The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-04-26
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The industry took alarm. 1t had in
1880 signed a Code of Morals, obi
eating itself to observe it, but had
in practice repudiated that sigma
ture.
Now it was faced with the conse-
quenceS, for motion pictures in those
intervening years had gone beyond
the bounds, not only of what should
constitute good entertainment for
the masses, but of ordinary decency
The industry was not slow to see
that such an organized movement
meant business. 1t sent two ENJOYS
to the Bishops Committee.
1t made a new commitment to
observe the Code, and it signifed
it's intentions of meaning it this
time, by offering to set up a Code
Administration in Hollywood, with
full powers to reject any scenario or
completed picture that violated the
Code.
1t was openly stated by the
Bishops that this was their mini
mum requirement, and tacitly
recognized by the industry that only
a continuance of pressure by the
Legion would insure satisfaction on
a lasting basis.
Legion of Decency's Aims
At this point, it is well to recall
just what the Legion intended to
do. 1t had nothing to do with any,
thing but the motion pictures.
Other moral crusadeS could be car
ried on, but not by the Legion,
which believed in first things first,
and one thing at time. 1t had
nothing to do, itself, with the film
as art. 1t did not advocate political
censorship.
1t proclaimed that the RESPONSE
bility for good pictures lay on the
industry, and that it was the right
of the public to hold it to that re-
sponsibility; it declined to shoulder
that responsibility itself. If the in
dustry should later show, after
fair trial, that it could not censor
itself, it stood ready to take what
ever measures might be necessary.
But it was a movement of public
opinion, expressed in mass fashion,
and it believed that public opinion
would prevail.
Here also lay the reason why the
Legion did not interest itself in any
proposal, though thousands we're
made, to reform the industry by
law, whether it be to forbid whole
sale trade practices like block book
ing, or alliances of producer and
exhibitor, or any other technical
matter.
Legion Has Brought Clean Films
It held that the making of pic
lures preceded all these things, and
that good pictures are perfectly
compatible with them. Experience
had shown it that exhibitors will
take the films that promise box
office returns, and even now go to
all lengths to refuse play dates to
pictures they have booked in
block, in order to secure others that
will pay whether these are good or
bad morally.
If we stop the evil at its source,
reasoned the Legion, namely, at the
production point We will have
achieved our end. That end is
simply and solely an even higher
standard of morals in this form of
popular entertainment.
The results of this policy have
fairly we'll justified it, all things
considered. Previewing boards,
which used to reject 40 per cent of
all films, now find it hard, espe-
Cially in very recent months, to find
l per cent that are entirely objec-
tionable. The political censor
boards have had their work reduced
almost to nothing. Moreover, the
artistic values Of the films have in
creased; for the producers, not able
now to use the cheap and nasty way
to secure a laugh or a thrill, were
forced to rely on legitimate methods.
One thing remains to do. The
producers themselves are not con-
verified, nor is there any hope that
they will be. They will continue to
travel the decent way as long as the
pressure is on them.
The real problem in Hollywood
is the writer: in his brain originate
the ideas that the Legion has COM
bated. Drive out the indecent
writer, and put the decent ones in
his place: that is the next job for
the Legion.