Motion Picture Production Code

The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of content rules adopted by major U.S. studios in 1930 and rigorously enforced from 1934 to 1968. It restricted portrayals of sex, violence, crime, religion, and other subjects in Hollywood films.

Production Code Administration: The Motion Code Production Code Administration was the Motion Picture Association's office that reviewed films for compliance with the Production Code. This office enforced the rules and issued the seal that studios needed for broad release.
Will H. Hays: Will H. Hays was a Republican politician and film-industry executive who headed the studios' trade association from 1922 to 1945. He became the public face of Hollywood's effort to regulate its own films.
Motion picture censorship in the United States: Motion picture censorship in the United States comprises legal and private efforts to restrict or classify films. The Production Code became Hollywood's central private censorship regime.
United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.: United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. was a 1948 Supreme Court decision that ended major studios' control of both film production and theatrical exhibition. The ruling weakened the vertically integrated studio system that had helped enforce the Code.
Some Like It Hot: Some Like It Hot is a 1959 American comedy film directed by Billy Wilder about two musicians hiding in an all-female band. Its gender play and sexual innuendo drew Code objections despite its major release.
Motion Picture Association of America: The Motion Picture Association of America is a trade organization representing major U.S. film studios. The association administered the Code as a system of industry self-regulation.
Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America: The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America was the Hollywood trade association later renamed the Motion Picture Association of America. The association adopted the Code in 1930 as a self-regulatory measure.
Pre-Code Hollywood: Pre-Code Hollywood is the period of U.S. filmmaking before strict enforcement of the Production Code began in 1934. Films from this period reveal what studios could depict before enforcement tightened.
Hollywood studio system: The Hollywood studio system was the vertically integrated structure through which major companies produced, distributed, and exhibited films. Studio control over production and distribution gave Code enforcement its practical force.
The Pawnbroker: The Pawnbroker is a 1964 American drama directed by Sidney Lumet about a Holocaust survivor working in Harlem. Its brief glimpses of nudity tested the Code's limits and won a seal after edits.

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