Pre-Code Hollywood: Rules are Made to be Broken

“If we’re talking about Golden Age Hollywood, there are certain ironclad rules audiences tend to accept unthinkingly: people don’t use illegal drugs, they don’t undress, they don’t (permanently) divorce, they don’t have pre-marital sex, and they don’t show explicit, bloody violence. This is universally-received wisdom for so many decades that it can be hard to believe there was ever a time when Hollywood actually relished in all the bad behaviour it could get.

But before the censors came along in 1934 and stomped out all the fun, there were a few brief years where fast, thrilling, nasty flicks were the talk of the town. They starred the likes of James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, and Norma Shearer, often as avaricious criminals or unrepentant harlots and homewreckers; here are movie stars acting naughtier than you’ve ever seen them.

In 1934, though, the Hays Production Code crashed the party. A set of killjoy religious-minded censors set down a series of rules that would remain unwavering until the late 1950s: married couples must always reunite, nudity, sex, drugs and bad language were prohibited, and criminals must be punished for their misdeeds.

Films could not be made without being vetted and approved by the Production Code Administration, and censors often requested heavy cuts or changes to the films being made.

Some actors suffered as a result of the Code: out went Mae West, with her self-possessed sense of sexual heat and wit, and in came Shirley Temple, a literal child, who was a threat to no one. But before Hollywood became family-friendly, there was a short space of time where adult material ruled the roost. In those heady Pre-Code years, swagger, sex, and sin were served right beside your popcorn.”