The Hays Code

Before the MPAA was created to give ratings to films, they had to pass what was known as the "Hays Code" to be released.

The Hays Code was begun in 1930, named after it's founder, Presbyterian elder Will Hays. The Code spelled out what was considered acceptable and unacceptable to be shown in film (written as a list of "Don'ts" and "Be Carefuls"), and films that did not follow it would be censored.

Despite criticism from some that found the code overly prudish and restrictive, the code was enforced for over 30 years by studios - no film would be released without passing it - out of fear of government censorship. The code was written with Catholic undertones, and was an attempt to appeal to so-called "traditional values".

It wasn't until the 1950s when it started facing serious competition, in the form of both the then-burgeoning television, and the growing influence and competition of foreign films that weren't beholden to this code, allowing content that the Hays Code would not have allowed in American films. By 1956, certain parts of the code were rewritten to adapt to changing attitudes amongst the public, and started becoming more loosely enforced.

In 1968, after being only minimally enforced for a number of years, the Hays Code was abolished and replaced with the MPAA that we have today.