...controversial subject matter vulgar language in American cinema appear stuffy and prudish, not to mention unconstitutional. Will H. Hays, the head of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA)--the precursor to the current Motion Picture Association of America--during Hollywood's golden age, has long taken the rap as the villain behind the code. But outside of film history buffs and those who have researched industry arcana, few realize that Hays was actually just a figurehead, more concerned with New Deal era politics than the minutiae of big screen regulation.

In Hollywood's Censor (2007, Columbia University Press, 427 pages, U.S. $29.50), author Thomas Doherty debunks the popular misconception that Hays was Tinseltown's watchdog, revealing that the real man behind the curtain was irrepressible Irish-American Joseph...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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