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In classic Hollywood movies, having a baby was an exercise in innuendo.
Actors could say the word baby, but not the word pregnant.
They could say a woman went to the doctor just as long as they were vague about it.
Baby bumps were rare.
And loud, wailing labor scenes?
Totally out of the question.
But its also apparent in code-era Hollywoods handling of pregnancy.
So what did this mean for movies with pregnant characters?
Well, they couldntlookpregnant, for starters.
But glossing over the second and third trimesters was preferable.
Pregnant characters also couldnt say the word pregnant.
It was simply too explosive, so movies had to find another way to break the news.
Shes also vague with her childhood friend Norval, simply saying shes sure shes married.
Childbirth itself was an even thornier topic, since it was the one aspect strictly forbidden in the code.
But some movies managed to fight the rule.
The most famous wasGone With the Wind, which shows Melanie (Olivia de Havilland) in premature labor.
The PCA handled a more explicit case in 1958, when the French filmThe Case of Dr. Laurentarrived Stateside.
ButThe Case of Dr. Laurentreceived such a warm reception outside the PCA that Shurlock changed his mind.
He reversed his decision, approving the movie and reexamining the code stance on pregnancy and childbirth entirely.
This review resulted in a less restrictive approach to pregnancy in movies, by scholarDavid A. Kirbys account.
The instant family phase of movie history was officially over, another relic of the code era.
