14 Banned Films That Apparently Didn’t Make the Cut for First Amendment Rights
Reasons cited for overriding the First Amendment range from Too Racist to Not Racist Enough, with a whole bunch of dubious stops along the way.
Pornos (Censored 1934-1968): Too Porn-y
As America approached peak prudeness in the first half of the 20th century, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America decided they needed to get ahead of the curve. They whipped up the Hays Code to help them cater to white supremacists. It included a list of Don’ts (including “White slavery” and “Miscegenation”) and Be Carefuls (including “The use of the Flag” and “Sedition”). Naturally, stag films fell under the “Any inference of sex perversion,” which was a solid Don’t.
The Works of Charlie Chaplin (Censored 1940-1956): Guttersnipery
One guy on Tennessee’s Board of Censors, Lloyd Binford, had a problem with Chaplin’s “character and reputation,” calling him a “London guttersnipe.” Binford was especially rattled by Chaplin’s fourth marriage to a teenager, which is fair. He succeeded in keeping almost every Chaplin movie out of the City of Memphis for over a decade.
‘Birth Control’ (1917): Graphic Depictions of a Healthy Society
Sex educator Margaret Sanger made a film about her work with family planning education and lobbying. The Supreme Court said that talking about birth control doesn’t count as free speech, and the New York Court of Appeals defended the ban “in the interest of morality, decency and public safety and welfare.” Great country.
‘Babe Comes Home’ (1927): Chewing Tobacco
It was banned in Chicago because Babe Ruth chews and spits tobacco a few times. The censors said they “do not believe that there is an inherent virtue in chewing tobacco and don’t wish the children in Highland Park to believe that one must chew to achieve fame.”
‘The Road to Ruin’ (1928): Strip Poker
This film’s popularity was its downfall. It made such a splash as a silent film, they added a soundtrack and later remade it as a talkie. On paper, it was a cautionary tale: a young woman derails her life with booze, sex and abortions. It’s safe to assume people loved it for the strip poker scenes and not for its underlying moral message.
‘No Limit’ (1931): Felony by Proxy
A California censorship board took issue with the film’s star’s “legal issues.” Actress Clara Bow attended the trial of her former secretary, who had been charged with grand theft auto.
The Censored Eleven (Censored 1968-Present): Racism
Disney didn’t have a monopoly on overt racism in the 20th century. There were 11 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that were flagged for being too fucked-up, even for 1960s America. Shorts like Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs, Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears and Angel Puss have been banned from syndication for over 50 years.
Eight ‘Popeye’ Cartoons (Censored 1990-Present): Racism
You better believe Popeye got in on the ethnocentrism, too. There are eight episodes that were produced between 1933 and 1952 that were deemed a bit much in the ‘90s. In some cases, he was technically on the right side of history, with anti-Nazi and anti-Axis propaganda like Spinach Fer Britain and Seein’ Red, White ‘N’ Blue. Then there’s stuff like Wigwam Whoopee, which is as bad as you’re imagining.
‘Ecstasy’ (1933): Women’s Pleasure
This Czech erotic drama was a fucked-up production that became controversial for all the wrong reasons. It was one of Hedy Lamarr’s first roles, and the director duped the inexperienced young actress into filming her nude scenes. The prudes in power had no issue with that; what got it banned in America was a depiction of the grotesque — and mythical! — female orgasm.
‘G Men’ (1935): Too Exciting
Warner Bros. was caught up in a moral panic led by lawmakers and businessturds who said movies were glorifying criminals. They made this film specifically to combat that bad press, depicting a bunch of criminals getting their comeuppance. The State of Illinois Board of Censors banned it, despite being one of the most popular movies of the year in Chicago, because it might make children “too excited.”
‘The Birth of a Baby’ (Banned Since 1938): Reminding Men About Childbirth
This was an educational film that depicted the magic of childbirth, which incensed powerful men across the country. Cincinnati’s city manager called it “non-educational” while their police chief called it “positively terrible.”
‘Strange Cargo’ (1940): Not Catholic Enough
This Clark Gable/Joan Crawford romcom ruffled the feathers of many powerful prudes. It was officially condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency, while two powerful cops got it banned from Detroit for its “general spirit that is contrary to certain religious ideas.”
‘Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy’ (1941): Incest?
When this 17-minute short came out, audiences were left with the distinct impression that these two siblings were stuffing each other. While the incestual implications were completely accidental, the film was quickly suspended while the studio figured out how to do damage control. The solution was to take Raggedy Andy out of the ongoing cartoon series for 36 years. So as not to tempt Ann, I guess?
‘Brewster’s Millions’ (1945): Not Racist Enough
Memphis banned this film because an African-American servant character was treated too well by his white employers. Specifically, they said the character had “too familiar a way about him,” making the whole movie “inimical to the public welfare.” God, you can just feel those words dripping off the mustache of the fat plantation owner who spoke them.
