ABSTRACT
The Hays Production Code, named after its first director, Will Hays, was a 'voluntary' code formulated and adopted in 1934 by The Association of Motion Picture Producers and the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America to 'protect' public morality by controlling movie content. Will Hays and his appointed censors were the final authority determining code interpretation and application. No movie could be distributed in America without the Hays 'seal of approval'. Mr. Valenti said that the first film he scrutinized as new head of the MPAA was Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, in which for the first time on the screen the word 'screw' and the phrase 'hump the hostess' were heard. Where adults are concerned, the Rating System is nothing more than an Informational tool. Problems arise though, when parents expect that the Rating System will be used by theater owners to police the viewing habits of children and teenagers.
