[78-L] ^Hays Office query off topic

[Michael Biel]

On 8/2/2011 6:37 PM, Julian Vein wrote:
> Just watched "Crime Wave" (aka "The City Is Dark"), 1954. It showed Gene
> Nelson and Phyllis Kirk sharing the same bed. I understood this to be a
> no-no under the Hays Code, unless the couple were actually married to
> each other in real life, which these two weren't. I note that Hays died
> in 1954, so was this the start of "The Hollywood Spring"?
>
>        Julian Vein

Hays retired in 1945, so when he died is moot.  However, he was 
succeeded by Eric Johnston who himself died in 1963, leaving the office 
vacant until Jack Valenti took over in May 1966.  But I am not sure that 
the bed rule had not been relaxed by then anyway.  It was no longer the 
1930s.  The rule was still in force on TV but even by then it probably 
was becoming looser.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com