended ferryboat Judges tower at San Franciscos Aquatic Park The Bauhaus style, also kown as Art Moderne, the International Style or Streamline Moderne succeeded the closely related Art Deco style... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Production Code Administartaion (PCA) was established by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in 1934. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Production Code was not created or enforced by federal, state, or city government. In fact, the Hollywood studios adopted the code in large part in the hopes of avoiding government censorship, preferring self-regulation to government regulation. Classical Hollywood cinema designates both a visual and sound style for making motion pictures and a mode of production that arose in the Los Angeles film industry of the 1910s and 1920s. ...

The enforcement of the Production Code led to the dissolution of many local censorship boards. Meanwhile, the U.S. Customs Department prohibited the importation of the Czech film Ecstasy (1932), starring an actress soon to be known as Hedy Lamarr, an action which was upheld on appeal. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a bureau of the United States Department of Homeland Security, is charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. trade laws. ... Ecstasy or Extase is a film made in 1933 by the Czech director Gustav Machaty. ... See also: 1931 in film 1932 1933 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events Shirley Temples film career begins Disney released Flowers and Trees their first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film. ... Hedy Lamarr (November 9, 1913 – January 19, 2000) was an Austrian/Jewish-American actress and communications technology innovator. ...

In 1934, Joseph I. Breen (1888-1965) was appointed head of the new Production Code Administration (PCA). Under Breen's leadership of the PCA, which lasted until his retirement in 1954, enforcement of the Production Code became rigid and notorious. Breen's power to change scripts and scenes angered many writers, directors, and Hollywood moguls. Joseph Ignatius Breen (October 14, 1890–December 5, 1965) was an American film censor. ... A media proprietor is a person who controls, either through personal ownership or a dominant position in a public company, a significant part of the mass media. ...

The first major instance of censorship under the Production Code involved the 1934 film Tarzan and His Mate, in which brief nude scenes involving a body double for actress Maureen O'Sullivan were edited out of the master negative of the film. Another famous case of enforcement involved the 1943 western The Outlaw, produced by Howard Hughes. The Outlaw was denied a certificate of approval and kept out of theaters for years because the film's advertising focused particular attention on Jane Russell's breasts. Hughes eventually persuaded Breen that the breasts did not violate the code and the film could be shown. Tarzan and His Mate is a Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. ... Maureen OSullivan as Jane in Tarzan and His Mate Maureen O’Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish actress. ... See also: 1942 in film 1943 1944 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America For Whom the Bell Tolls The Song of Bernadette This is the Army Stage Door Canteen Random Harvest Star Spangled Rhythm Casablanca Journey Into Fear Academy Awards Best... Broncho Billy Anderson, from The Great Train Robbery The Western movie is one of the classic American film genres. ... A colorized image of Jack Buetel as Billy the Kid. ... For the Welsh murderer, see Howard Hughes (murderer). ... Jane Russell (born June 21, 1921) is an American actress and sex symbol. ...

Some films produced outside the mainstream studio system during this time did flout the conventions of the code, such as Child Bride (1938), which featured a nude scene involving 12-year-old actress Shirley Mills. Even cartoon sex symbol Betty Boop had to change from being a flapper, and began to wear an old-fashioned housewife skirt. Child Bride is a 1938 film directed by Harry Revier. ... Shirley Mills (born April 8, 1926) is an American actress. ... Betty Boop from the opening title sequence of the earliest entries in the Betty Boop Cartoons Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character appearing in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop series of films produced by Max Fleischer and released by Paramount Pictures. ...

The 1950s and early 1960s

Hollywood worked within the confines of the Production Code until the late 1950s, by which time the "Golden Age of Hollywood" had ended, and the movies were faced with very serious competitive threats. The first threat came from a new technology, television, which did not require Americans to leave their house to watch moving pictures. Hollywood needed to offer the public something it could not get on television, which itself was under an even more restrictive censorship code. This does not cite any references or sources. ... The Golden Age of American animation is a period in American animation history that began with the advent of sound cartoons in 1928 and lasted into the 1960s when theatrical animated shorts slowly began losing to the new medium of television animation. ...

In addition to the threat of television, there was also increasing competition from foreign films, like Vittorio de Sica's The Bicycle Thief (1948), the Swedish film Hon dansade en sommar (English title: One Summer of Happiness) (1951), and Ingmar Bergman's Sommar med Monika (Summer with Monika) (1953). For De Sica's film, there was a censorship controversy when the MPAA demanded a scene where the lead characters talk to the prostitutes of a brothel be removed, regardless of the fact that there is no sexual or provocative activity. The Swedish films were the first to include nude love scenes, and made an international sensation. Vittorio De Sica (July 7, 1901 - November 13, 1974) was an Italian neorealist director and actor. ... The Bicycle Thief redirects here. ... The year 1948 in film involved some significant events. ... One Summer of Happiness (Swedish: ) is a 1951 Swedish film based on the novel Sommardansen by Per Olof Ekström. ...   (IPA: in Swedish, but usually IPA: in English) (July 14, 1918 – July 30, 2007) was a Swedish stage and film director. ... Summer with Monika (se: Sommaren med Monika) is a 1953 film directed by the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ... A brothel, also known as a bordello or whorehouse, is an establishment specifically dedicated to prostitution, providing the prostitutes a place to meet and to have sex with the clients. ...

Vertical integration in the movie industry had been found to violate anti-trust laws, and studios had been forced to give up ownership of theatres by the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. (1948). The studios had no way to keep foreign films out, and foreign films weren't bound by the Production Code. The anti-trust rulings also helped pave the way for independent art houses that would show films created by people such as Andy Warhol and others working outside the studio system. It has been suggested that Vertical expansion be merged into this article or section. ... Media:Example. ... United States v. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 — February 22, 1987) was an American artist who became a central figure in the movement known as pop art. ...

Finally, a boycott from the Legion of Decency no longer guaranteed a commercial failure, and thus the Code prohibitions began to vanish when Hollywood producers ignored the Code and were still able to earn profits.

The MPAA revised the code in 1951, not to make it more flexible, but to make it more rigid. The 1951 revisions spelled out more words and subjects that were prohibited, and no doubt increased the opposition of movie-makers to the code. See also: 1950 in film 1951 1952 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film Events Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati Top grossing films North America David and Bathsheba Show Boat tie The Great Caruso and An...

In 1952, in the case of Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson, the United States Supreme Court unanimously overruled its 1915 decision and held that motion pictures were entitled to First Amendment protection, so that the New York Board of Regents could not ban Roberto Rossellini's The Miracle. This became known as the Miracle Decision. That in turn reduced the threat of government regulation that justified the production code. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Holding The Court determined that certain provisions of the New York Education Law allowing a censor to forbid the commercial showing of any non-licensed motion picture film, or revoke or deny the license of a film deemed to be sacrilegious, was a restraint on freedom of speech and thereby... Roberto Rossellini (May 8, 1906 - June 3, 1977), was an Italian film director. ... Joseph Burstyn, Inc v. ...

At the forefront of challenges to the code was director Otto Preminger, whose films violated the code repeatedly in the 1950s. His 1953 film The Moon is Blue, about a young woman who tries to play two suitors off against each other by claiming that she plans to keep her virginity until marriage, was the first film to use the words "virgin", "seduce" and "mistress", and it was released without a certificate of approval. He later made The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), which portrayed the prohibited subject of drug abuse, and Anatomy of a Murder (1959) which dealt with rape. Preminger's films were direct assaults on the authority of the Production Code and, since they were successful, hastened its abandonment. Otto Ludwig Preminger (December 5, 1906 – April 23, 1986) was a film director. ... The year 1953 in film involved some significant events. ... The Moon Is Blue is a 1953 comedy film directed by Otto Preminger which tells the story of a young girl who meets an architect in the Empire State Building and quickly turns his life upside down. ... The Man with the Golden Arm is a 1955 film which tells the story of a heroin addict who got clean while in prison but struggles to stay straight in the outside world. ... // Events November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts. ... Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 film which tells the story of a man charged with murdering a man who may have raped his wife; the bulk of the films plot revolves around the drama as it unfolds in court. ... See also: 1958 in film 1959 1960 in film 1950s in film 1960s in film years in film film Events The Three Stooges make their 180th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters. ...

In 1954, Joseph Breen retired and Geoffrey Shurlock was appointed as his successor. Variety noted "a decided tendency towards a broader, more casual approach" in the enforcement of the code. See also: 1953 in film 1954 1955 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events May 12 - The Marx Brothers Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ...

Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959) and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) were also released without a certificate of approval due to their themes, and further weakened the authority of the code. Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-born, Jewish-American journalist, screenwriter, film director, and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... Some Like It Hot is a 1959 comedy film directed by Billy Wilder. ... See also: 1958 in film 1959 1960 in film 1950s in film 1960s in film years in film film Events The Three Stooges make their 180th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was a highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Psycho is a 1960 suspense/horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano about a psychotic killer. ... See also: 1959 in film 1960 1961 in film 1950s in film 1960s in film years in film film // Events April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I. Blues August 10 - Filming of West...

The end of the Code

In the early 1960s, British films such as Victim (1961), A Taste of Honey (1961), and The Leather Boys (1963) offered a daring social commentary about gender roles and homophobia that violated the Hollywood Production Code, yet the films were still released in America. The American gay rights, civil rights, and youth movements prompted a reevaluation of the depiction of themes of race, class, gender, and sexuality that had been restricted by the Code. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Victim is a 1961 British film directed by Basil Dearden, starring Dirk Bogarde and Sylvia Syms. ... A Taste of Honey is a 1961 film adaptation of the play of the same name by Shelagh Delaney. ... The Leather Boys was a British film from 1964 showing a biker gang which had in it a couple of possible gay members. ... A protest by The Westboro Baptist Church; a group identified by the Anti-Defamation League as virulently homophobic. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ...

When Jack Valenti became President of the MPAA in 1966, he was immediately faced with a problem regarding language in the film version of Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Valenti negotiated a compromise: The word "screw" was removed, but other language, including the phrase "hump the hostess," remained. The film received Production Code approval despite having language that was clearly prohibited. Jack Joseph Valenti (September 5, 1921 – April 26, 2007) was an influential corpse and a long-time president of the Motion Picture Association of America. ... Edward Albee, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1961 Edward Franklin Albee III (born March 12, 1928) is an American playwright known for works including Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, and The Sandbox. ... Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1966 film adaptation of the play of the same name by Edward Albee. ...

The film Blowup (1967) presented a different problem. After the film was denied Production Code approval, MGM released it anyway, the first instance of an MPAA member company distributing a film that didn't have an approval certificate. There was little the MPAA could do about it. Blowup (also rendered as Blow-Up) is an award-winning 1966 British-Italian art film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English language film. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ...

Enforcement had become impossible, and the Production Code was abandoned entirely. The MPAA began working on a rating system, under which there would be virtually no restriction on what could be in a film. The MPAA film rating system went into effect on November 1, 1968 with four ratings: G, M, R, and X. In 1969 the Swedish film I Am Curious (Yellow) directed by Vilgot Sjöman, was initially banned in the US for its frank depiction of sexuality; however this was overturned by the Supreme Court. The MPAA film rating system is a system used in the United States and territories and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... // October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts. ... I Am Curious (Yellow) is a Swedish film (Jag är nyfiken - en film i gult) of 1967, directed by Vilgot Sjöman and starring Lena Nyman as herself. ... (David Harald) Vilgot Sjöman (December 2, 1924 - April 9, 2006) was a Swedish writer and film director. ...

The M rating was changed to GP in 1970 and to the current PG in 1972. In 1984, in response to public complaints regarding the severity of horror elements in PG-rated titles such as Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the PG-13 rating was created as a middle tier between PG and R. In 1990 the X rating was replaced by NC-17, in part because the X rating was not trademarked by the MPAA and pornographic bookstores and theatres had used the X and XXX rating. // Events February 11 - The film The Magic Christian, starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr premieres in New York City. ... // Top grossing films The Godfather Fiddler on the Roof Diamonds Are Forever Whats Up, Doc?, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan ONeal Dirty Harry The Last Picture Show A Clockwork Orange Cabaret, starring Liza Minnelli The Hospital Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex Academy Awards Best Picture... // Events The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name. ... Gremlins is an American horror-comedy film directed by Joe Dante and released in 1984. ... Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is an Academy Award winning 1984 action/adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. ... The year 1990 in film involved some significant events. ... Porn redirects here. ...

References

• Motion Picture Association of America: History and Film Ratings
• The Celluloid Closet
• Article by Brandeis' University Professor Thomas Doherty

The Celluloid Closet is the title of a 1995 documentary film directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. ...

Bibliography

• Miller, Frank, Censored Hollywood; Atlanta: Turner Publishing, 1994; ISBN 1-57036-116-9
• Lewis, Jon, Hollywood v. Hard Core: How the Struggle Over Censorship Saved the Modern Film Industry; New York University Press, 2000; ISBN 0-8147-5142-3
• LaSalle, Mick, Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood; New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000; ISBN 0-312-25207-2

See also

• Comics Code Authority, which functions similarly for the comics industry
• Pre-Code

The seal of the Comics Code Authority, which appears on the covers of approved comic books. ... A shot from the revue sequence of Glorifying the American Girl (1929) shows a seemingly nude woman, which would no longer be allowed after the Code went into effect. ...

External links

• Complete list of the 36 'Don'ts and Be Carefuls' of 1927
• Complete text of the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930
• The Production Code of the Motion Picture Industry (includes examples and articles)
• More Sinned Against than Sinning: The Fabrications of "Pre-Code Cinema"
• Talking Pictures website: Article by Nigel Watson about film censorship issues accompanied by classroom activities for students
• Filmnummers: Numbered list of Production Code certificates of approval