2. Participation in discussion of Sunset Strip Case.
3. Comparison of the 1930s Code to our present-day film rating
system. Students may be asked to write an essay on the
following question (using assessment rubric): To what extent
did the early attempts at censoring films find their way into
the modern-day rating system for films, music, and videos?
Extensions:
1. Have students research and present Supreme Court cases and
other courts’ rulings that have influenced the film industry
in regards to censorship and First Amendment rights. Some
examples of such cases follow. Mutual Film Corporation v.
Industrial Commission (1915) Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson,
Commissioner of Education of New York, et al. (1952) Hallmark
Productions, Inc. v. Carroll, Appellant case (March 13, 1956)
Times Film Corporation v. Chicago (1961).
2. Ask students to create a more accurate film rating system to
reflect the mores and values of their own community.
3. Have students review the Production Code of 1930. Then
assign the class to watch a specific, predetermined movie
(something rated from G or PG), and have students judge it
based on the censorship production code of 1930. Were there
parts of this modern movie that would have been banned? Or
would this movie have been accepted in the 1930s?
4. Expand the discussion of censorship to the arts in general.
For instance, the class might have a spirited debate on the
censorship and ratings of music lyrics (rap, heavy metal, rock,
etc.) versus the artist’s freedom of expression.
[For field trip suggestions and further reading, go to
www.nhd.org/themebook.]
Field Trips:
National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street
Independence Mall, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 409-6800
www.constitutioncenter.org
This educational center would be excellent field trip choice.
Created to increase public appreciation and knowledge of the
U.S. Constitution, its history, and current relevance, it provides
wonderful interactives, multi-media presentations, and dynamic
exhibits. The center offers educational tours and pre- and postvisit materials for educators, to help their students get the most
out the visit. Call the center’s educational staff at (215) 409-6800
to discuss a tailored program exploring the first amendment and
the controversial areas surrounding the interpretation of the
first amendment.
Pennsylvania State Archives, 350 North Street, Harrisburg, PA
17120-0090 (717) 783-3281
The Pennsylvania State Archives holds a number of censorship
documents from the Pennsylvania Board of Censors. Given prior
notification, the staff may be amenable to displaying several of
these documents for your class.
Further Reading:
Grieveson, Lee. Policing Cinema: Movies and Censorship in EarlyTwentieth-Century America. Berkeley, CA: University of California
Press, 2004.
This book studies the film industry and its regulation, addressing
the impact and effect of social and cultural dynamics and forces
(immigration, modernization, gender roles).
Heins, Marjorie. Not In Front of F