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Justin Clark

Public Historian & Digital Humanist
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Will Hays and the Hollywood Production Code

May 11, 2018

At just 110 pounds, Sullivan, Indiana-native Will Hays was not exactly the imposing figure you’d expect to be the film industry's regulator, but he nevertheless left a substantial mark on the movie industry during the first half of the twentieth century.

To learn more about Will Hays and the MPPDA, check out Stephen Vaughn’s article from the Indiana Magazine of History: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/....

Learn more Indiana History from the Indiana Historical Bureau: http://www.in.gov/history/

Search historic newspaper pages at Hoosier State Chronicles: www.hoosierstatechronicles.org

Visit our Blog: https://blog.history.in.gov/

Visit Chronicling America to read more first drafts of history: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ Learn more about the history relevance campaign at https://www.historyrelevance.com/

Credits: Written and produced by Justin Clark. Footage of Will Hays and Irene Dunne courtesy of the Indiana State Library.  Music:  "Days Are Long", "7th Floor Tango", and "Time Stops" by Silent Partner

In Video Essays Tags Indiana History, American History, Will Hays, Hollywood History, Film History
← Injustice’s Lariat | Lynching in IndianaC. Mervin Palmer and the Civilian Public Service Camps in World War II →

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