The Invisible Man came out after enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines took effect.
Pre-Code Hollywood refers to the brief era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound pictures in 1929 and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines , popularly known as the `` Hays Code '' , in mid-1934 .. American film industry. Cinema of the United States. Motion Picture Production Code. Motion Picture Production Code. Although the Code was adopted in 1930 , oversight was poor and it did not become rigorously enforced until July 1 , 1934 , with the establishment of the Production Code Administration -LRB- PCA -RRB- .. Production Code Administration. Production Code Administration. Before that date , movie content was restricted more by local laws , negotiations between the Studio Relations Committee -LRB- SRC -RRB- and the major studios , and popular opinion , than strict adherence to the Hays Code , which was often ignored by Hollywood filmmakers .. As a result , films in the late 1920s and early 1930s included depictions of sexual innuendo , miscegenation , profanity , illegal drug use , promiscuity , prostitution , infidelity , abortion , intense violence , and homosexuality .. sexual innuendo. innuendo. miscegenation. miscegenation. profanity. profanity. illegal drug use. illegal drug use. promiscuity. promiscuity. prostitution. prostitution. infidelity. infidelity. abortion. abortion. violence. violence. homosexuality. homosexuality. Strong female characters were ubiquitous in such pre-Code films as Female , Baby Face , and Red-Headed Woman .. Female. Female ( 1933 film ). Baby Face. Baby Face ( film ). Red-Headed Woman. Red-Headed Woman. Gangsters in films like The Public Enemy , Little Caesar , and Scarface were seen by many as heroic rather than evil .. The Public Enemy. The Public Enemy. Little Caesar. Little Caesar ( film ). Scarface. Scarface ( 1932 film ). Along with featuring stronger female characters , films examined female subject matters that would not be revisited until decades later in US films .. Nefarious characters were seen to profit from their deeds , in some cases without significant repercussions , and drug use was a topic of several films .. Many of Hollywood 's biggest stars such as Clark Gable , Barbara Stanwyck , Joan Blondell and Edward G. Robinson got their start in the era .. Clark Gable. Clark Gable. Barbara Stanwyck. Barbara Stanwyck. Joan Blondell. Joan Blondell. Edward G. Robinson. Edward G. Robinson. Other stars who excelled during this period , however , like Ruth Chatterton -LRB- who decamped to England -RRB- and Warren William -LRB- the so-called `` king of Pre-Code '' , who died in 1948 -RRB- , would wind up essentially forgotten by the general public within a generation .. Ruth Chatterton. Ruth Chatterton. Warren William. Warren William. Beginning in late 1933 and escalating throughout the first half of 1934 , American Roman Catholics launched a campaign against what they deemed the immorality of American cinema .. Roman Catholics. Catholic Church in the United States. This , plus a potential government takeover of film censorship and social research seeming to indicate that movies which were seen to be immoral could promote bad behavior , was enough pressure to force the studios to capitulate to greater oversight .