Movie censorship in Kansas: the Kansas State Board of Review.

Abstract

This thesis has provided a chronological overview of the Kansas State Board of Review from the events leading up to its inception in 1916, to those events bringing about its demise in 1966. A thorough examination has been made of the way in which the state agency functioned: the changes in the laws and rules governing the board, the decision making process used to censor films, the changing membership of tf12 board and how this affected its ability to function. Also examined were the films the board reviewed, what was censored from them, and the criterion for this censorship. Included is a study of those factors which influenced the decisions of the Board of Review: the changing view of the citizens of Kansas toward the board and its work, the co~rt cases which continued to narrow the ability of the state to censor films, and the way in which the entertainment industry reacted to censorship in Kansas. Finally. a brief look at the censorship efforts of other states is included; the similarities and differences in their opinions on what should be censored from the movies, and the way in which the boards worked together to disseminate information about the movies that they censored.