While the earliest motion pictures were admired simply for their novelty, viewers soon demanded more than raw footage of trains, sneezes, and other random subjects. This program describes the discovery of sex as a surefire cinematic attraction and the outrages it provoked among religious and civic authorities during Hollywood’s formative years. Documenting the rise of William Hays as the arbiter of movie morality—and the studio system’s answer, after the Fatty Arbuckle fiasco, to the threat of government censorship—the program explores the artistic and cultural shock waves created by Theda Bara, Rudolph Valentino, Erich Von Stroheim, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow, Busby Berkeley, Mae West, Barbara Stanwyck, and many other early film luminaries. Contains footage from A Fool There Was, Possessed, Klondike Annie, and more. (50 minutes)