FILM PURITY CAMPAIGN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18468, 6 August 1934, Page 5

FILM PURITY CAMPAIGN

PICTURE TO BE REMADE , PLANS FOR OTHERS 1 SUSPENDED 1 \ NEW YORK, June 28. Films in which Mae West and Dolores del Rio are starred are the first, casualties of the militant campaign of the churches for “purify-, ing” the firms. The title of Mae West's film. “It Ain’t No Sin,’’ many scenes, and the dialogue have been frowned upon by the New York State Board of Regents, the film censoring body. The title, the censors have decided, sttvors of sex-appeal. “It Ain’t No Sin” is therefore being re-filmed, with several scenes altered and the dialogue changed. In the Dolores del Rio film the censors did not object to the title, “Madame Dubnrry,” but, according to Warner Bros., '.who produced the film, to a bedroom,scone. The picture is consequently being remade with the scene eliminated. The campaign against certain types of film finds the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish church lenders allied. The churchmen are conduct■ing a crusade, for “wholesome movies or none.” It is. claimed by the Roman. Catholic leaders that thov already have a million people enrolled in their “Legion - of Decency,” pledged to boycott turns ! raising.questionable issues of vice and

virtue. The campaign hits caused Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to cancel plans for a filpi version - of the “Barbary Coast,” as thiv waterfront of San Francisco whs once called. This film was to injive cost £IOO,OOO, and to Lave starred Anna Sten and Gory Cooper. Other scenarios are stated to be under revision.