FLASHBACK TO 1921: Censors Keep Sordidness Out Of Films, Bristol Man Sees Work

A regular feature looking back at what was being printed more than 100 years ago in the Bristol Daily Courier. This week’s entry comes from the February 4, 1921 edition of the newspaper.

State Censors Keep Sordidness Out Of Films, Bristol Man Sees Work

The Pennsylvania State Board of Motion Picture Censors has already taken action to keep pictures clean which are distributed throughout this A state. On December 1, action was taken by the board to further restrict the liberties film producers and as a result films which pass the board have had eliminated many of the objectionable features—practically all of them, in fact—to which Bristol School Board, in it’s letter to the public found objection.

This was learned from two sources, with one from the board of censors itself, in a communication received by the Courier this morning, and another in a conversation with Ed Lynn of Bristol, who is employed in the projection rooms in Philadelphia, where every film which is presented to the the public in Pennsylvania is carefully gone over, and approved or rejected.

The thoughts expressed by the School Board are rapidly bearing fruit, in a general public expression no that more care should be exercised especially by parents, in permitting children to attend movies indiscriminately.

One father said last night: “I have not paid much attention to the matter; my daughter goes with several other girls, and when she has demurely said that their party was ‘going to the movies,’ I have paid no further attention to the subject. I will certainly find out in the future just where she is going, and endeavor to have her and her friends attend only the best type of performances.”

Speaking of the work of the censors, Ed Lynn, the local resident, who is connected with the projection rooms at the censors’ headquarters in Philadelphia, said that many persons do not realize that the state board is really doing a great deal to keep the movies clean. He said that Bristol people would be surprised to see the things which are permitted to be shown in other states. These are carefully eliminated by the Pennsylvania censors. He mentioned particularly the show “Way Down East”, the big Griffith production, which was held up for a week before it was permitted to be shown in Philadelphia, the censors standing by their determination to eliminate over a reel of the a film.

Just to show what the censors do, Mr. Lynn stated that the very serial to which objection is lodged has been greatly changed for presentation in Pennsylvania. In the other states, the principal character is shown as a crook: when the picture was shown to the censors, they held up the entire serial for a month until the picture was revised, the picture character made to be a detective.

The Courier today received from the Pennsylvania Board of Censors a statement concerning it’s monthly meeting on February 2, which reads in part as follows:

At its monthly meeting on February 2, the following resolutions were adopted by the Pennsylvania State Board of Censors:

WHEREAS the undersigned, composing the Pennsylvania State Board of Censors, have read in some newspapers various articles relating to and criticisms of the acts and alleged acts a of this Board, most of which have been entirely without foundation in the fact, and WHEREAS none of those responsible for such statements and criticisms have seen fit to make any inquiry concerning the facts involved, either of this Board or of any member thereof and WHEREAS the members of this Board have heretofore maintained silence on the subject until persistence of untruthful, irresponsible and malicious attacks might, through their reiteration uncontradicted mislead and misinform the public; therefore be it RESOLVED: That the undersigned, constituting the entire Pennsylvania State Board of Censors, with a decent respect for public opinion and hereby set forth the following facts: 1. All the acts of this present Board have been the unanimous acts it of this Board. 2. A higher standard and one more strict and more intelligent than has recently existed in this State has been of set up and maintained, and will continue to be maintained by the present Board of Censors. It Is enforcing all the old rules and standards and in addition on December 1, 1920, adopted new ones with special reference to pictures showing crime of all kinds against showing criminals in the roles of heroes and against all that tends to glorify crime or hold up criminal acts or adventures as alluring or anything but ignoble and disgraceful. 3. In accordance with the latter ruling, subsequently adopted in some other States, many films which, under former standards, would have been and were passed, have been disapproved, while in others major eliminations have been made, so that nothing less than a revolution has been attained in this connection, many important and costly pictures of this kind having been entirely re-constructed under the Board’s rulings namely : E-19690-91, E-19506-07, Eq8841, E-19346.46, E-17382,89, E-17131-42, E-18087, E-17125-30, E-19187, E-20679, 18905, 4. The Board has nothing whatsoever to do with the making of pictures or the choosing of subject matter of pictures, its functions merely relating to passing in whole or part, or disapproving in entirety, pictures by whomsoever made submitted for examination. 5. The present members of the Board are functioning under the Act of 1915, according to their oaths of office, with a singleness of purpose and unqualified zeal and sincerity to set up and maintain a Censorship in Pennsylvania, which in intelligence, application to the work of a cultured and practical knowledge of the subject and earnest intention to serve the public and public policy shall apply the terms and all the terms of the Act of the Legislature under which the Board exists in a manner which shall be creditable less to them than to a Commonwealth so important as that of Pennsylvania which stands committed by their acts before the informed and cultured people of the world.

An advertisement from the February 4, 1921 edition of the Bristol Daily Courier: