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Available in 9 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-9" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">9 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD_%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BE" title="Национален легион на благоприличието – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Национален легион на благоприличието" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legie_slu%C5%A1nosti" title="Legie slušnosti – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Legie slušnosti" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de badge-Q70894304 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Legion_of_Decency" title="National Legion of Decency – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="National Legion of Decency" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF_%D9%85%D9%84%DB%8C_%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A8" title="گارد ملی حجب – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="گارد ملی حجب" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Legion_of_Decency" title="National Legion of Decency – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="National Legion of Decency" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_Przyzwoito%C5%9Bci" title="Legion Przyzwoitości – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Legion Przyzwoitości" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legi%C3%A3o_Nacional_da_Dec%C3%AAncia" title="Legião Nacional da Decência – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Legião Nacional da Decência" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Национальный легион приличия – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Национальный легион приличия" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh 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data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Defunct American moral pressure group</div> <p>The <b>National Legion of Decency,</b> also known as the <b>Catholic Legion of Decency</b>,<sup id="cite_ref-Ask_Mick_Lasalle_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ask_Mick_Lasalle-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> was an American <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholic</a> group founded in 1934 by the <a href="/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Cincinnati" title="Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati">Archbishop of Cincinnati</a>, <a href="/wiki/John_T._McNicholas" title="John T. McNicholas">John T. McNicholas</a>, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in <a href="/wiki/Motion_pictures" class="mw-redirect" title="Motion pictures">motion pictures</a> on behalf of Catholic audiences. Members were asked to pledge to patronize only those motion pictures which did not "offend decency and Christian morality".<sup id="cite_ref-time_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-time-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The concept soon gained support from other churches. </p><p>Condemnation by the Legion would often diminish a film's chances for success because it meant the population of Catholics, some twenty million strong at the time (plus their Protestant allies), would avoid attending any screening of the film. The efforts to help parishioners avoid films with objectionable content sometimes backfired when it was found that they helped draw attention to those films.<sup id="cite_ref-Ask_Mick_Lasalle_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ask_Mick_Lasalle-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Although the Legion was often envisioned as a bureaucratic arm of the Catholic Church, it instead was little more than a loose confederation of local organizations, with each diocese appointing a local Legion director, usually a parish priest, who was responsible for Legion activities in that diocese. Film historian Bernard F. Dick wrote: "Although the Legion was never officially an organ of the Catholic Church, and its movie ratings were nonbinding, many Catholics were still guided by the Legion's classifications."<sup id="cite_ref-Dick_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Dick-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1965, The National Legion of Decency was reorganized as the <b>National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures</b> (NCOMP). In 1980, NCOMP ceased operations, along with the biweekly Review, which by then had published ratings for 16,251 feature films. <sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (May 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Background">Background</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Background"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>From the early days of cinema, the motion picture industry made several attempts to self-regulate the content of films to avoid the creation of numerous state and municipal censorship boards. Most of these efforts were relatively ineffectual.<sup id="cite_ref-Butters_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Butters-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="National_Board_of_Review">National Board of Review</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: National Board of Review"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On December 24, 1908, New York City Mayor <a href="/wiki/George_B._McClellan_Jr." title="George B. McClellan Jr.">George B. McClellan Jr.</a> revoked all moving-picture exhibition licenses in the city pending inspection of the premises due to fire safety concerns regarding the highly flammable <a href="/wiki/Celluloid" title="Celluloid">celluloid</a> film. He stated that due to complaints from the city's clergy and the <a href="/wiki/New_York_Society_for_the_Prevention_of_Cruelty_to_Children" title="New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children">Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children</a>, upon re-issuance, the licensees were prohibited from operating on Sunday. He further indicated his intention to revoke the license of any motion picture show "...on evidence that pictures have been exhibited by the licensees which tend to degrade or injure the morals of the community."<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1909, <a href="/wiki/Charles_Sprague_Smith" title="Charles Sprague Smith">Charles Sprague Smith</a> and about a dozen prominent individuals from the fields of social work, religion, and education, formed a committee, under the auspices of the People's Institute at <a href="/wiki/Cooper_Union" title="Cooper Union">Cooper Union</a>, to make recommendations to the Mayor's office concerning controversial films. Initially called the <a href="/wiki/National_Board_of_Review" title="National Board of Review">New York Board of Motion Picture Censorship</a> it soon became known as the National Board of Motion Picture Censorship. To avoid government censorship of films, the National Board became the unofficial clearinghouse for new movies.<sup id="cite_ref-Sklar_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Sklar-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Board's stated purpose was to endorse films of merit and champion the new "art of the people". In March 1916 the Board changed its name to the <a href="/wiki/National_Board_of_Review" title="National Board of Review">National Board of Review of Motion Pictures</a> to avoid the controversial word "<a href="/wiki/Censorship" title="Censorship">censorship</a>".<sup id="cite_ref-Chris_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Chris-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="National_Association_of_the_Motion_Picture_Industry_(NAMPI)"><span id="National_Association_of_the_Motion_Picture_Industry_.28NAMPI.29"></span>National Association of the Motion Picture Industry (NAMPI)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: National Association of the Motion Picture Industry (NAMPI)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/National_Association_of_the_Motion_Picture_Industry" title="National Association of the Motion Picture Industry">National Association of the Motion Picture Industry</a> was an industry self-regulatory body created by the Hollywood studios in 1916 to answer demands for film censorship by states and municipalities.<sup id="cite_ref-Butters_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Butters-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Association devised "Thirteen Points", a list of subjects and storylines they promised to avoid. However, there was no method of enforcement if a studio film violated the Thirteen Points content restrictions,<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and NAMPI proved ineffective.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Motion_Picture_Producers_and_Distributors_of_America_(MPPDA)"><span id="Motion_Picture_Producers_and_Distributors_of_America_.28MPPDA.29"></span>Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>After several risqué films and a series of notorious off-screen scandals involving Hollywood stars, political pressure was increasing, with legislators in 37 states introducing almost one hundred movie censorship bills in 1921. Faced with the prospect of having to comply with hundreds, and potentially thousands, of inconsistent and easily changed decency laws to show their movies, the studios chose self-regulation as the preferable option. In 1922, the <a href="/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association" title="Motion Picture Association">Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA)</a> was formed. <a href="/wiki/Will_H._Hays" title="Will H. Hays">Will H. Hays</a> was named the association's first president.<sup id="cite_ref-Leff_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Leff-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The goal of the organization was to rehabilitate the image of the movie industry in the wake of the <a href="/wiki/Roscoe_Arbuckle" title="Roscoe Arbuckle">Arbuckle</a> scandal and amid growing calls by primarily Protestant groups for federal censorship of the movies.<sup id="cite_ref-walk_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-walk-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> "Hiring Hays to “clean up the pictures” was, at least in part, a public relations ploy, and much was made of his conservative credentials, including his roles as a Presbyterian deacon and past chairman of the Republican Party."<sup id="cite_ref-walk_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-walk-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1924, Hays instituted "The Formula", a loose set of guidelines for filmmakers, to get the movie industry to self-regulate the issues that the censorship boards had been created to address. "The Formula" requested that studios send synopses of films being considered to the MPPDA for review.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This effort largely failed, however, as studios were under no obligation to send their scripts to Hays's office, nor to follow his recommendations. </p><p>In 1927, Hays oversaw the creation of a code of "Don'ts and Be Carefuls" for the industry. This list outlined the issues that movies could encounter in different localities. Again, despite Hays' efforts, studios largely ignored the "Don'ts and Be Carefuls," and by the end of 1929, the MPPDA received only about 20 percent of Hollywood scripts before production,<sup id="cite_ref-Leff_10-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Leff-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the number of regional and local censorship boards continued to increase. However, a number of the items listed would become part of the later Code.<sup id="cite_ref-Hollywood_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Hollywood-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="The_Production_Code">The Production Code</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: The Production Code"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Martin_J._Quigley" class="mw-redirect" title="Martin J. Quigley">Martin J. Quigley</a> was publisher of <i>Exhibitors Herald-World</i> (a trade magazine for independent exhibitors). <a href="/wiki/Daniel_A._Lord" title="Daniel A. Lord">Daniel A. Lord</a> was a Jesuit priest who had served as one of the technical consultants on <a href="/wiki/Cecil_B._DeMille" title="Cecil B. DeMille">Cecil B. DeMille</a>'s 1927 <i><a href="/wiki/The_King_of_Kings_(1927_film)" title="The King of Kings (1927 film)">The King of Kings</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-endres_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-endres-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Quigley drafted Lord to write a code for motion pictures. With the blessing of <a href="/wiki/George_Mundelein" title="George Mundelein">Cardinal George W. Mundelein</a> of Chicago, Father Lord authored the code, which later became known as "The <a href="/wiki/Production_Code" class="mw-redirect" title="Production Code">Production Code</a>", "The Code", and "The Hays Code". It was presented to Will Hays in 1930 and privately circulated by the MPPDA.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The studio heads were less than enthusiastic but after some revisions, agreed to make The Code the rule of the industry, albeit with many loopholes that allowed studio producers to override the Hays Office's application of it. One main reason in adopting the Code was to avoid direct government intervention.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Tasked with enforcing the code was the Studio Relations Committee, which very soon was overwhelmed by the number of films to view. The committee had a small staff and not much influence. Without the power to compel the editing of content deemed problematic, it was left with attempting to persuade the studios to make changes. From 1930 to 1934, the Production Code was only slightly effective in fighting back calls for federal censorship. The SRC was considered generally ineffective.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Lord considered the code a failure. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Catholic bishops and laypeople tended to be leery of federal censorship and favored the Hays approach of self-censorship, and the influence of public opinion.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Catholic Legion of Decency was organized in 1934<sup id="cite_ref-:3_19-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:3-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> under the auspices of Cincinnati Archbishop John T. McNicholas. Members were asked to sign a pledge promising to "remain away from all motion pictures except those which do not offend decency and Christian morality."<sup id="cite_ref-time_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-time-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The idea soon caught on with other churches. The Episcopal magazine <i><a href="/wiki/The_Living_Church" title="The Living Church">The Living Church</a></i> printed the pledge for its readers to sign. It was also promoted by the Protestant Detroit Council of Churches.<sup id="cite_ref-time_2-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-time-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As its influence spread, the organization adopted the name <i>National Legion of Decency</i> (NLD). </p><p>Initially, the Legion of Decency provided no official guide to good and bad films but left it up to individual priests and bishops to determine what was or was not morally acceptable. Some Catholics proposed announcing only lists of films approved for viewing so as not to publicize the names of films judged unsuitable. The <a href="/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Brooklyn" title="Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn">Diocese of Brooklyn</a> used a list drawn up by the Federation of Catholic Alumnae.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>During the early years, the Legion established a rating system that assessed films based on their moral content. The films were graded on a scale from "A" to "C," with “A” being morally permissible and “C” being morally unacceptable, or, "condemned."<sup id="cite_ref-:4_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:4-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> One of the first foreign films condemned was the 1933 <a href="/wiki/Czechoslovakia" title="Czechoslovakia">Czechoslovak</a> erotic romantic drama <i><a href="/wiki/Ecstasy_(film)" title="Ecstasy (film)">Ecstasy</a></i> which featured an eighteen-year-old <a href="/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr" title="Hedy Lamarr">Hedy Lamarr</a> swimming nude and chasing naked after her runaway horse, as well as an illicit affair and a suicide. This was not a particularly difficult decision. After a Vatican journalist attended a screening at the Venice Film Festival, <a href="/wiki/Pope_Pius_XI" title="Pope Pius XI">Pope Pius XI</a> denounced it in the Vatican newspaper. Criticized by women's groups,<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> it was also banned by the Pennsylvania state censor.<sup id="cite_ref-gardner_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-gardner-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Legion also published and distributed pamphlets and fliers encouraging Catholics not to view certain films it viewed as immoral.<sup id="cite_ref-:02_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:02-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Legion was often more conservative in its views on films than the <a href="/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association_of_America" class="mw-redirect" title="Motion Picture Association of America">Motion Picture Association of America</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Motion_Picture_Production_Code" class="mw-redirect" title="Motion Picture Production Code">Production Code</a>. The early thirties saw a number of <a href="/wiki/Exploitation_film" title="Exploitation film">exploitation film features</a> that claimed to warn the public about various kinds of shocking sin and depravity corrupting society. In reality, these films were cynical, profit-motivated vehicles that wallowed in lurid, taboo subjects, such as: drug abuse, promiscuous sex, venereal disease, polygamy, child marriages, etc. Some included brief nude scenes. One such film condemned by the Legion was 1935's <a href="/wiki/The_Pace_That_Kills_(1935_film)" title="The Pace That Kills (1935 film)"><i>The Pace That Kills</i></a>, which dealt with cocaine addiction, amorality and prostitution.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>For the first few decades, the Legion had a significant influence on the entertainment industry.<sup id="cite_ref-:02_24-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:02-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Their influence stemmed from the popularity of their rating system, their skillful lobbying, and the circulation of a pledge at church services.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> From the 1930s through the 1960s, Catholic parishes in dioceses across the country administered yearly pledges in which millions of Catholics throughout the U.S. vowed to refuse to watch films that were condemned by the Legion.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_27-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:2-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> "Although the Legion was never officially an organ of the Catholic Church, and its movie ratings were nonbinding, many Catholics were still guided by the Legion's classifications."<sup id="cite_ref-Dick_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Dick-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>With the Legion of Decency rating films independently, and pressure on the industry from several Protestant and women's groups, Hays, who had been in charge of enforcing the voluntary code since 1927, worried that the NLD's efforts could weaken his power and that of his office and hurt industry profits. Several states continued to have state censors, and the <a href="/wiki/Archdiocese_of_Chicago" class="mw-redirect" title="Archdiocese of Chicago">Archdiocese of Chicago</a> maintained its own list of film ratings. The MPPDA created a new department, the <a href="/wiki/Production_Code_Administration" class="mw-redirect" title="Production Code Administration">Production Code Administration</a> (PCA), to administer the <a href="/wiki/Motion_Picture_Production_Code" class="mw-redirect" title="Motion Picture Production Code">Motion Picture Production Code</a>. Hays appointed conservative Catholic <a href="/wiki/Joseph_Breen" title="Joseph Breen">Joseph Breen</a> to head it.<sup id="cite_ref-pryors_28-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-pryors-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1957, <a href="/wiki/Pope_Pius_XII" title="Pope Pius XII">Pope Pius XII</a> issued the encyclical <i>Miranda Prorsus</i> ("The Remarkable Inventions"), which suggested that Catholics should be more concerned about encouraging good movies than condemning bad ones, an approach taken earlier by the National Board of Review. The Legion revised its ratings process, increased the members of its ratings panel with individuals knowledgeable in film and communication arts, and added two new ratings categories: <b>A-III</b>, for adults only, and <b>A-IV</b>, for adults with reservations.<sup id="cite_ref-Changing_29-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Changing-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Professor James Skinner wrote that by the late 1950s and early to mid-1960s, the Legion was beginning to lose its influence both within Hollywood and within the Catholic Church. Skinner noted that in some cases, young Catholics throughout the country saw a “C” rating as a reason to see a particular film. He argued that as a result of the Church’s liberalization after the <a href="/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council" title="Second Vatican Council">Second Vatican Council</a>, and a decline in the initial enthusiasm for the Legion, the Legion ceased to exist by the mid 1960s. In 1965, the Legion was restructured as the <a href="/wiki/National_Catholic_Office_for_Motion_Pictures_(NCOMP)" class="mw-redirect" title="National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures (NCOMP)">National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures</a> (NCOMP), but scholars such as Skinner argue that the NCOMP failed to exert as much influence over Hollywood as the Legion.<sup id="cite_ref-:12_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:12-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Rating_system">Rating system</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Rating system"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The original ratings of: </p> <ul><li><b>A</b>: Morally unobjectionable,</li> <li><b>B</b>: Morally objectionable in part, and</li> <li><b>C</b>: Condemned</li></ul> <p>were subsequently expanded by separating "A" into: </p> <ul><li><b>A-I</b>, for general patronage, and</li> <li><b>A-II</b>, for adults and adolescents only, to distinguish films suitable for children from those more appropriate for older viewers.</li></ul> <p>Additional categories of <b>A-III</b>, for adults only, and <b>A-IV</b>, for adults with reservations were later added.<sup id="cite_ref-Changing_29-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Changing-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Legion of Decency condemned several films for morally offensive content. This was reflected in a "C" rating. Practicing Catholics were directed to refrain from viewing such films. More explicitly, they were directed to "remain away from all motion pictures except those which do not offend decency and Christian morality."<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Most motion pictures receiving a "C" rating were foreign films. Since it reviewed films when released for distribution, the Legion usually rated non-U.S. films a few years after their first release in their country of origin, occasionally years after. One such film was <a href="/wiki/Jean_Renoir" title="Jean Renoir">Jean Renoir</a>'s 1938 <i><a href="/wiki/La_B%C3%AAte_Humaine_(film)" title="La Bête Humaine (film)">La Bête Humaine</a></i> about a homicidal alcoholic. <a href="/wiki/Frank_S._Nugent" class="mw-redirect" title="Frank S. Nugent">Frank S. Nugent</a>, film critic for <i>The New York Times</i>, said even though he gave the film a positive review, he felt uncomfortable watching it. "It is hardly a pretty picture, dealing as it does with a man whose tainted blood subjects him to fits of homicidal mania,... Sitting here, a safe distance from it, we are not at all sure we entirely approve of it or its telling."<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Sometimes the Hollywood studios would work with the Legion to avoid a "C" rating that might harm a film's distribution and profitability. <a href="/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" title="Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer">Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer</a> made revisions to the 1940 <i><a href="/wiki/Strange_Cargo_(1940_film)" title="Strange Cargo (1940 film)">Strange Cargo</a></i> and the Legion changed its rating to "unobjectionable for adults". <a href="/wiki/Columbia_Pictures" title="Columbia Pictures">Columbia Pictures</a> removed fifteen lines of dialogue from <i><a href="/wiki/This_Thing_Called_Love_(1940_film)" title="This Thing Called Love (1940 film)">This Thing Called Love</a></i> and the Legion revised the rating to "B". (The film was banned in Ireland, Australia, and British Columbia).<sup id="cite_ref-Dick_3-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Dick-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>By the late fifties, films considered "problematic" were viewed by the Legion two or three times; first by the staff and then by consultants who provided written evaluations. Invariably, the Legion was considered too liberal by some, and too cautious by others.<sup id="cite_ref-Changing_29-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Changing-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <b>C</b> rating was issued from 1933 until the end of 1981. On January 1, 1982, the <b>B</b> and <b>C</b> ratings were combined into a new <b>O</b> rating for "morally offensive" films,<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and NCOMP began to reassign ratings to some older films based on its new system. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Pledge">Pledge</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Pledge"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The pledge was revised in 1934: </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>I condemn all indecent and immoral motion pictures, and those which glorify crime or criminals. I promise to do all that I can to strengthen public opinion against the production of indecent and immoral films, and to unite with all who protest against them. I acknowledge my obligation to form a right conscience about pictures that are dangerous to my moral life. I pledge myself to remain away from them. I promise, further, to stay away altogether from places of amusement which show them as a matter of policy.</p></blockquote><p><sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (May 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>In 1938, the league requested that the <i>Pledge of the Legion of Decency</i> be administered each year on the <a href="/wiki/Feast_of_the_Immaculate_Conception" title="Feast of the Immaculate Conception">Feast of the Immaculate Conception</a> (December 8).<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (May 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="United_States_Conference_of_Catholic_Bishops'_Office_for_Film_and_Broadcasting"><span id="United_States_Conference_of_Catholic_Bishops.27_Office_for_Film_and_Broadcasting"></span>United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting was an office of the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Conference_of_Catholic_Bishops" title="United States Conference of Catholic Bishops">United States Conference of Catholic Bishops</a> and is best known for the USCCB <a href="/wiki/Motion_picture_rating_system" class="mw-redirect" title="Motion picture rating system">film rating</a>, a continuation of the National Legion of Decency rating system begun in 1933 by <a href="/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Cincinnati" title="Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati">Archbishop of Cincinnati</a> <a href="/wiki/John_T._McNicholas" title="John T. McNicholas">John T. McNicholas</a>, <a href="/wiki/Order_of_Preachers" class="mw-redirect" title="Order of Preachers">OP</a>. </p><p>After the National Catholic Office of Motion Pictures was re-established in 1960, it later became the Office of Film and Broadcasting (OFB).<sup id="cite_ref-:0_34-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Office of Film and Broadcasting merged with the National Catholic Office for Radio and Television in 1980.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Together they reviewed motion pictures, radio, and television using the same rating scale the original Legion of Decency did in the 1930s and 1940s.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-:0_34-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> They shared the same goal, which was to rid the screen of stories that lowered traditional moral standards and persuaded people, especially young people to accept false principles of conduct.<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> By 1990 the National Catholic Office for Radio and Television collapsed leaving the Office of Film and Broadcasting to review strictly motion pictures.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_34-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Office of Film and Broadcasting worked to review every movie in the United States still adhering to the original rating system.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_34-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The organization had been run by the United States Catholic Conference in their Communications Department but was later joined with the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and renamed the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2001. The Office of Film and Broadcasting carried the same film rating system as the Legion of Decency. The rating "A" meant morally unobjectionable but falling into the subcategories of AI: Suitable for all audiences, AII: Suitable for adults and adolescents, and AIII: Suitable for adults only. The next ratings were "B", which meant morally objectionable in part, and "C", which meant it was condemned by the Legion of Decency. The Office of Motion Pictures began with the intention to rate every motion picture made in the United States and labored for 45 years.<sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Controversies">Controversies</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Controversies"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In the 1970s, controversies grew surrounding the intense rating system and inconsistent reviews. Examples of films which received the A-IV rating include <i><a href="/wiki/The_Exorcist_(film)" class="mw-redirect" title="The Exorcist (film)">The Exorcist</a></i> and <i><a href="/wiki/Saturday_Night_Fever" title="Saturday Night Fever">Saturday Night Fever</a></i>, two films whose content was seen by many as being exaggerated by the mainstream press, perhaps leading to the wrong interpretations and false conclusions cited in the rating's full description. In 1995, the description was changed to films "which are not morally offensive in themselves but are not for casual viewing”. Ultimately, the Office of Film and Broadcasting shut down in 2010.<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The USCCB continued to voluntarily provide information and film ratings for Catholics through the <a href="/wiki/Catholic_News_Service" title="Catholic News Service">Catholic News Service</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_34-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Catholic News Service also gave access to archived reviews dating from 2011 and prior.<sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On 4 May 2022, Catholic News Service announced that it would cease its operations in the United States on 31 December 2022 due to a decision of the USCCB.<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The news agency's domestic distribution platform and archives were acquired by <i><a href="/wiki/Our_Sunday_Visitor" title="Our Sunday Visitor">Our Sunday Visitor</a></i> and used to launch the new <a href="/wiki/OSV_News" class="mw-redirect" title="OSV News">OSV News</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_films_condemned_by_the_Legion_of_Decency" title="List of films condemned by the Legion of Decency">List of films condemned by the Legion of Decency</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Motion_Picture_Production_Code" class="mw-redirect" title="Motion Picture Production Code">Hays Code</a> – a secular American censorship code in effect during much of the same period</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Payne_Fund_Studies" title="Payne Fund Studies">Payne Fund Studies</a> - early studies on the effects of movies on the behavior of children and adolescents.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Protestant_Film_Commission" title="Protestant Film Commission">Protestant Film Commission</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religious_censorship" title="Religious censorship">Religious censorship</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-Ask_Mick_Lasalle-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Ask_Mick_Lasalle_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Ask_Mick_Lasalle_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFLasalle2016" class="citation news cs1">Lasalle, Mick (March 20, 2016). "Ask Mick Lasalle". <i>San Francisco Chronicle</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=San+Francisco+Chronicle&rft.atitle=Ask+Mick+Lasalle&rft.date=2016-03-20&rft.aulast=Lasalle&rft.aufirst=Mick&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-time-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-time_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-time_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-time_2-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,762190-1,00.html">"Religion: Legion of Decency", <i>Time</i>, June 11, 1934</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Dick-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Dick_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Dick_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Dick_3-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Vp7i1FSO4g8C&pg=PA79">Dick, Bernard F., <i>Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell</i>, Univ. Press of Mississippi, September 18, 2009, p. 79</a><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781604731392" title="Special:BookSources/9781604731392">9781604731392</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Butters-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Butters_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Butters_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Butters, Gerard R. <i>Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915-1966</i>. University of Missouri Press 2007, p. 149 <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8262-1749-3" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-8262-1749-3">978-0-8262-1749-3</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1908/12/25/105016765.pdf">Picture Shows All Out of Business</a></i>. The New York Times, December 25, 1908.<span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="Public Domain" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/12px-PD-icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/18px-PD-icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/24px-PD-icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="196" data-file-height="196" /></span></span> This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the <a href="/wiki/Public_domain" title="Public domain">public domain</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Sklar-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Sklar_6-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSklar1994" class="citation book cs1">Sklar, Robert (1994). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=N4WLDQAAQBAJ"><i>Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies</i></a> (2nd ed.). New York City: Vintage Books. pp. <span class="nowrap">31–</span>32. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-679-75549-7" title="Special:BookSources/0-679-75549-7"><bdi>0-679-75549-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Movie-Made+America%3A+A+Cultural+History+of+American+Movies&rft.place=New+York+City&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E31-%3C%2Fspan%3E32&rft.edition=2nd&rft.pub=Vintage+Books&rft.date=1994&rft.isbn=0-679-75549-7&rft.aulast=Sklar&rft.aufirst=Robert&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DN4WLDQAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Chris-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Chris_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFChris2012" class="citation journal cs1">Chris, Cynthia (2012). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.academia.edu/6752337">"Censoring Purity"</a></span>. <i><a href="/wiki/Camera_Obscura_(journal)" title="Camera Obscura (journal)">Camera Obscura</a></i>. <b>27</b> (1 (79)). <a href="/wiki/Duke_University_Press" title="Duke University Press">Duke University Press</a>: <span class="nowrap">97–</span>98, 105. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1215%2F02705346-1533457">10.1215/02705346-1533457</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0270-5346">0270-5346</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">13 June</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Camera+Obscura&rft.atitle=Censoring+Purity&rft.volume=27&rft.issue=1+%2879%29&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E97-%3C%2Fspan%3E98%2C+105&rft.date=2012&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1215%2F02705346-1533457&rft.issn=0270-5346&rft.aulast=Chris&rft.aufirst=Cynthia&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.academia.edu%2F6752337&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Butters, Gerard R. <i>Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915-1966</i>. University of Missouri Press 2007 <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8262-1749-3" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-8262-1749-3">978-0-8262-1749-3</a>, page 151</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Doherty, Thomas Patrick. <i>Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934</i>. New York: Columbia University Press 1999. p. 6 <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-231-11094-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-231-11094-4">0-231-11094-4</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Leff-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Leff_10-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Leff_10-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLeffSimmons2001" class="citation book cs1">Leff, Leonard J.; Simmons, Jerold L. (2001). <i>The Dame in the Kimono: Hollywood, Censorship, and the Production Code</i>. University Press of Kentucky. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0813190118" title="Special:BookSources/0813190118"><bdi>0813190118</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Dame+in+the+Kimono%3A+Hollywood%2C+Censorship%2C+and+the+Production+Code&rft.pub=University+Press+of+Kentucky&rft.date=2001&rft.isbn=0813190118&rft.aulast=Leff&rft.aufirst=Leonard+J.&rft.au=Simmons%2C+Jerold+L.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-walk-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-walk_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-walk_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://walkoffame.com/will-h-hays/">"Will H. Hays", Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Prince, Stephen (2003). <i>Classical Film Violence: Designing and Regulating Brutality in Hollywood Cinema, 1930–1968</i>. Rutgers University Press, p. 20 <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8135-3281-7" title="Special:BookSources/0-8135-3281-7">0-8135-3281-7</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Hollywood-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Hollywood_13-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=4OBepfVJOeEC&pg=PA301">Lewis, Jon. <i>Hollywood V. Hard Core: How the Struggle Over Censorship Created the Modern Film Industry</i>. NYU Press, 2002 pp. 301–302</a> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780814751435" title="Special:BookSources/9780814751435">9780814751435</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-endres-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-endres_14-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/554/faith-focus/dan-lord-hollywood-priest">Endres, David J., "Dan Lord, Hollywood Priest", <i>America</i>, December 12, 2005</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://mppda.flinders.edu.au/people/496">"Martin Quigley", MPPDA Digital Archives</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Prince (2003), p. 21.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Doherty, Thomas Patrick. <i>Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934</i>. New York: Columbia University Press 1999. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-231-11094-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-231-11094-4">0-231-11094-4</a>, page 8</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/25/archives/catholics-oppose-film-censorship-archbishop-mcnicholas-holds-an.html">"Catholics Oppose Film Censorship; Archbishop McNicholas Holds an Aroused Public Opinion is Best Curb on Evil Movies. Not Against Amusement Church Not Asking 'Solemn Type of Picture,' Says Chairman of Bishops' Committee.", <i>The New York Times</i>, July 25, 1934</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:3-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-:3_19-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJohnson2010" class="citation book cs1">Johnson, William Bruce (2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/632170163"><i>Miracles & sacrilege : Roberto Rossellini, the church and film censorship in Hollywood</i></a>. Gibson Library Connections. Toronto [Ont.]: University of Toronto Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4426-8863-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-4426-8863-6"><bdi>978-1-4426-8863-6</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/632170163">632170163</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Miracles+%26+sacrilege+%3A+Roberto+Rossellini%2C+the+church+and+film+censorship+in+Hollywood&rft.place=Toronto+%5BOnt.%5D&rft.pub=University+of+Toronto+Press&rft.date=2010&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F632170163&rft.isbn=978-1-4426-8863-6&rft.aulast=Johnson&rft.aufirst=William+Bruce&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldcat.org%2Foclc%2F632170163&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/12/12/93658690.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false">"Catholics Differ Over Film Listing", <i>The New York Times</i>. December 12, 1934</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:4-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-:4_21-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWalsh1996" class="citation book cs1">Walsh, Frank (1996). <i>Sin and Censorship: The Catholic Church and the Motion Picture Industry</i>. Yale University press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0300063733" title="Special:BookSources/0300063733"><bdi>0300063733</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Sin+and+Censorship%3A+The+Catholic+Church+and+the+Motion+Picture+Industry&rft.pub=Yale+University+press&rft.date=1996&rft.isbn=0300063733&rft.aulast=Walsh&rft.aufirst=Frank&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">"A Candid Portrait of Hedy Lamarr", <i>Liberty</i> magazine, December 1938, pp. 18–19.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-gardner-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-gardner_23-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGardner1988" class="citation book cs1">Gardner, Gerald (1988). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/censorshippapers00gard/page/74"><i>The Censorship Papers: Movie Censorship Letters from the Hays Office, 1934 to 1968</i></a>. New York: Dodd Mead. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/censorshippapers00gard/page/74">74</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0396089032" title="Special:BookSources/978-0396089032"><bdi>978-0396089032</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Censorship+Papers%3A+Movie+Censorship+Letters+from+the+Hays+Office%2C+1934+to+1968&rft.place=New+York&rft.pages=74&rft.pub=Dodd+Mead&rft.date=1988&rft.isbn=978-0396089032&rft.aulast=Gardner&rft.aufirst=Gerald&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fcensorshippapers00gard%2Fpage%2F74&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:02-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:02_24-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:02_24-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.npr.org/2016/03/03/469041022/c-is-for-condemned-a-nun-looks-back-on-47-years-of-unholy-filmmaking">"C Is For 'Condemned': A Nun Looks Back On 47 Years Of Unholy Filmmaking"</a>. <i>NPR.org</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2021-05-03</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=NPR.org&rft.atitle=C+Is+For+%27Condemned%27%3A+A+Nun+Looks+Back+On+47+Years+Of+Unholy+Filmmaking&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2016%2F03%2F03%2F469041022%2Fc-is-for-condemned-a-nun-looks-back-on-47-years-of-unholy-filmmaking&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cripps, Thomas. <i>Hollywood's High Noon: Moviemaking and Society Before Television</i>. Baltimore, Maryland: <i>The Johns Hopkins University Press</i>, 1996. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8018-5315-9" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-8018-5315-9">978-0-8018-5315-9</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://libraries.catholic.edu//special-collections/archives/collections/finding-aids/finding-aids.html?file=ofb">"USCCB Communications Department, Library Collections, CUA</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:2-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-:2_27-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBlack1994" class="citation book cs1">Black, Gregory D. (1994). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/29565096"><i>Hollywood censored : morality codes, Catholics, and the movies</i></a>. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-45299-6" title="Special:BookSources/0-521-45299-6"><bdi>0-521-45299-6</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/29565096">29565096</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Hollywood+censored+%3A+morality+codes%2C+Catholics%2C+and+the+movies&rft.place=Cambridge+%5BEngland%5D&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=1994&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F29565096&rft.isbn=0-521-45299-6&rft.aulast=Black&rft.aufirst=Gregory+D.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldcat.org%2Foclc%2F29565096&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-pryors-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-pryors_28-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Pryors, Thomas S. (October 15, 1954). "Breen is Retired as Movie Censor; At Own Request, Director of Code Leaves Office -- Chief Aide Successor", <i><a href="/wiki/New_York_Times" class="mw-redirect" title="New York Times">New York Times</a></i>; accessed May 4, 2017.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Changing-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Changing_29-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Changing_29-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Changing_29-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,842279-1,00.html">"Roman Catholics: The Changing Legion of Decency", December 03, 1965</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:12-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-:12_30-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSkinner1993" class="citation book cs1">Skinner, James (1993). <i>The Cross and the Cinema: The Legion of Decency and the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures</i>. Praeger. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0387519181" title="Special:BookSources/0387519181"><bdi>0387519181</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Cross+and+the+Cinema%3A+The+Legion+of+Decency+and+the+National+Catholic+Office+for+Motion+Pictures&rft.pub=Praeger&rft.date=1993&rft.isbn=0387519181&rft.aulast=Skinner&rft.aufirst=James&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-31">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,762190,00.html">"Religion: Legion of Decency"</a>. <i>Time</i>. June 11, 1934<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">January 10,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Time&rft.atitle=Religion%3A+Legion+of+Decency&rft.date=1934-06-11&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fcontent.time.com%2Ftime%2Fmagazine%2Farticle%2F0%2C9171%2C762190%2C00.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1940/02/20/archives/the-screen-in-review-zolas-the-human-beast-comes-to-55th-street-as.html">Nugent Frank S., "The Screen in Review; Zola's 'The Human Beast' Comes to 55th Street as a Somber and Powerful French Film by Jean Renoir", <i>The New York Times</i>, February 20, 1940</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFUpi1981" class="citation news cs1">Upi (1981-12-12). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/12/movies/catholic-church-alters-its-film-rating-system.html">"CATHOLIC CHURCH ALTERS ITS FILM-RATING SYSTEM"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331">0362-4331</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-02-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=CATHOLIC+CHURCH+ALTERS+ITS+FILM-RATING+SYSTEM&rft.date=1981-12-12&rft.issn=0362-4331&rft.au=Upi&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F1981%2F12%2F12%2Fmovies%2Fcatholic-church-alters-its-film-rating-system.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:0-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_34-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_34-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_34-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_34-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_34-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFUniversity" class="citation web cs1">University, Catholic. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://libraries.catholic.edu//special-collections/archives/collections/finding-aid.html">"Finding Aids"</a>. <i>The Catholic University of America</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Catholic+University+of+America&rft.atitle=Finding+Aids&rft.aulast=University&rft.aufirst=Catholic&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Flibraries.catholic.edu%2F%2Fspecial-collections%2Farchives%2Fcollections%2Ffinding-aid.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Green, Jonathon. <i>The Encyclopedia of Censorship</i>. New York: Facts on File, 1990. Print.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-36">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Legion-of-Decency">"Legion of Decency | American organization"</a>. <i>Encyclopedia Britannica</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Encyclopedia+Britannica&rft.atitle=Legion+of+Decency+%26%23124%3B+American+organization&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Ftopic%2FLegion-of-Decency&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Donnelly, Gerald B. "The Motion Picture and the Legion of Decency." The Public Opinion Quarterly 2.1, Special Supplement: Public Opinion in a Democracy (1938): 42–44. JSTOR. Web.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-38">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Foerstel, Herbert N. "One A Brief History of Media Censorship." <i>Banned in the Media: A Reference Guide to Censorship in the Press, Motion Pictures, Broadcasting, and the Internet</i>. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998. <sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources"><span title="Please supply an ISBN for this book.">ISBN missing</span></a></i>]</sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources"><span title="This citation requires a reference to the specific page or range of pages in which the material appears. (September 2020)">page needed</span></a></i>]</sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-39">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">"United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-40">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">"USCCB – Film and Broadcasting –Archived Movie Reviews." n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-41">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220504165043/https://www.catholicnews.com/catholic-news-service-to-cease-domestic-operations-at-years-end/">"Catholic News Service to cease domestic operations at year's end"</a>. May 4, 2022. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.catholicnews.com/catholic-news-service-to-cease-domestic-operations-at-years-end/">the original</a> on May 4, 2022.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Catholic+News+Service+to+cease+domestic+operations+at+year%27s+end&rft.date=2022-05-04&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicnews.com%2Fcatholic-news-service-to-cease-domestic-operations-at-years-end%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFZimmermann2022" class="citation web cs1">Zimmermann, Carol (7 July 2022). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220708180041/https://catholicnews.com/our-sunday-visitor-announces-launch-of-new-catholic-news-service-in-2023/">"Our Sunday Visitor announces launch of new Catholic news service in 2023"</a>. <i>Catholic News Service</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://catholicnews.com/our-sunday-visitor-announces-launch-of-new-catholic-news-service-in-2023/">the original</a> on 2022-07-08<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-03-01</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Catholic+News+Service&rft.atitle=Our+Sunday+Visitor+announces+launch+of+new+Catholic+news+service+in+2023&rft.date=2022-07-07&rft.aulast=Zimmermann&rft.aufirst=Carol&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fcatholicnews.com%2Four-sunday-visitor-announces-launch-of-new-catholic-news-service-in-2023%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANational+Legion+of+Decency" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Black, Greg. <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ybKqnNNR7hwC">Hollywood Censored: Morality Codes, Catholics and Movies</a></i>: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 1994: <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-45299-6" title="Special:BookSources/0-521-45299-6">0-521-45299-6</a></li> <li>Black, Greg. <i>Catholic Crusade Against the Movies: 1940–1975</i>: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 1998: <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-62905-5" title="Special:BookSources/0-521-62905-5">0-521-62905-5</a></li> <li>Facey, Paul. <i>The Legion of Decency: A Sociological Analysis of the Emergence and Development of a Pressure Group</i>: New York: Arno Press: 1974: <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-405-04871-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-405-04871-8">0-405-04871-8</a></li> <li>Skinner, James. <i>The Cross and the Cinema: The Legion of Decency and the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures: 1933–1970</i>: Westport, Conn: Praegar 1993: <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-275-94193-0" title="Special:BookSources/0-275-94193-0">0-275-94193-0</a></li> <li>Walsh, Frank. <i>Sin and Censorship: The Catholic Church and the Motion Picture Industry:</i> New Haven: Yale University Press: 1996: <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-300-06373-3" title="Special:BookSources/0-300-06373-3">0-300-06373-3</a></li> <li>Wittern-Keller, Laure and Haberski, Raymond. <i>The Miracle Case: Film Censorship and the Supreme Court:</i> Kansas: University Press of Kansas: 2008: <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7006-1619-0" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-7006-1619-0">978-0-7006-1619-0</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=National_Legion_of_Decency&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070611011921/http://www.oscars.org/mhl/sc/nationall_122.html">The National Legion of Decency Collection</a> at the <a href="/wiki/Academy_of_Motion_Picture_Arts_and_Sciences" title="Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences">Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</a> (archived)</li> <li><span class="official-website"><span class="url"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.usccb.org/movies">Official website</a></span></span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150905202600/http://www.catholicnews.com/about-cns-movie-reviews.cfm">Official ratings criteria</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist 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td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1038841319">.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1038841319"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-labelledby="Authority_control_databases_frameless&#124;text-top&#124;10px&#124;alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata&#124;link=https&#58;//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2386940#identifiers&#124;class=noprint&#124;Edit_this_at_Wikidata1511" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><div id="Authority_control_databases_frameless&#124;text-top&#124;10px&#124;alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata&#124;link=https&#58;//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2386940#identifiers&#124;class=noprint&#124;Edit_this_at_Wikidata1511" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Help:Authority_control" title="Help:Authority control">Authority control databases</a> <span class="mw-valign-text-top noprint" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2386940#identifiers" title="Edit this at Wikidata"><img alt="Edit this at Wikidata" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png" decoding="async" width="10" height="10" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="20" data-file-height="20" /></a></span></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">International</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://isni.org/isni/0000000110096892">ISNI</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://viaf.org/viaf/124481114">VIAF</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">National</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n92118984">United States</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb155170954">France</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://data.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb155170954">BnF data</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip tooltip-dotted" title="National Legion of Decency"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://aleph.nkp.cz/F/?func=find-c&local_base=aut&ccl_term=ica=ko2004244046&CON_LNG=ENG">Czech Republic</a></span></span><ul><li><span class="uid"><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip tooltip-dotted" title="National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures (Spojené státy americké)"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://aleph.nkp.cz/F/?func=find-c&local_base=aut&ccl_term=ica=ko2004244047&CON_LNG=ENG">2</a></span></span></li></ul></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nli.org.il/en/authorities/987007604574305171">Israel</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.idref.fr/137285825">IdRef</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?useformat=desktop&type=1x1&usesul3=0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" 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