In 1961, This Was Something 'Nice' People Didn't Talk About

In 1961, Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn starred in "The Children's Hour." While censorship guidelines at the time of filming didn't outright prohibit the mention of homosexuality, it was widely known the topic was not something that was acceptable to discuss on the big screen.

At 2:20, you'll see the pain that came with Shirley MacLaine's character's struggle. It was one of the first movies to broach this topic, so you might be very surprised to hear what she says at 2:50. Susie Bright's insight at the end painfully illustrates the things our society still needs to work on.

This clip comes from the documentary "The Celluloid Closet," which teaches about the history of gay and lesbian portrayals in Hollywood and is worth watching in its entirety. I found the clip on Susie Bright's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Motion Picture Production Code and censorship guidelines in the early 1960s, give this NPR piece a read.

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