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Banned in Boston

December 07, 2023

For other uses, see Banned in Boston (disambiguation).

"Banned in Boston" is a phrase that was employed from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, to describe a literary work, song, motion picture, or play which had been prohibited from distribution or exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts. During this period, Boston officials had wide authority to ban works featuring "objectionable" content, and often banned works with sexual content or foul language. This even extended to the $5 bill from the 1896 "Educational" series of banknotes featuring allegorical figures that were partially nude.

History edit

Boston was founded in the early 17th century by Puritans, who held strict moral standards. Boston's second major wave of immigrants, Irish Catholics, began arriving in the 1820s and also held conservative moral beliefs, particularly regarding sex.[1]

Early instances of works being "banned in Boston" extend back at least to the year 1651. That year, William Pynchon, the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts—Massachusetts' great settlement in the Connecticut River Valley—and the former treasurer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote a book criticizing Puritanism entitled The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption. Boston, founded by Puritans and, at that time ruled as a de jure theocracy, banned Pynchon's book and pressed him to return to England. He did so in 1652, which nearly caused Springfield to align with the nearby Connecticut Colony.[2]

This reputation persisted throughout the Puritan era. In 1700 an objection to the religious doctrines of Increase Mather carried with it an advertisement that Boston publishers had refused to print it out of fear of Mather. This advertisement caused such an uproar in Boston that many half-hearted denials by Boston printers were collected and printed by Mather's party.[3]

The phrase "banned in Boston", however, originated in the late 19th century at a time when American moral crusader Anthony Comstock began a campaign to suppress vice.[4] He found widespread support in Boston, particularly among upper-class officials.[1][4] Comstock was also known as the proponent of the Comstock Act, which prevented obscene materials from being delivered by the U.S. mail.[5]

Following Comstock's lead, Boston's city officials took it upon themselves to ban anything that they found to be salacious, inappropriate, or offensive. Aiding them in their efforts was a group of private citizens, the Boston Watch and Ward Society.[1] Theatrical shows were run out of town, books were confiscated, and motion pictures were prevented from being shown; sometimes movies were stopped mid-showing, after an official had "seen enough". In 1935, for example, during the opening performance of Clifford Odets' play Waiting for Lefty, four cast members were placed under arrest.[1]

This movement had several unintended consequences. One was that Boston, a cultural center since its founding, was perceived as less sophisticated than other cities without stringent censorship practices.[1] Another was that the phrase "banned in Boston" became associated, in the popular mind, with something lurid, sexy, and naughty. Commercial distributors were often pleased when their works were banned in Boston—it gave them more appeal elsewhere.[1]

Literary figure H. L. Mencken was arrested in Boston in 1926, after purposely selling a banned issue of his magazine The American Mercury. Though his case was dismissed by a local judge and he later won a lawsuit against the Watch and Ward Society for illegal restraint of trade, the effort did little to affect censorship in Boston.[6] Strange Fruit, the novel of forbidden interracial romance by Lillian Smith, was also banned by the Watch and Ward Society, and, in 1929, Boston's mayor Malcolm Nichols and the city censor banned Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Strange Interlude.[7]

During the same era, there were also periodic "purity campaigns" on radio, as individual stations decided to ban songs with double-entendres or alleged vulgar lyrics. One victim of such a campaign was bandleader Joe Rines who, in November 1931, was cut off in mid-song by John L. Clark, program director of WBZ, for performing a number called "This is the Missus", whose lyrics Clark deemed inappropriate. Rines was indignant, saying he believed Clark was over-reacting to a totally innocent song, but Clark insisted he was right to ban any song whose lyrics might be construed as suggestive.[8]

The Warren Court (1953–69) expanded civil liberties and in Memoirs v. Massachusetts and other cases curtailed the ability of municipalities to regulate the content of literature, plays, and movies. The last major literary censorship battle in the U.S. was fought over Naked Lunch, which was banned in Boston in 1965.[9] Eventually the Watch and Ward Society changed its name to the New England Citizens Crime Commission, and made its main emphasis against gambling and drugs and far less on media.[6]

Works banned edit

In four final cases the bans were overturned in court:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Miller, Neil (October 13, 2010). Banned in Boston: The Watch and Ward Society?s Crusade against Books, Burlesque, and the Social Evil. Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0-8070-5113-9. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  2. ^ "Springfield's 375th: From Puritans to presidents". MassLive.com. May 9, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  3. ^ Thomas, Isaiah (1874). The History of Printing in America: With a Biography of Printers, and an Account of Newspapers. J. Munsell, printer. p. 291.
  4. ^ a b Paul D. Buchanan. The American Women's Rights Movement. p. 75.
  5. ^ The Comstock Act 17 Stat. 598
  6. ^ a b "Mass Moments: H.L. Mencken Arrested in Boston". Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
  7. ^ "Strange Interlude Forbidden in Boston". Boston Herald, September 17, 1929, p. 1.
  8. ^ "Purity Crusade Cuts Rines Off". Springfield (MA) Republican, November 25, 1931, p. 8.
  9. ^ a b Michael J. Dittman (2007). Masterpieces of Beat Literature. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-313-33283-8. banned in boston naked lunch.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Books and plays banned in Boston". boston.com. NY Times Co. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  11. ^ "The Everly Brothers, 'Wake Up Little Susie'". 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  12. ^ Brown, G. (2004). Colorado Rocks!: A Half-century of Music in Colorado. Pruett Publishing. pp. 1963–. ISBN 978-0-87108-930-4.
  13. ^ Taylor, Robert (August 3, 1969). "The politics of pornography in Boston". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014.
  14. ^ Stephen Vaughn (2006). Freedom and Entertainment: Rating the Movies in an Age of New Media. Cambridge University Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-521-85258-6.

Further reading edit

  • Paul S. Boyer (1963). "Boston Book Censorship in the Twenties". American Quarterly. 15 (1): 3–24. doi:10.2307/2710264. JSTOR 2710264.

December 07, 2023
banned, boston, other, uses, disambiguation, phrase, that, employed, from, late, 19th, century, through, 20th, century, describe, literary, work, song, motion, picture, play, which, been, prohibited, from, distribution, exhibition, boston, massachusetts, durin. For other uses see Banned in Boston disambiguation Banned in Boston is a phrase that was employed from the late 19th century through the mid 20th century to describe a literary work song motion picture or play which had been prohibited from distribution or exhibition in Boston Massachusetts During this period Boston officials had wide authority to ban works featuring objectionable content and often banned works with sexual content or foul language This even extended to the 5 bill from the 1896 Educational series of banknotes featuring allegorical figures that were partially nude Contents 1 History 2 Works banned 3 See also 4 References 5 Further readingHistory editBoston was founded in the early 17th century by Puritans who held strict moral standards Boston s second major wave of immigrants Irish Catholics began arriving in the 1820s and also held conservative moral beliefs particularly regarding sex 1 Early instances of works being banned in Boston extend back at least to the year 1651 That year William Pynchon the founder of Springfield Massachusetts Massachusetts great settlement in the Connecticut River Valley and the former treasurer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony wrote a book criticizing Puritanism entitled The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption Boston founded by Puritans and at that time ruled as a de jure theocracy banned Pynchon s book and pressed him to return to England He did so in 1652 which nearly caused Springfield to align with the nearby Connecticut Colony 2 This reputation persisted throughout the Puritan era In 1700 an objection to the religious doctrines of Increase Mather carried with it an advertisement that Boston publishers had refused to print it out of fear of Mather This advertisement caused such an uproar in Boston that many half hearted denials by Boston printers were collected and printed by Mather s party 3 The phrase banned in Boston however originated in the late 19th century at a time when American moral crusader Anthony Comstock began a campaign to suppress vice 4 He found widespread support in Boston particularly among upper class officials 1 4 Comstock was also known as the proponent of the Comstock Act which prevented obscene materials from being delivered by the U S mail 5 Following Comstock s lead Boston s city officials took it upon themselves to ban anything that they found to be salacious inappropriate or offensive Aiding them in their efforts was a group of private citizens the Boston Watch and Ward Society 1 Theatrical shows were run out of town books were confiscated and motion pictures were prevented from being shown sometimes movies were stopped mid showing after an official had seen enough In 1935 for example during the opening performance of Clifford Odets play Waiting for Lefty four cast members were placed under arrest 1 This movement had several unintended consequences One was that Boston a cultural center since its founding was perceived as less sophisticated than other cities without stringent censorship practices 1 Another was that the phrase banned in Boston became associated in the popular mind with something lurid sexy and naughty Commercial distributors were often pleased when their works were banned in Boston it gave them more appeal elsewhere 1 Literary figure H L Mencken was arrested in Boston in 1926 after purposely selling a banned issue of his magazine The American Mercury Though his case was dismissed by a local judge and he later won a lawsuit against the Watch and Ward Society for illegal restraint of trade the effort did little to affect censorship in Boston 6 Strange Fruit the novel of forbidden interracial romance by Lillian Smith was also banned by the Watch and Ward Society and in 1929 Boston s mayor Malcolm Nichols and the city censor banned Eugene O Neill s Pulitzer Prize winning play Strange Interlude 7 During the same era there were also periodic purity campaigns on radio as individual stations decided to ban songs with double entendres or alleged vulgar lyrics One victim of such a campaign was bandleader Joe Rines who in November 1931 was cut off in mid song by John L Clark program director of WBZ for performing a number called This is the Missus whose lyrics Clark deemed inappropriate Rines was indignant saying he believed Clark was over reacting to a totally innocent song but Clark insisted he was right to ban any song whose lyrics might be construed as suggestive 8 The Warren Court 1953 69 expanded civil liberties and in Memoirs v Massachusetts and other cases curtailed the ability of municipalities to regulate the content of literature plays and movies The last major literary censorship battle in the U S was fought over Naked Lunch which was banned in Boston in 1965 9 Eventually the Watch and Ward Society changed its name to the New England Citizens Crime Commission and made its main emphasis against gambling and drugs and far less on media 6 Works banned editLeaves of Grass by Walt Whitman 1881 10 5 Educational Series Silver Certificate 1893 issued 1896 10 The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio 1894 10 Three Weeks by Elinor Glyn 1909 10 Many Marriages by Sherwood Anderson 1923 10 Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley 1923 10 The American Mercury magazine April 1926 10 Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O Neill play 1926 10 Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis 1927 10 An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser 1927 10 The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 1927 10 Oil by Upton Sinclair 1927 10 Black April by Julia Peterkin 1927 10 Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos 1927 10 Mosquitoes by William Faulkner 1927 10 Nigger Heaven by Carl Van Vechten 1927 10 The World of William Clissold by H G Wells 1927 10 Dark Laughter by Sherwood Anderson 1927 10 Strange Interlude by Eugene O Neill play 1929 10 Lady Chatterley s Lover by D H Lawrence 1929 10 A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway magazine serial 1929 10 Jews without Money by Michael Gold 1930 10 God s Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell 1933 10 The Children s Hour by Lillian Hellman play 1934 10 Within the Gates by Sean O Casey play 1935 10 Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets play 1935 1 Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith 1944 10 Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor 1944 10 The Moon Is Blue 1953 Wake Up Little Susie by The Everly Brothers song 1957 11 Beans in My Ears by the Serendipity Singers song 1964 12 In four final cases the bans were overturned in court Naked Lunch by William S Burroughs 1965 9 Fanny Hill by John Cleland 1966 I Am Curious Yellow by Vilgot Sjoman 1967 13 Caligula by Tinto Brass 1979 14 See also edit nbsp Law portalStreisand effect Memoirs v MassachusettsReferences edit a b c d e f g Miller Neil October 13 2010 Banned in Boston The Watch and Ward Society s Crusade against Books Burlesque and the Social Evil Beacon Press ISBN 978 0 8070 5113 9 Retrieved March 27 2013 Springfield s 375th From Puritans to presidents MassLive com May 9 2011 Retrieved August 19 2011 Thomas Isaiah 1874 The History of Printing in America With a Biography of Printers and an Account of Newspapers J Munsell printer p 291 a b Paul D Buchanan The American Women s Rights Movement p 75 The Comstock Act 17 Stat 598 a b Mass Moments H L Mencken Arrested in Boston Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities Retrieved April 21 2007 Strange Interlude Forbidden in Boston Boston Herald September 17 1929 p 1 Purity Crusade Cuts Rines Off Springfield MA Republican November 25 1931 p 8 a b Michael J Dittman 2007 Masterpieces of Beat Literature Greenwood Publishing Group p 94 ISBN 978 0 313 33283 8 banned in boston naked lunch a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Books and plays banned in Boston boston com NY Times Co Retrieved December 30 2012 The Everly Brothers Wake Up Little Susie 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Rolling Stone Retrieved December 30 2012 Brown G 2004 Colorado Rocks A Half century of Music in Colorado Pruett Publishing pp 1963 ISBN 978 0 87108 930 4 Taylor Robert August 3 1969 The politics of pornography in Boston The Boston Globe Archived from the original on December 21 2014 Stephen Vaughn 2006 Freedom and Entertainment Rating the Movies in an Age of New Media Cambridge University Press p 74 ISBN 978 0 521 85258 6 Further reading editPaul S Boyer 1963 Boston Book Censorship in the Twenties American Quarterly 15 1 3 24 doi 10 2307 2710264 JSTOR 2710264 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Banned in Boston amp oldid 1188345074, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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