Dec.11, 1956: Hays Code eases
The movie industry's tight restriction of language and subject matter, known as the "Hays Code" or the "Production Code," is eased slightly for the first time since its adoption in 1930. The easing of the code meant that actors could now mention abortion, drugs, kidnapping, and prostitution.
The Production Code was introduced in 1930 by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), an industry association created to avoid government censorship and to satisfy public demand for morally acceptable movies.
The 1930's gangland classic "Public Enemy" included this disclaimer in order to avoid "Hay's Code" official wrath
After creating the association, the heads of the major Hollywood studios hired William H. Hays, the former U.S. postmaster general under President Harding and past chairman of the Republican National Committee, to head the new group.
Will Hays
Hays wielded such power that the MPPDA came to be called the "Hays Office," and the Production Code adopted in 1930 was commonly referred to as the "Hays Code."
The Code required that no film should "lower the 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."
The Code specifically prohibited the portrayal of illegal drug trafficking, "sex perversion," and profanity. It also prohibited the portrayal of clergy members as comic characters or villains, and the portrayal of interracial relationships. While it's myth that the bedrooms of movie married couples had to contain double beds under the code, most did just to be on the safe side.
The Code deeply influenced the kinds of films that were made. However, as social changes made society more liberal, the Code began to thaw, starting with the changes in 1956. A decade later, in 1966 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf became the first movie to use profanity on screen -- more than just that Gable line from Gone With The Wind wherein Rhett Butler walked-out on Scarlett and told her he didn't "give a damn" what she did, which raised more than a few eyebrows back then.
A bitter aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use a young couple as a way to bring anguish and emotional pain towards one another. The film featured psychotic women who drank to excess, said nasty stuff and did previously unspeakable things.
At the same time, the production code placed heavier restrictions on violence. In 1968, the Code was replaced by the movie ratings system, which greatly expanded the range of permissible subjects for film.
The first ratings system included categories G (for general audience), MGP (all ages admitted but parental guidance suggested), and R (no one under 16 admitted).
In 1970, MGP was replaced by PG (parental guidance suggested) and R movies (no one under 17 admitted without a parent or guardian). In 1984, the PG-13 rating was added, and the X rating was phased out in 1990 in favor of NC-17
As an aside, the movie ratings system is somewhat user-friendly, in that it's understandable. The TV program ratings sytem OTOH, is a complete mystery to your correspondent.
