Abstract
This essay provides a case study of the extended conflict between an animal welfare organization, the American Animal Defense League, and the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) that took place between 1923 and 1925. The essay distinguishes among actual cruelty inflicted on animals during production; “suggestive” cruelty, which appeared on screen but could have been achieved through filmmaking techniques without actual harm to animals; and general negligence of animals living under the care of studios. Drawing extensively on MPPDA archival records and historical newspapers, the essay foregrounds the importance of animal cruelty as a concern of the American film industry and provides an early demonstration of MPPDA president Will Hays’s strategies for negotiating with pressure groups as well as the press.
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