The Hays Code in Early Hollywood

 by Edwina Kiernan

From the early 1930s until the mid-1960s, the Hays Code - also known as the Motion Picture Production Code - was a set of guidelines that regulated the content of Hollywood movies. 

The Hays Code sought to preserve moral values and advance social responsibility within the film industry. During its inception, there was a genuine apprehension that movies were capable of influencing and potentially corrupting societal morals, especially among the younger generation. The code was designed to ensure that films conveyed messages that were wholesome and ethically sound.

Cover of a paper copy of the Hays Code

Here are ten facts about the Hays Code:

1. Named After Will H. Hays: The Hays Code was named after Will H. Hays, who served as the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), the organization that developed and enforced the code.

2. Enforced in 1934: The Hays Code was officially implemented in 1934, although it was created in 1930. It was a response to increasing concerns about the content of films, which many considered morally objectionable. 

3. Strict Moral Guidelines: The code imposed strict moral guidelines on the content of films. It prohibited the portrayal of certain themes, such as nudity, explicit sexuality, and excessive violence. This was viewed as a measure to shield audiences, especially children, from exposure to harmful or inappropriate content.

4. Forbidden Subjects: The code explicitly forbade the depiction of a wide range of subjects, including drug use, and any content that was blasphemous or sacrilegious.

5. Clean Romance: The Hays Code placed significant restrictions on the portrayal of romantic relationships. It mandated that on-screen romances should not "arouse passion or lust." The Hays Code promoted the production of family-friendly and wholesome entertainment so people of all ages could enjoy watching movies together without apprehensions regarding offensive or objectionable content.

Will H. Hays (left) with movie camera

6. Seal of Approval: Films that adhered to the Hays Code were granted a "seal of approval" by the Production Code Administration (PCA), indicating that the film was in compliance with the code. The code offered a consistent and dependable set of guidelines for filmmakers to adhere to. This minimized uncertainty and controversy within the film industry, allowing studios to create movies with reasonable expectations of what would be deemed acceptable by the public and censors.

7. Enforcing Uniform Standards: The PCA, headed by Joseph Breen, was responsible for enforcing the Hays Code. Breen and his team reviewed film scripts and provided feedback to ensure compliance. The code worked in tandem with local censorship boards, giving them a standardized set of regulations to follow. This facilitated uniform standards in film regulation across the United States.

8. Loopholes and Rule-Bending: Filmmakers often found creative ways to work around the code's restrictions. Subtle innuendos and coded language were used to convey forbidden themes without explicit depiction.

9. Decline and Erosion: In the 1950s and 1960s, the Hays Code began to erode as filmmakers and studios challenged its restrictions. The rise of foreign cinema and changing social norms also played a role in its decline.

10. Replaced by the MPAA: The Hays Code was replaced by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) film rating system in 1968. This new system offered content ratings (G, PG, R, etc.) to inform viewers about a film's content rather than imposing strict censorship.

The Hays Code had a significant impact on the content and themes in Hollywood films during its existence, shaping the industry's approach to storytelling and content for several decades.

Pancho Villa: Outlaw or Hero?

Pancho Villa in the center

At 2:30 a.m., March 9, 1916, Pancho Villa and 500 men attacked the 13th U.S. Cavalry at Camp Furlong near Columbus, New Mexico, the first attack on American soil since 1812. Despite prior knowledge that Villa and his men pillaged, raped, and murdered their way toward the border, the cavalry was caught by surprise.

Reasons for the cavalry’s sluggishness? Some of the troops had been drinking. But more important, all of their rifles were chained and locked in gun racks. Even so, the cavalry managed to get organized and fought off the Villistas, killing many in the process.

During their retreat, the Villistas stopped at Columbus, New Mexico for a looting and window shooting spree. For three hours, bullets struck houses amid shouts in the streets of “Viva Villa! Viva Mexico! Muerte a los Americanos!” They were among the first to shout, “Death to Americans!”

The town was set on fire. Villa’s men gained nothing beyond a few dollars and some merchandise from the burnt stores. The terror continued until about 7:00 a.m. when Villa finally rode away. The smoke-filled streets of Columbus littered with the dead and wounded, fourteen American soldiers and ten civilians were killed in the raid.

Controversial Francisco “Pancho” Villa’s original name was Doroteo Arango (June 5,

Pancho Villa
the revolutionary

1878 – July 20, 1923). The son of a sharecropper farmer, he became a Mexican revolutionary and guerrilla leader. When Villa was 15, his father died, so Villa worked to protect and help support his mother and four siblings. One day he discovered the owner of the hacienda attacking his sister. He shot the man and ran for the mountains, spending six years on the run. There he joined a group of fugitives.

He changed his name while on the run to avoid getting caught by authorities. In the late 1890s, he worked as a miner in Chihuahua in addition to selling stolen cattle. He soon added more serious crimes to his record: robbing banks and stealing from the wealthy.

Though he started as a bandit, he was later inspired by reformer Francisco Modero and helped him win the Mexican Revolution. After a coup by Victoriano Herta, Villa opposed the dictator and fought many battles against him. He was a very effective revolutionary leader. However, in May 1911, Villa resigned from command because of differences he had with another commander, Pascual Orozco, Jr.

Pancho Villa
the folk hero 

On May 29, 1911, Villa married Maria Luz Corral and tried to settle down to a quiet life, although she was not the only woman in his life. Unfortunately, political unrest again appeared in Mexico. Villa gathered troops and chose his sides. He was almost executed when accused of stealing a horse but got a last minute reprieve. He was imprisoned but later escaped.

Villa won battle after battle during the next several years. Then Mexico became embroiled in a civil war. The United States supported Villa’s enemy, Venustiano Carranza. Thus, the attack on the town of Columbus, New Mexico happened as reprisal.

On May 20, 1920, Carranza was assassinated and Adolfo De la Huerta became the interim president of Mexico. De la Huerta wanted peace in Mexico so negotiated with Villa for his retirement. Part of the peace agreement was that Villa would receive a hacienda in Chihuahua. But he enjoyed only a short retirement.

On July 20, 1923, though Villa usually traveled with a number of bodyguards, this

Pancho Villa & Maria Luz Corral

time he went with only four associates. On his drive home, in a 1919 Dodge roadster that can be viewed at the Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution, someone shouted out "Viva Villa!" and seven riflemen fired more than forty bullets into the car. His body was found with his hand reaching for his gun. He was 45 years old.

Pancho Villa retired

By stealing from the rich and often giving to the poor, some saw Pancho Villa as a modern-day Robin Hood. Villa captured the imagination of many Americans and his exploits were regularly filmed by a Hollywood movie company. He even signed a contract with Hollywood’s Mutual Film Company (1913) to have several of his battles filmed. Some report he advocated for the poor and wanted agrarian reform. Though he was a killer, a bandit, and a revolutionary leader, many remember him also as a folk hero.

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What do you think? Is Pancho Villa a bad guy or good guy? 

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Janet Chester Bly

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Janet Chester Bly has written and co-written 32 nonfiction and fiction books with her late husband, award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Her published works include Wind in the Wires, Book 1, Trails of Reba Cahill. She is now working on Book 2 to be released later this fall. Find out more at website: http://www.BlyBooks.com  or blog: http://www.blybooks.com/blog/

Excerpt from Stephen Bly's novel, Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon:

Bronc hooted. “I asked Big Margarita to marry me six times one night.”

Cowboy For a Rainy Afternoon

Shorty sat straight up and yanked off his hat. “You did?”

“Yep. Her and every other woman in the cantina that night.”
“And they all turned you down?” I asked.
Bronc grinned. “It was my lucky night.”
Quirt balanced his revolver on the worn slick knee of his suit pants. I couldn’t tell if he had bullets in five or all six chambers. “I heard she cold-cocked one of Pancho Villa’s men when they made that raid across the border.”
“She cold-cocked his horse,” Shorty reported.
I swallowed hard and jammed my cap gun back into the holster. “His horse?”
“Yep. That Mexican hit the ground runnin’ toward the border. He might still be running,” Shorty said. “Not even Villa could face the wrath of Big Margarita with a lead pipe in her hand.”
“Is she the ole gal who gave you that black eye?” Granddaddy asked.
Shorty sighed. “Two of them.”
“She gave you two black eyes?” I quizzed.
Shorty shrugged. “Little Brother, some men is slow learners.”