The Helen Morgan Page

“Pre code” is a misnomer.

Typically, the term is used to describe talkies released between mid-1931 and July 1, 1934, when the (Joseph) Breen Office gained the power to force implementation of the Motion Picture Production Code at a national level.

Actually, film censorship in America is as old as Hollywood. As early as 1914, multiple state and municipal Censorship Boards exerted their influence over what their citizenry could experience on the screen. The cuts these local bluenoses made to movies that played in their jurisdictions were rarely reinserted before these films were shipped to their next play date.

One of the most influential of these regional boards controlled what was screened in New York State.

On August 28, 1929, Board reviewers Sallie McRee Minsterer and Mary D. Farrell screened Rouben Mamoulian’s Applause at the Paramount studio in Astoria.

Sadly, their comments are not included in the Applause file housed in the New York State Archives, but a script therein contained indicates that someone, likely Paramount, made nine significant cuts to the film at some point prior to UCLA’s restoration of the film.

How significant? Throughout the theatrical run of Applause, Paramount listed the film as running 8079 ft., just shy of ninety minutes. UCLA’s restored print runs eleven minutes shorter. Most likely, the majority of trims were made in the five weeks between the Astoria screening, and October 3, when New York Board issued its license to screen Applause in New York with no additional cuts.[i]

---

[i]     Applause, (NY Censor Board file, License T13835-T13856, NY State Archives.)

By filming his grand experiment in long, fluid takes, Mamoulian inadvertently protected himself against typical studio post-production tampering. With almost no coverage footage, there was little Paramount could do but to assemble Applause the way its director shot it. As a result, the studio was forced to be creative in how they trimmed Applause.

A few house rules before we proceed.

• Warning: SPOILERS ahead!
• Applause (Paramount, 1929) tells the story of Kitty Darling (Helen Morgan), an aging burlesque star whose convent-raised daughter, April (Joan Peers), comes to live with Kitty and her two-timing lover, Hitch (Fuller Mellish, Jr.) Nelson. Even after marrying Kitty, becoming a step-father, Hitch greatly prefers April to Kitty. A sailor, Tony (Henry Wadsworth), offers April a more wholesome life off the tawdry burlesque stage, but there is Mother to consider …
• In the exerpts from the script below, excised dialogue appears in italics.  
• The nine cuts below will be labled “Paramount cuts” although Mamoulian himself may have been included in this exercise, particularly on trims made to tighten the narrative. That said, it is assumed that Paramount alone made the final decision remove potentially offensive content based on feedback from, and not limited to, Minsterer, Farrell, and Colonel Jason S. Joy, assistant to Hollywood’s Censorship Tsar, Will Hays.

________________________________________

Cut 1 – 12:28

Paramount faded to black to shave off a minute or so at the end of this scene, possibly due to April’s prayer being juxtaposed with footage of Kitty dancing.

IN THE CONVENT

SISTER

Our Lord Jesus Christ, being sentenced to die, bore with great patience the cross for us –

There’s a little prayer that goes with this bead. It goes like this.

O Holy Virgin, Example of Patience by the most painful carrying of the cross on which thy Son, Our lord, Jesus Christ, bore the heavy weight of our sins, obtain for us of Him by Thy intercession courage and strength to follow his steps and bear our cross after him, to the end of our lives. Amen.

Now you will repeat this.

APRIL

O Holy Virgin, Example of Patience – – –

SISTER

By th’ – –

APRIL

By the most painful carrying of the cross on which thy Son, Our lord, Jesus Christ – – –

SISTER

Bore the-

APRIL

Bore the heavy weight of our sins, obtain for us

SISTER

By thy intercess –

APRIL

Intercession courage and strength to follow his steps and bear our cross after him, to the end of our lives. Amen.

SISTER

Very good. Now you will repeat it once more.

APRIL

Oh Holy Virgin, Example of Patience by the most – – –

________________________________________

Cut 2 – 18:20

Conversely, Paramount faded into this scene – in mid-sentence – for the sake of pacing.

THE CONVENT

MOTHER SUPERIOR

We are all sorry to see you go, April. But it is your mother’s wish and I have no choice but to carry it out.

APRIL

It all happened so suddenly. I hardly know how to take it.

MOTHER SUPERIOR

You should be happy. It means a new world of service for you.

APRIL

Yes. Yes.

MOTHER SUPERIOR

And so it is to be good-bye for a little while.

APRIL

I feel all funny inside about going away.

MOTHER SUPERIOR

That is only natural isn’t it? Leaving all of us who have known you so long and loved you so well – – – but remember you will be with your mother who loves you best of all.

APRIL

Oh, I can hardly wait to see her again. But I’ll miss you – – – I’ll miss everything here so much.

MOTHER SUPERIOR

Our prayers will be with you always, dear, good-bye. Don’t forget us.

APRIL

Oh, I won’t – – ever.

MOTHER SUPERIOR

And now my (sic) God’s love and tenderness guide you as you go forth from here into the great world outside our gates. That is my prayer for you little April.

APRIL

Good-bye.

________________________________________

Cut 3 – 23:38 and 24:40

Paramount faded a line early at the end of the lobby scene. The comment from the man in the audience may have been cut for content, or so as not to contrast with the other customer comments, which are far less complimentary.

INT. STAR HOTEL

BEADY

I can’t take you myself. I gotta heavy date. But my kid brother Slim’ll take you. Okay with you?

APRIL

Thank you

BEADY

All right. I’ll get him right down. (phoning to Slim) I got a job for you. No, down in the lobby. Yeah …….. He’ll be right down. He’s a great guy. Boy, you’ll enjoy the show with him. He’ll explain it all out to you.

INTERIOR – THEATER – THE SHOW IS ON

SLIM

Sorry these seats ain’t so hot , but the show’s almost over – – –

VOICE

Sit down!

MAN IN AUDIENCE

There’s a great real old girl for you, boy! Can she shake a wicked scanty!

________________________________________

Cut 4 – 34:05

A quick jump cut near the end of this remarkable five-minute shot erases clarification that, at this point, Kitty and Hitch cohabitate outside of marriage.

INTERIOR KITTY’S BEDROOM

KITTY

What do you want?

HITCH

What do you think?

KITTY

You can’t stay here!

HITCH

What do you mean I can’t stay here?

KITTY

You’ll wake her up.

HITCH

Well, get us a drink anyway – – then we’ll see if I can stay here or not.

________________________________________

Cut 5 – 37:48

Paramount fades in late into this scene aboard a train, eliminating the most overt example of Hitch’s sexual harrassment towards April. Some footage of the party itself remains, but a quick cross fade back to the train wheels (and foley) eliminates another of April’s prayers.

INT. COMPARTMENT. TRAIN.

HITCH

Here she is! My li’l baby! Come here, li’l baby, and give your daddy nice swee’ kiss – –

APRIL

Go away! Please! Please!

HITCH

You been holdin’ out on your daddy all day – – – now you gotta give him a swell kiss – – no room for icebergs in this family.

KITTY

Get back, you drunk, before I crown you withj this bottle – – – – –

HITCH

Can’t a father kiss his own daugh’er?

KITTY

Go on, now. Get back where you belong! – – – – Goo’ night – – – – don’t mind mama tonight – – she’s jus’ had li’l too much to drink – – but she loves you so, she loves you so much – – loves you – – loves you – – – – Your mama wants a li’l kiss goo’night. God bless you, my li’l April – – goo’night – – goo’night.

APRIL PRAYS:

APRIL

O Holy Virgin, Example of Patience by the most painful carrying of the cross on which thy Son, Our lord, Jesus Christ, bore the heavy weight of our sins, obtain for us of Him by Thy intercession, courage and strength to follow his steps and bear our cross after him, to the end of our lives. Amen.

________________________________________

Cut 6 – 41:08

Paramount eliminated this short scene of April and the burlesque girls in their dressing room after a performance. In addition to losing a bit of sexual innuendo, the scene illustrates how April remains a fish out of water even with the girls in the troupe.

INT. CHORUS GIRL’S DRESSING ROOM.

GIRL ON RIGHT

Boy! Is it hot! Me for the beach.

GIRL ON LEFT

Don’t get sand in your ears.

GIRL ON RIGHT

What’s the matter with mama’s little lamb tonight? You been goin’ thru your stuff like you was half-dead!

APRIL

Oh, lay off me, can’t you, Lulu?

GIRL ON RIGHT

Aw gee, honey, I wasn’t tryin’ to pick on you – – – you been so quiet, that’s all –  ‘s anything wrong?

APRIL

No.

________________________________________

Cut 7 – 41:47

A quick jump cut near the end of this post-show sequence eliminates two important lines of dialogue.

INT. CORRIDOR

APRIL

Mummy, take me with you! Please!

KITTY

To a stag party? I should say not!

APRIL

But couldn’t I wait outside for you?

KITTY

Until three-four o’clock in the morning? You are crazy! No. You go back to the hotel.

APRIL

But – – – I – – – don’t want to go back to the hotel with Hitch – – – please, Mummy – – – please – – –

KITTY

Now, is that any way to talk, after you promised you was goin’ to be nice to him?

APRIL

But Mummy, you don’t understand – – –

DOORMAN

Taxi is waitin’ for you, Miss Darling – – –

________________________________________

Cut 8 – 55:36

Paramount faded out early in this remarkable scene shot on the observation deck of the AT&T Building, saving a key plot point for the final scene of Applause.

SKYSCRAPER TOWER

TONY

You’d better say yes.

APRIL

I don’t see why.

TONY

Because if you don’t I’ll jump right off this roof.

APRIL

Oh Tony – yes – yes!

TONY

Hooray! Darling!

APRIL

Oh gee I’m happy, aren’t you?

TONY

Yes.

APRIL

But Tony, how about Mother? I can’t leave Mother.

TONY

Gosh, you’ve gotta leave her sometime.

APRIL

I know but not now. No, Tony, I’ll have to take it back. She needs me right now. She hasn’t anyone else in the whole world.

TONY

She’s gotta husband of her own. What’s the matter with you?

APRIL

No, she hasn’t, really. There’s something – I know they won’t stay together – – oh, it’s an awful mixup – – I’d hate to talk about it.

TONY

Well, let her come back to Wisconsin and live with us. Mothers are darned handy things to have around the house in case – well, just in case.

APRIL

She’d never leave the stage. She thinks she’s going to be a big star on Broadway. Poor Mummy.

TONY

Well, look, the only way to get this thing straight is top go and have a talk with her. After all, as long as you’re gonna marry me it night be a good idea for me to meet your mother, don’t you think? Certainly! Come on!

________________________________________

Applause performed well in New York, where its star, Helen Morgan, was well known.

In late November, citing complaints from the catholic press, the MPPDA requested that projectionists turn down the volume to eliminate one word in one of Kitty’s speeches to her daughter. Prior to the film going into general release in January 1930, Paramount instituted the most notorious, and creative, cut in Applause by scrubbing the soundtrack to remove a single word.

Cut 9 – 30:55

INTERIOR KITTY’S BEDROOM

KITTY

Oh well, I suppose it does seem queer to you, comin’ from a place where they cover up everything but their noses! But things ain’t as bad as they look. It ain’t so much what you do as what you are. That’s it. What you are. Why there’s a couple of dames in this troupe just as good catholics as you ever expect to see, even if theuy do make their livings shaking. I ain’t ashamed of it. You souldn’t be ashamed of me either.

________________________________________

Almost without exception, Applause flopped outside New York.

The issue was two-fold.

First, at this stage in her career, Helen Morgan was largely unknown outside seven or eight eastern cities. For all intents and purposes, she had never played west of the Mississippi and was largely unknown in the nation’s heartland.

Second, local Censorship Boards eviscerated Applause, particularly in the few markets where Morgan’s name would have helped at the box office.

It played in Cleveland, but the Ohio State Board implemented multiple cuts before they permitted it to screen downstate. The State Board in Pennsylvania banned the film outright. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, two towns that knew and loved Morgan, never got to see the film.

Chicago, a town both Morgan and Joan (April) Peers called home, cut the film, both the sound and silent version, almost beyond recognition. Box office returns were pitiful.

Yes, silent.

As was common practice in 1929, Paramount released a silent version of Applause for houses not yet wired for sound. While the likelihood that the nine “Paramount cuts” to the sound version will be found and restored remains remote, maybe, just maybe, some film archive somewhere has a copy of the silent version of Applause.

©2023 Christopher S. Connelly

This site serves as a companion to Helen Morgan: The Original Torch Singer and Ziegfeld’s Last Star. Ask your local independent bookseller to stock it today!