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.

Plight of the Unmarried Mother in the late 19th and Early 20th Century

By Kathleen Rouser

Considering the moral superiority over men required to be possessed by women during the Victorian age and into the 20th century, a woman’s reputation was a delicate matter. (See my article from last month.) Having a child outside of marriage was considered shameful to the point that a family might abandon the young woman in this situation, whether or not the pregnancy resulted from an act of her own volition or not. The young women often bore the shame alone and her family by association.

  
There were several ways this could be dealt with. A pregnant daughter was often sent away to bear the baby in secret. She could be sent to a relative or perhaps a home for unwed mothers and possibly other fallen women. Sometimes the young woman would be allowed to come home and supported by the family. Her child would be raised by her parents as one of her siblings.

However, towards the turn of the 20th century and beyond, attitudes changed. Girls were pressed to release their illegitimate children for adoption. Numerous homes for unwed mothers in several countries were reported to have coerced the young mothers, giving them little choice. They were encouraged to leave their pasts behind and not even share their real names, so as not to embarrass their families. While it gave them an opportunity to start anew, these young women were in a sense stripped of their identities and ordered to leave the past behind rather than deal with it.

Some blamed the judgmental tone of religious organizations for this treatment. However, even the Ideal Maternity Home in Canada, a non-religious based facility discouraged such things and babies were taken away and even sometimes sold. Mothers might be told their children had died and not allowed to see them. The profit the founders made from the Ideal Home became a scandal and it was eventually closed. Whether or not their babies lived their mothers often had to stay for another six months to a year to pay off the cost of their room and board.

Religious organizations like the Salvation Army did their best to provide options, as did some private Christian maternity homes. One such example was the Open Door in Omaha, Nebraska, founded by a woman by the name G. W. Clark. Mrs. Clark wrote in her annual superintendent's report: The door of our "home" has been opened wide the last year to receive beneath the shelter of its roof, those who so sadly stood in need of our ministration. Many times has the sad, appealing face of the heart-broken girl, appeared at our door, the poor victim of her own folly and one man's licentiousness and cruelty, more sinned against than sinning, driven forth from heart and home, no place under God's heaven, no shelter. What is there for her to do? Where to go, if it was not for the Open Door. (http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/peattie/ep.owh.18921022.html)

The Open Door operated from 1892-96 until Mrs. Clark's eyesight wore out and the funds dried up. This caring soul looked at the home as a place to minister to others as you would to Jesus. Her compassion contrasted with the judgmental attitudes of the day, which often held a double standard with the regards to the father.

The Crittenton Missions also sought to provide for unwed mothers in a more compassionate way. I will share more about the Crittenton Missions . . . next month!

Kathleen Rouser was so enthralled with books, she wanted to write stories before she could read them. A past homeschooling mom and mild-mannered dental assistant, Kathleen writes from her home in Michigan, where she lives with her husband of 34 years, who not only listens to her stories, but also cooks for her. And let’s not forget her resident muse is a sassy tail-less cat named Lilybits.

Her debut novel, Rumors and Promises, from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, is coming out in April, 2016. It's the story of an unwed mother, who is an heiress on the run with a child in tow, trying to start over in a town that doesn't like secrets! Connect with Kathleen at her website, Facebook author page, Twitter  and Pinterest.