Censors at Work

This chapter views the Production Code Administration through the eyes of the censors employed by the administration, documenting their approach to reviewing film sources, scripts, and completed films. General and specific guidelines in the four-thousand-word Code are cited, and the chapter provides examples of the interpretation of these guidelines by administration employees such as Joe Breen, Jack Vizzard, and Albert Van Schmus. Guidelines explored include the duration of screen kisses, forbidden words and the use of double beds. The approaches and effectiveness of Code censors are documented through their correspondence with producers and directors, including Alfred Hitchcock.