Early Censorship Attempts (1897–1915)
📌 The first US film censorship law was passed in Maine in 1897 concerning the exhibition of boxing films, specifically after the Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight.
🏛️ In 1907, Chicago granted its police chief moral authority over movie permits, and New York City shut down over 550 theaters in 1908 over safety and moral grounds.
📰 The National Review Board (originally the New York Board of Motion Picture Censorship) was formed by reform groups to voluntarily review films for exhibitors.
⚖️ The **1915 Supreme Court decision in *Mutual Film Corp. v. Ohio Industrial Commission* ruled that movies were a business for profit, not protected free speech**, granting the government legal authority over film content.

The Rise and Enforcement of the Hays Code (1922–1952)
⭐ Hollywood studios formed the MPPDA in 1922 and hired William H. Hays for PR to preempt federal censorship following early 1920s scandals (e.g., Fatty Arbuckle).
📜 The Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code) was officially issued in 1930, but lacked enforcement until the Legion of Decency's 1934 boycotts, which threatened studio revenue.
✅ The Production Code Administration (PCA), headed by Joseph I. Breen, enforced the code, banning detailed depictions of passion, crime, drug addiction, and obscenity, requiring films to uphold the sanctity of marriage.
💰 Studios agreed to this self-censorship to prevent greater government control, appease religious groups, and create a simple, mass-producible blueprint for screenwriters (crime punished, love ends in marriage).

Erosion of the Code and Shift to Ratings (1950s–Present)
💥 Legal challenges, starting with **Howard Hughes' *The Outlaw* (released 1946 after years of disputes), showed cracks in the Code's dominance.
🎬 The 1952 *Joseph Burstyn v. Wilson* ("Miracle Decision") reversed the 1915 ruling, declaring that expression by motion pictures is included in the First Amendment's free speech guarantee.
💸 Films like Preminger’s *The Moon is Blue* (1953) and *Man with the Golden Arm* (1955) succeeded without the PCA seal, proving the dollar could free the studios from strict guidelines.
📊 In 1968, Jack Valenti instituted a voluntary rating system with G, M (later PG), R, and X classifications to replace the Production Code.
🆕 The PG-13 rating** was added in the mid-1980s following audience reaction to PG-rated films like *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom*; the X rating was replaced by NC-17 in 1990.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Early censorship was driven by moral progressivism and fears over public decency, specifically targeting subjects like prize fighting and immorality.
➡️ The 1915 Supreme Court ruling was pivotal, legally classifying movies as business rather than protected press, enabling state-level censorship boards.
➡️ The Legion of Decency’s boycott threat in 1934 was the most decisive factor forcing studios to strictly adopt the PCA's stringent moral guidelines.
➡️ The reversal of legal censorship came from the Supreme Court affirming film as free speech and the studios' economic success with unapproved films challenging the Code.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Oct 16, 2025, 05:05 UTC