When we think of movies of the Black and White era, we generally think of them being regulated by the Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) that kept immoral material out of the movies. Among the requirements were that evil not be made to look alluring and that villains and law breakers not go unpunished. There could be no profanity or blasphemy in movies, and no “excessive or lustful kissing, lustful embraces, suggestive postures or gestures.” The 1960s brought the death of the code and the rise of the ratings system.
What isn’t so well remembered is that during the era before the code in the 1920s and early 30s, there were movies being made that were quite modern in their treatment of drugs, alcohol, violence, and infidelity. Here are a few examples, none of which rise to the level of NSFW.
- 1932 – Skyscraper Souls
An early example of a four-letter word in a studio movie. Maureen O’Sullivan says “We’re being awfully sh*tty.”
- 1934- Bolero
This 1934 movie with Carole Lombard and George Raft was daring for its day. Such an explicit dance would never have been allowed once the Hays Code started to be enforced.
and finding media attention. (HINT: If you are in the Top 200 bestselling books at Amazon, you really aren’t being censored. Just sayin’.)