Production Code

The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of guidelines governing the production of motion pictures. The Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA, later to become the Motion Picture Association of America or MPAA) adopted the code in 1930, began effectively enforcing it in 1934, and abandoned it in 1967. The Production Code spelled out what was and was not considered morally acceptable in the production of United States motion pictures.

Enforcement

As adopted in 1930, the code had no effective method of enforcement. A mechanism for enforcement was created in 1934. For the following twenty years or so, virtually all motion pictures produced in the United States adhered to the code.

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The Production Code was not created or enforced by federal, state or city governments. In fact, the Hollywood studios adopted the code in large part in the hopes of avoiding government censorship?preferring self-regulation to government regulation. Thus, adherence to the code was always mostly voluntary. In the mid-1950s, a few major producers began to openly challenge the Code. By the mid-1960s, Code enforcement had become virtually impossible. The Code was abandoned in 1967 and replaced, in 1968, with the MPAA film rating system.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - 1968 - MPAA film rating system

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