LISTS OF NOTE: Censorship Revisited

Earler this month I posted a link to Letters of Note about David O. Selznick's battle with the MPAA to allow the use of the word "damn" at the end of Gone With the Wind. It's an interesting example in the ongoing tale of conflict between filmmakers and censors, both of whom are capable at times of being absurdly irrational.

Today's Letter of Note (or List of Note) is along a similar theme. Before the adoption of the Hays Code in 1930, the MPAA attempted to curb Hollywood's more wayward offerings through a list of 'Don't's and 'Be Careful's. This list, which was eventually deemed unenforcable, is a lot softer and more sensible than the Hays Code, but some of the items lifted will still raise eyebrows.You can find the full list of 'Don't's and 'Be Careful's here, and my original post about Gone with the Wind here. If you're easily offended by censor stupidity... well, I don't need to tell you, do I?

Daniel

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