Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: For Further ReadingThank you so much for reading Hollywood Codebreakers. I hope you’ve enjoyed all the wild memos, power plays, and press items as much as I…Dec 12, 20181Dec 12, 20181
Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: ‘Mature’ Films Retire the CodeIt was the spring of 1967, and Julie Andrews was waiting for her cue. Though relatively new to Hollywood, Andrews had rocketed to fame in…Dec 3, 2018Dec 3, 2018
Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: ‘Alfie’ Ends the Abortion TabooMichael Caine was not James Bond — and he really wished everyone would stop saying that. It was true that Harry Saltzman, a co-producer of…Nov 26, 2018Nov 26, 2018
Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ Expands Movie ExpletivesAs the first audiences trickled out of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Warner Brothers braced for impact. The film’s very public battle…Nov 19, 2018Nov 19, 2018
Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: ‘The Pawnbroker’ Examines Trauma Through NuditySidney Lumet had a problem with his leading man. The director had already worked with Rod Steiger prior to The Pawnbroker, and thought he…Nov 12, 2018Nov 12, 2018
Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: ‘Irma La Douce’ Pushes Prostitution Into the MainstreamMarie Torre was mad. The newscaster began her latest Saturday Report on Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV with a condemnation of a “disturbing trend”…Nov 2, 20183Nov 2, 20183
Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: ‘Lolita’ Lifts the Ban on Sex Perversion“My name is Lolita. And I’m not supposed to play with boys,” Marilyn Monroe purrs in Let’s Make Love. She pushes away the men kneeling…Oct 28, 2018Oct 28, 2018
Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: An ‘Intruder’ Brings Cross Burnings and Racial Violence to TownThe Charleston police had chased Roger Corman all over town. First they’d kicked him out of a local school — one Corman had paid $100 for…Oct 21, 2018Oct 21, 2018
Kristin Hunt‘Spartacus’ Breaks the BlacklistSpartacus shouldn’t have been in the arena. He shouldn’t have been in gladiator school to begin with. A surly slave sentenced to die for…Oct 13, 2018Oct 13, 2018
Kristin HuntHollywood Codebreakers: ‘Psycho’ Scares the Censors“No visitors on the set, no press interviews, no story synopsis, no releasing of stills, no sneak previews,” Variety reported in the…Oct 7, 20181Oct 7, 20181