Motion pictures; a study in social legislation (1922)

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A STUDY IN SOCIAL LEGISLATION 27 sylvania board. It was distributed in its uncensored form throughout 44 States of the Union." x Cr again: "A girl is kidnapped from the house of a rich American in Egypt by an Egyptian 'nobleman' whom she has refused to marry, and carried to a 'house of infamy.' A young dragoman, the butler in the house, discovers the kidnapping and goes after the girl to the 'house of infamy,' where he dances in a sensuous scene with a prostitute in his arms, whom he finally locks in a chest. So he is able to rescue the girl just as she, half clad, is being forcibly caressed in a most sensual manner on a bed in another room in the house of the Egyptian. Later on he kills the Egyptian in revenge and the rich American marries the girl. "(NOTE—The Maryland Board of Censors saved this picture from being even far worse by four most necessary eliminations. But the film goes practically uncensored in its worst form throughout the country, except in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kansas.)" Florida, New York and Virginia have since been added to the list of States which have censorship. These synopses were picked at random from the thirteen reported in the Baltimore Sun. They are neither better nor worse than the others. While they must not be considered as typical of the majority of films released for public showing, it must be remembered that they are representative of a relatively large number of plays shown in the districts which have censor- 1 Apparently the motion picture interests do not consider such pictures undesirable for to the best of Doctor Twombley's knowledge the forfeit was never paid. The wording of the challenge which appeared in an advertisemens in the Baltimore News was in part as follows: "If you can point to a single motion-picture house in Baltimore which shows the class of plays that you describe, I shall consider it my profound duty to co-operate with you in a vigorous effort to prevent further exhibition of such films If it be proved that any picture we show or have shown " (in certain specified theatres) "might have a tendency to corrupt the Public Morals, I will give $1,000 to any charitable institution you may designate." Quoted by Howard A. Kelly, in "The Movie Evil," in the Supplement to The Christian Citizen, Towson, Md., Vol. IV, No. 11, November, 1920.