Catholic Legion of Decency

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The Catholic Legion of Decency was a U.S. Catholic organization founded in the 1930s that sought to combat immorality in films by rating and pressuring Hollywood productions according to strict moral standards.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Catholic organization
film censorship organization
pressure group
activeInDecade 1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
activity advising Catholic audiences on film choices
issuing public condemnations of films
lobbying film studios
organizing boycotts of objectionable films
rating motion pictures for moral content
CMeans condemned
collaboratedWith United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
surface form: "U.S. Catholic bishops"
country United States of America
surface form: "United States"
declinePeriod 1960s
fieldOfWork film morality
media ethics
focus blasphemy in films
depictions of marriage and family
sexual content in films
violence in films
founded 1933
hadImpactOn film distribution in heavily Catholic areas
studio decisions about film content
headquartersLocation United States of America
surface form: "United States"
ideology Catholic moral conservatism
influenced Hollywood film production codes
Motion Picture Production Code
surface form: "Motion Picture Production Code enforcement"
laterName Catholic Legion of Decency
surface form: "National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures"
opposed adultery portrayed sympathetically
nudity in films
profanity in films
ridicule of religion in films
opposedBy free speech advocates
some filmmakers and producers
organizedBy American Catholic hierarchy
pledgeDescription Catholics pledged to avoid films rated as condemned
purpose combat perceived immorality in motion pictures
influence Hollywood film content
promote Catholic moral standards in film
ratingDescription A rating indicated a film was morally unobjectionable
B rating indicated a film was morally objectionable in part
C rating indicated a film was condemned
religiousAffiliation Roman Catholicism
surface form: "Roman Catholic Church"
requiredPledgeFrom Catholic laity
usedRatingSystem A rating
B rating
C rating

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Motion Picture Production Code influencedBy Catholic Legion of Decency
Catholic Legion of Decency laterName Catholic Legion of Decency
this entity surface form: "National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures"
Production Code Administration supervisedBy Catholic Legion of Decency
this entity surface form: "Catholic Legion of Decency (informally influenced)"

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