Pre-Code Hollywood refers to the era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Hays Code censorship guidelines, which went into effect on July 1, 1934. Until that date, movie content was restricted more by local laws and public opinion than adherence to the United States Motion Picture Production Code of 1930, which generally was ignored by Hollywood filmmakers.
In 1929, a group ...
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Pre-Code Hollywood refers to the era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Hays Code censorship guidelines, which went into effect on July 1, 1934. Until that date, movie content was restricted more by local laws and public opinion than adherence to the United States Motion Picture Production Code of 1930, which generally was ignored by Hollywood filmmakers.
In 1929, a group of Chicago Roman Catholic clergy and lay people, with the assistance of Jesuit priest Father Daniel A. Lord, created a code of ethics and practices they hoped the studios would adopt. In February 1930, they met with the heads of several studios, including Irving Thalberg of MGM, who eventually agreed to the stipulations of the Code. It was the responsibility of the Studio Relations Committee, headed by Jason Joy, to supervise film production and advise the studios when changes or cuts were required.
The Code sought not only to determine what...
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