User:Brendanhoffsauce/sandbox

Struggle for License The film industry revolves around certain formulas and general rules for what was okay to talk about. Some producers tested and pushed the limits of society to promote new ideas, however, those who create these hard pressing issues are not members of the Association of Motion Picture Producers. Instead of being backed by this organization, the Foy Productions was forced to present the film to state censorship boards located in New York, Ohio, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.

This film received a lot of negative attention for it's prominent themes of genetic alcoholism, deformed offspring, and sterilization. The film was only approved in Pennsylvania and Ohio. (Photoplay) Since “Tomorrow’s Children” deliberately ignored the standard rules of the industry, of leaving these controversial topics alone, the film was denied it's license and there was a lot of effort devoted to the delaying of its production. The Producers’ Association was responsible for most of the obstacles in the film’s course (The New Movie Magazine).

The original decision to ban the film came from Censor Irwin Esmond and Dr. Frank Graves in the State Education department. The Applelate Division of the Supreme Court backed Esmond and Graves with 3 votes in favor of the ban and 2 against it. Years later in 1938, Foy Productions urged the US appeals court to revisit “Tomorrow’s Children”, especially in New York. Frederick Crane, of the appeals court, screened the film along with 6 others to decide its future in the empire state (The Film Daily).

Social Issues The film has a very prominent theme of sterilization, taking away the ability to reproduce and thus ending parentage and future offspring. In the early 20th century, the US was flooded with ideals revolving eugenics. Eugenics is the idea that by through selective breeding and sterilization, we would grow as a population and remove the seemingly negative traits. By this selective process, we would essentially be able to create offspring who all resemble each other.

In 1927 US declared that it is in favor of these horrific eugenic processes. Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes, wrote, “...society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind.” This quote would be later used against the US during the Nazi trials. Because the film is a reflection on the evils of society, it went against the status quo and took a stand. Criticizing sterilization and eugenic activities meant also criticizing the standard thought in American culture.

Barely a month after “Tomorrow’s Children” was released, one of history’s most infamous eugenic icons, Adolf Hitler became the recognized sole-leader of Germany on August 19, 1934. As Hitler began his conquest through Germany, sterilizing the bloodlines of different races and religions of people. Hitler’s ideals revolved around humanity becoming its purest by removing the parts he deemed unworthy. Foy Productions was able to condense one of the most well known tragedies of history and relate the same message through the sterilization of Diane Sinclair in “Tomorrow’s Children.” (History News Network)

The wiki page is already existing and its just a stub. I plan on going into more research about the license in NY and Foy productions as a whole.