Popular Culture Review 30.1
United States and Germany become opposing forces during World War I . Steinbeck ’ s depiction of anti-German hysteria seems engendered by World War II ( Millichap 150 ). Kazan and Osborn turn Fenchel into “ Mr . Albrecht ,” the Trasks ’ elderly shoe-repairman friend and neighbor , who experiences the crimes of vandalism and arson when “ strong men�about thirty of them ... tore down Mr . Fenchel ’ s white picket fence and burned the front of his house . No Kaiser-loving son of a bitch was going to get away with it with us ” ( Steinbeck 515 – 6 ; ch . 46 ). This German character is eliminated altogether in Harvey Hart ’ s miniseries .
The 1950s were not only affected by the Red Scare ; the decade also marked the beginning of the end of the Production Code Administration ( PCA ), “ Hollywood ’ s self-censorship agency , which was phased out in the 1960s and replaced by the current ratings system administered by the Motion Picture Association of America ” ( Schatz 47 ). The United States had endured the brutality and horror of WWII , coming through less innocent but more mature . Suddenly , the hand holding of the PCA and the church at the movie theater seemed less important .
CENSORSHIP
Between the performances of James Dean in the feature film and Sam Bottoms in the miniseries , the viewer observes the character of Cal Trask committing various crimes , including automobile theft , breaking curfew , destruction of property , illegal boarding of a train , illegally setting off a fire alarm , theft , trespassing , money burning , and voyeurism . He steals a coal chute and even something as simple as salt water taffy . Underage , Steinbeck ’ s Cal never drinks alcohol until after he introduces Aron to their mother . On the other hand , Hart ’ s
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