Film Censorship in America

Since the first films played in nickelodeons, controversial movies have been cut or banned across the United States. Far from Hollywood, regional productions such as Oscar Micheaux’s provocative race films and Nell Shipman’s wildlife adventures were censored by men like Major M.L.C. Funkhouser, the terror of Chicago’s cinemas, and Myrtelle Snell, the Alabama administrator who made the slogan “Banned in Birmingham” famous. Censorship continues today, with Utah’s case against Deadpool (2016) pending in federal court and Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills (2013) versus the Texas Film Commission. This authoritative state-by-state account covers the history of film censorship and the battle for free speech in America.

Jeremy Geltzer is a Los Angeles based entertainment and intellectual property attorney who has worked for major movie studios, including Paramount, Warner Bros., and Lionsgate. Prior to his legal career, Geltzer was a writer and producer at Turner Classic Movies.

Jeremy Geltzer
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 244
Bibliographic Info: 105 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6952-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3012-0
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments  v
Introduction  1
Alabama  3
Alaska  7
Arizona  11
Arkansas  14
California  18
Colorado  24
Connecticut  27
Delaware  30
Florida  33
Georgia  37
Hawaii  43
Idaho  46
Illinois  50
Indiana  56
Iowa  59
Kansas  62
Kentucky  66
Louisiana  69
Maine  74
Maryland  79
Massachusetts  84
Michigan  89
Minnesota  93
Mississippi  98
Missouri  102
Montana  104
Nebraska  108
Nevada  111
New Hampshire  115
New Jersey  118
New Mexico  122
New York  125
North Carolina  132
North Dakota  138
Ohio  140
Oklahoma  146
Oregon  150
Pennsylvania  153
Rhode Island  158
South Carolina  162
South Dakota  164
Tennessee  168
Texas  173
Utah  180
Vermont  183
Virginia  185
Washington  190
West Virginia  193
Wisconsin  196
Wyoming  199
Conclusion  203
Chapter Notes  205
Bibliography  227
Index  229

“The result of formidable research, this book traces the way each state in the union dealt with censorship from the earliest days of silent films to the present day…in tracking down these particulars, author Geltzer unearthed interesting details about regional film production around the country…this book should prove useful.”–Leonard Maltin