TCM has found a cheeky way to mark the run-up to Ea🦄ster — shining a spotlight on midcentury movies censored by the Catholic Church.
Throughout the month of March, the classic movie network condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency, an organization dedicated to combating objectionable content in films from the viꦜewpoint of the church.
The legion, founded in 1933, wielded powerful influence in the movie industry through the 1970s by rating films — giving them grades of “A”✱ (for titles deemed morally unobjectionable), “B” (for morally objectionable in part) or “C” (for conde♛mned), often based on their sexual nature.
The 27 condemned or objectionable films being presented by TCM include 1933’s “Baby Face,” in which a young Barbara Stanwyck uses sexuality to get ahead in life; 1956’s “And God Created Woman,” the French film that created Brigitte Bardot’s “sex kitten” image; 1964’s “Kiss Me, Stupid,” a Billy Wilder comedy about a singer who must ha🎶ve sex regularly to avoid headaches; and 1972’s “The Carey Treatment,” a thriller revolving around an illegal abortion.
The monthlong marathon begins March 3, and movies will air every Thursday. TCM even found a nun to host the prime-time ꦐblocks — Sister Rose Pacatte, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul and a film critic.