Judge, 1922-02-04 · page 6 of 36
Judge — February 4, 1922 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page satirizes Hollywood film censorship regulations, likely from the 1920s-30s era when moral oversight boards heavily restricted movie content. The cartoon illustration shows a man in formal wear being cast away on a desert island by two women—a visual joke accompanying the headline "Final Official Rules for Movie Directors." The nine numbered rules mock actual censorship restrictions by presenting absurdly specific prohibitions: kisses must use quarter-inch beaver board, married couples can't share beds, dance scenes require four-inch life preservers, ministers can't fall from grace, no "vamps," and bathing suits must be one-piece. The satire critiques how invasive and ridiculous these moral codes had become, particularly their puritanical control over romantic and bodily representation. The castaway image reinforces how filmmakers felt exiled by these restrictions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
t } moe 0 A No young .ady shall be cast away on a desert isle unaccompanied by her legal guardians, Final Official Rules for Movie Directors By James MontcomMery FLacG Illustrations by the Author 1, No kisses between lovers except through quarter-inch Beaver Board. If between mother and child it must be shown either through titles or screen action that both parties are free from colds. 2. If aman and a woman are shown in any room containing a folding, twin, day, double, daven- port or single bed, chaise-longue, divan, sofa, lounge or couch a framed marriage certificate must be shown on the wall in a close-up. 3. If Romeo and Juliet are screened it must be shown conclusively, after Juliet has gone out on the balcony and Romeo has ascended to her, that the French windows have been closed and bolted behind her and a close-up of a Holmes protective signal installed. 4. If a dance scene is shown every female par- ticipant must be disclosed in a four-inch life preserver. Males must wear boxing gloves. 5. If a scriptural legend is portrayed involv- ing the turning of water into wine it must be shown that the water was turned into lemonade. 6. If a misunderstood and over-tempted wife accepts the villain’s invitation to meet him in “his rooms” for a little supper at midnight, his rooms must be either the grand foyer of the Metropolitan Opera House or the Main Con- course of the Penn Station. 7. No minister must be shown as having fallen from grace, because it would be untrue to life. And the sublime object of this Board is to help you to portray Life truly in its every aspect—as we think it should be. 8. There shall be no filming of characters popu- larly known as “vamps,” as they are, of course, merely the figments of depraved imagination. No young woman shall wear tea gowns except those made of linoleum, buttoning just below the ears. 9. One-piece bathing suits for women will still