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'Dropping the Pilot
Cut Profanity Out Of Comedies
HERE seems tn be a growing tendency in tlie films to capitalize profanity. If persisted in, this is going to make for censorship troubles.
This does not in any way apply to "What Price Glory." That war picture, along with several others, depicts men under the stress of war conditions, and it would materially weaken the play to let them visibly enunciate "Goodness gracious!" in their moments of stress. Here an elision of rough language would weaken the picture materially.
Necessary profanity, not too clearly apparent, cannot be objected to by others than the extreme radicals, but profanity or vulgarity in comedies needlessly resorted to for the sole purpose of gaining a laugh is objectionable in the extreme. And its use in this connection is increasing.
In half a dozen of the current comedy productions there are scenes where someone employs the expression which "Trampas" in "The Virginian" was warned to accompany with a smile. The words are unmistakable and it is clearly the intent of the director that they should be.
This is all wa'ong. Old time comedians know that they always could get a laugh with the use of profanity. There was an almost immediate unfavorable reaction, but so long as the laugh was obtained the comedian did not consider the after efifect.
Keith vaudeville largely did away with this condition, and vaudeville prospered. Now the condition appears in pictures and should call for immediate elimination.
Profanity and vulgarism may gain a passing laugh, but those laughs may cost us dearly in the long run. Ten or twelve years ago there was a drive against uncouth language in the films when it was discovered that many persons were more or less expert at lip reading, and for a time rough language was dropped. Last season there was a quick response when the device was used in one comedy. This year there have been numerous examples, and the practice seems to be growing.
There can be no objection to the suggestion of the use of appropriate language by a rough character in a drama, but when careful enunciation gives stress to the exact words in a comedy it is both an exhibition of poor taste and a confession of weakness.
The studio powers should eliminate this use before the civil authorities are moved to action.