Whats the Hays Code?
Good question. Well, the short of it is, in the 1930’s, there was a law or code passed in the film industry to “clean up” the morality of movies. This also meant that cartoons were subjected to the same restrictions. If you notice the movies of that era – there isn’t any sex or explicitly violent scenes (things, at their very worst, are done in shadow), but drips with sexual innuendo. Racy folks those old-timers, were. Betty Boop cartoons weren’t just for the kids – the running gag with Betty is that she always seems to be losing her clothing; her already-short skirt rises up, her blouses/dresses either fly off her body, or fall down her body. The woman just can’t seem to keep her clothes on. These aren’t exactly wholesome situations, n’est-ce pas? The thing is – by our standards, today, these cartoons don’t seem all that risque. Although, they certainly have their moments and I was actually surprised that these were as racy as they were for 1932, when they were produced. I suppose the
