Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-04-07
The Once Over
NEW RULES FOR THE MOVING PICTURES
Copyright, 1880. by The Associated Nevspapers.)

NEW RULES F0R THE MOVING PICTURES
Copyright, 1880. by The Associated Nevspapers)
Oscar the mouse may no longer ride q road-roller
over Phelix the cat In the animated pictures un-
less 1t Is clearly indicated that It Is not done for
revenge. And the ever recurring scenee In which
the elephant with the police badge is smacked by
the rabbit-hound may have 70 be dispensed With as
tending to ridicule law and order.
Mr.. VIII Hays. Imperial Kleagle Of the Magic Ian.
tern, has had the motion picture producers agree
to new rules and regulations TO keep moving pic
lures clean. Mr.. Hays and the picture moguis, wear
ing the innocent expressions Of choir boys. announce
they are determined TO give America pictures TO which
a child may safely take his parents.
Lust, passion, anger. assault, mayhem and murder
are all to be toned down 50 even the old folks can
stand them.
Or. rule stipulates no murder shall be pictured
in such q way as 70 inspire imitation" This calls
for an entire new technique of moving picture MUIR
der. Instead Of showing killings, which could Be easily
initiated, 1t will be necessary for all such crimes to
be carried out in a manner 1eyond the reach OF the
masses.
DISCRIMINATING the villain by running over him In a
horse and buggy will probably become one Of the ac-
cepted murder forms. Few movie fans are IN any po-
sition to get hold Of a horse and buggy these days.
Crime for revenge is also barred by the new code.
Henceforth the hero may shoot the villain full OF holes
because he eats with a knife, wears squeaky shoes, ar
CUES over the Digest straw-yote or has a mean face,
but never for revenge.
The handsome cowboy may slay the Texas bad man
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cheats on his income tax, but he must never give him
the works for no better reason than that the wretch
once tried TO knife him in the back.
The matter or murder is to be thoroughly limited
to decent bounds. The only thing left unrestricted
is the impulse Of movie fans 70 rush out Of the pic
ture theaters and kill an author. director or pro-
ducer.
Another regulation adopted bars "obscenity In
word. gesture, reference, song, joke, or by sugges-
ton" This is going to increase unemployment. It
will throw all but a handful of moving picture d.
rectors and comedians out Of work at once. Pro-
family Is forbidden, too. IL it is pointed" Pointless
profanity is thereby by Implication left okay. SO the
picture people will have no trouble wriggling out OF
that one.
Brutality must be treated within the limits OF
good taste" another rule says. This will prevent the
infatuated hero in the rough and tumble fight scene
in the Fl Jacinto cafe from hitting the same SO a
week super in the face with a chair more than once
in any one picture. And probably also limit extras"
in the war scene from being run over by more than
three tanks per reel.
Nothing is agreed to by the directors. however, 50
far as modifying brutality as practiced on the picture
audiences.
The fans will have to continue 10 take whatever
the producers give them, no matter how they suffer