Will H. Hays President of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America Will H. Hays. (more) Hays Code Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/art/Hays-Code Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/art/Hays-Code Also known as: Hays Production Code, Motion Picture Production Code Written by Jordana Rosenfeld Jordana Rosenfeld is a copy editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Jordana Rosenfeld Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Oct 28, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Official name: Motion Picture Production Code (Show more) Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Hays Code, set of guidelines, self-imposed by Hollywood studios, regulating the moral content of films produced from 1934 to 1968. The Hays Code forbade the use of profanity, obscenity, and racial slurs and included detailed instructions outlining how certain topics should be shown on screen, especially proscribing graphic violence, criminality, substance use, promiscuity, miscegenation, and homosexuality. It was replaced in 1968 by the motion-picture rating system still in use today. The Code was quite detailed and was revised many times over its lifespan, but it consistently followed three general principles intended to safeguard the “moral obligations” of the motion picture: ...(100 of 1514 words)

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