On June 13, 1934, an amendment to the Code was adopted, which established the Production Code Administration (PCA) and required all films released on or after July 1, 1934, to obtain a Seal of Approval before being released.
Leave it to the cartoonists of The New Yorker to find the humor in such moral high-handedness. And, in this case specifically, leave it to James Thurber, whose original cartoon art on the subject was sold yesterday at Heritage Auctions. He does have a way with domestic scenes.
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| "She's out of fix because they've cleaned up the movies." Original art James Thurber The New Yorker, September 29, 1934, p. 13 |
What a great idea it was for Thurber to portray the indignation of the young girl here—she still has a doll!—the very sort of person the Hays Code was allegedly trying to protect.
To me, it's an odd turn of phrase to say, "out of fix." It sounds wrong to my ear, but I take it to be close to "out of joint" or "bent out of shape."
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| "She's out of fix because they've cleaned up the movies." Framed, original art James Thurber The New Yorker, September 29, 1934, p. 13 |
"October 6th or before," reads the notation on the back. The New Yorker knew it had a timely cartoon on its hands. It was published in the September 29 issue while the topic was still fresh in the public's mind.
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| Verso |
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James Thurber Heritage Auctions listing accessed 22 days before the sale
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The present work, of course, translates well onto the printed pages of The New Yorker:
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| "She's out of fix because they've cleaned up the movies." James Thurber The New Yorker, September 29, 1934, p. 13 |
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| "She's out of fix because they've cleaned up the movies." Original art James Thurber The New Yorker, September 29, 1934, p. 13 |
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| With cartoons by Alan Dunn and James Thurber |
Sold!
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On the page opposite the Thurber drawing, that old romancer Alan Dunne gets a little forward with the body language. Thurber's body language by comparison is rather restrained, at least in this issue.
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| "Go on, don't give me that personality stuff!" Alan Dunn The New Yorker, September 29, 1934, p. 12 |
Note: This blog will remain out of fix indefinitely.
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