Production Code Administration

The PCA emerged from the Motion Picture Production Code, adopted in 1930 as a set of moral guidelines, but it was not effectively enforced until 1934. The impetus for strict enforcement came from the Catholic Legion of Decency, which threatened boycotts of films deemed immoral, and from the threat of federal censorship. In June 1934, the MPAA, under Will H. Hays, created the PCA as a mandatory review body, requiring all member studios to submit films for approval before release. Joseph Breen, a Catholic layman and former journalist, was appointed as its first head, a position he held until 1954. The PCA's seal of approval became a commercial necessity, as theaters owned by the major studios refused to screen films without it.

The PCA reviewed scripts before production and final films after editing, demanding cuts or changes to ensure compliance with the Code's prohibitions on nudity, profanity, and depictions of crime, sex, and violence. It also regulated dialogue, costumes, and even the portrayal of authority figures, requiring that criminals be punished and that marriage be respected. The PCA's influence extended beyond content: it shaped narrative conventions, such as the use of double entendre and visual innuendo, which filmmakers used to suggest what could not be shown. The office had a staff of reviewers who read scripts and viewed films, and its decisions were final, with no formal appeals process. Studios often self-censored in anticipation of PCA objections, leading to a climate of pre-emptive restraint.

By the 1950s, the PCA's authority weakened due to legal challenges and changing social mores. In 1952, the Supreme Court's decision in Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson extended First Amendment protection to films, undermining the legal basis for censorship. The rise of television and foreign films, which were not subject to the Code, increased competition and pressured studios to relax standards. In 1966, Jack Valenti became MPAA president and oversaw a liberalization of the Code, but the PCA was abolished in 1968, replaced by the voluntary MPAA film rating system (G, M, R, X). The last film to receive a PCA certificate was Romeo and Juliet (1968), which was later re-rated.

The PCA's purview extended beyond feature films to include short subjects, trailers, and even advertising materials. It also influenced the content of film posters and lobby cards, which were reviewed for suggestive imagery. The PCA maintained a list of banned words and phrases, including 'goddamn' and 'sex,' but its enforcement was inconsistent, leading to creative circumventions. For example, the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon was allowed to imply homosexuality through subtext, while other films were forced to alter endings to ensure that criminals were punished. The PCA also had a significant impact on the careers of screenwriters and directors, who often had to rewrite scenes to satisfy its demands. After Breen's retirement, his successors, Geoffrey Shurlock and others, adopted a more lenient approach, but the office never regained its earlier authority.

Hays Code

The informal name for the Motion Picture Production Code, named after Will H. Hays.

Legion of Decency

A Catholic organization that campaigned for moral purity in films.

MPAA

Motion Picture Association of America, the trade association that oversaw the PCA.

Seal of approval

The certificate issued by the PCA indicating a film's compliance with the Code.