Since its invention, the motion picture quickly paved its way into American society as an acceptable art form and a style of mass entertainment. The road it traveled, however, was not as smooth as its plots and not as easily concluded as the events in the lives of the characters in the films themselves. It was the era of the Great Depression and movie producers found it necessary to attract audiences with the lure of sexual themes and immoral topics on the screen. Additionally, production companies faced much opposition from various groups in society, many of their actions founded on the basis of scandals and undignified events happening in Hollywood. From the introduction of Will Hays as president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) to the enforcement of the Production Code, the motion picture industry has struggled to appease its unvarying opposition; however, it has still managed to continue its success and to develop into a popular form of mass entertainment.
The appointment of Will Hays as president of the MPPDA in 1922 prompted the moral restoration of a rapidly corrupted image of the motion picture industry. It was during a time when sex and crime were frequent themes in films and any evidence of virtue on the silver screen was diminishing. Hays' efficiency can be characterized by his sudden arrival into the industry, which disrupted nearly every one of the censorship bills .
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that almost 30 states had been assiduously attempting to install.# Hays was well-known for his effective lobbying skills and his ability to play mediator between the production .
companies and censorship advocates, often taking into consideration both sides' interests. Not long after the formation of the MPPDA, Hays set up the "Formula" which affirmed that members of the Association were expected to "exercise every possible care that only books or plays which are of the right type are used for screen presentation.