"The trouble I have with the idea of censorship is that formal censorship puts the seal of official approval on what is left after the censor has done his work. Anyone who reads the excisions made by the censors feels that the cutting is wholly of superficial. The fundamental conception of the theme may be wrong. To say of a bad play that it is passed by the Board of Censors after deletions puts sanction on what remains. The good done by the excision does not outweigh the evil done by what at least appears to be found approved."
- Francis J. McConnell, Resident Bishop of the New York Area of the Methodist Episcopal Church
So, you think the Comics Code Authority (CCA) was bad?
Before the industry watchdog Hayes Code was formed in 1934, several states enacted into law organizations tasked with excising "objectionable" material from Hollywood and Foreign films. State movie censors also acted in various capacities in Kansas, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia and Massachusetts.
Indeed, films came under scrutiny early on for the depiction of controversial and perceived unwholesome and unsavory topics. As indicated in What Shocked the Censors! A complete record of cuts in motion picture films ordered by the New York State Censors from January, 1932 to March, 1933, "The New York Board of Censorship was originally formed in 1909 to address concerns about 'indecent' films being shown in movie theaters, primarily due to complaints from moral reformers who believed such films were negatively impacting community morals, leading to a push for regulation of the film industry by reviewing and potentially censoring movies before exhibition; this was particularly driven by concerns about the portrayal of violence, sexuality, and other potentially controversial themes in early cinema."
As with pre-CCA censorship organizations, the local boards lacked uniformity. "Pregnant characters or smoking scenes might be banned in one state but allowed in another. The inconsistent rules were a massive headache for Hollywood, which was also facing the threat of federal regulation."
The book was published by in September 1933 by The National Council on Freedom from Censorship, sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union. Its sub-text was to uncover what they asserted was the unwarranted removal of footage, thereby stifling the creative expression of artists in general and filmmakers in particular. As usual, the public would hear none of it, and continued to march lock-stop with self-righteous social engineers.
This scene has been replayed over and over again in American history. Easily forgotten are the mass comic book burnings on the 1950's and more recently the hard to ignore removal of books deemed objectionable from schools and libraries and the campaign to revise and redact so-called "offensive" content from literature. Entertainment, reading books and countless other things that are a part of life and culture have -- and should be -- always matter of personal choice and not left in the hands of a self-serving few who claim to be curators of society's moral compass.
Thankfully, the Board was dissolved in 1965.
Here is a list of the horror films (and one documentary) that were censored by the New York Board of Censorship for the years 1932-1933:
THE AMAZON HEAD HUNTERS - November 1932
REEL 2.-—Eliminate all front views of naked native women (5).
REEL 3.—Eliminate all front views of naked native women (6). Eliminate all views of naked native children where sex is shown (5).
REEL 5.—Eliminate all views of naked native children where sex is shown.
FREAKS - February 1932
(Revised version)
REEL 2.—Eliminate the episode that shows Venus moving her personal effects out of Hercules' cabin and all dialogue in connection with the scene as follows:
"You're quittin—is that it?"
"Maybe I'm only foolin'."
"Well, you're not quitting me—cause I'm kicking you out.''
"Oh"
"Oh no you don't. I gave you this."
"Why, you cheap—Oh!"
"And don't come around crying tonight, trying to come back in. I'm
through wasting my time and money on things like you."
"See here! Your time, but my money."
"Ungrateful little tramp."
REEL 5.—Eliminate the view of Cleopatra pouring the contents of the small bottle into the large bottle of champagne.
ISLAND OF LOST SOULS - December 1932
REEL 7.—"I want you to follow him and put your hands around his throat until he doesn't move any more."
KING KONG - March 1933
REEL 8.—Eliminate all views of monster holding girl as he tears clothing from her body.
REEL 9-—Eliminate all views of monster with natives in his mouth as he tears them apart. Eliminate all views of monster crushing natives with foot.
REEL 10.—Eliminate all views of monster biting man whom he holds in his mouth.
MASK OF FU MANCHU - November 1932
REEL 2.—"Just a bell ringing—You can't move. You can't sleep. You will be frantic with thirst. You will be unspeakably foul."
Eliminate scenes where Fu Manchu throws salt water on face of man who is bound, helpless, and being tortured by bell (2).
REEL 4.—Eliminate all views of whip actually striking body of Terrance (5). (Strung up and being beaten.)
REEL 5.—Eliminate all views of Fu Manchu letting snake actually bite arm of native (3), and eliminate scream of native following this scene.
Eliminate scenes of Fu Manchu actually drawing blood from native's arm (2) (after snake has bitten him).
Eliminate scene of native collapsing and being dragged away.
Eliminate close views of Terrance bound to slab, struggling to escape (4).
Eliminate close views where Fu Manchu injects hypodermic needle into Terrance's neck (2). (This allows long shot of scene).
Eliminate sound of Terrance screaming in pain as this is done.
REEL 7.—Eliminate all close views of Von Berg where spikes of torture machine come close to him (5), allowing flash as he is rescued.
THE MONSTER WALKS - February 1932
REEL 6.—Eliminate italicised words: "And I'm going to kill you both."
Eliminate last scene of Hanns striking the ape's cage with whip.
Eliminate last view of Ape strangling Hanns, as Hanns drops to the floor with an agonized look upon his face.
MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE - February 1932
REEL 2.—Eliminate all distinct views (5) of girl bound and tied to cross beams in Dr. Mirakle's laboratory—all views of her writhing in agony—all views of Doctor standing over her, holding her arm while he tortures her.
Eliminate all sounds of girl and loud cries and moans of agony and fear, and accompanying dialogue: "Be patient. Are you in pain, Mademoiselle? It will only last a little longer."
"Ah! You are so stubborn! Hush! It will only last one more minute and we shall see. We shall know if you are to be the bride of science."
"Oh! Hush! Hush! Now, Mademoiselle, now."
"The clots—the black spots! Your blood is rotten—black as your sins.
You cheated me. Your beauty was a lie."
"Janos! Janos!"
"Get rid of it—get it away."
REEL 6.—"Her blood is perfect."
Show but flash of ape in cage raving and trying to break bars of cage. This scene directly follows above dialogue.
MURDERS IN THE ZOO - March 1933
REEL 1.—Eliminate all close views of man where his mouth is shown sewn together.
REEL 5.—Cut one half, views of Gorman as he chokes his wife and throws her into the alligator pool.
Eliminate view where he kicks her hand from bridge.
REEL 7.—Eliminate all close and distinct views of Gorman's body with snake coiled around it, and eliminate all close views of his agonized face as he is crushed to death.
MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM, January 1933
REEL 1.—Eliminate scene where man actually lights paper with cigar stub. (Burning wax museum.)
REEL 2.—Eliminate view of man actually lowering dead body out of morgue window.
REEL 3.—Eliminate: "A cow does that and gives milk besides" . (In connection with vulgar sound made by girl.)
We've both lived long enough to see a few waves of this militant desire to control the thoughts of the citizenry by controlling what they see and read. We're entering a new phase with government responding to the most narrow-minded of the people. I've seen all of these movies save for the first one and they are all the better for being intact, or as intact as time and circumstances will allow.
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