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🇸🇪 Sweden /Crime & Justice

When Hollywood's Moral Police Woke Up

From Svenska Dagbladet · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • The 1934 film "Wonder Bar" featured a scene where two men dance together, a portrayal of queerness that was relatively open on screen at the time.
  • However, a decision made later that year would make such depictions impossible to distribute.
  • This shift marked a significant change in the portrayal of queer themes in Hollywood cinema.

In 1934, Hollywood's "Wonder Bar" dared to present a scene where two men, dressed in tuxedos, share a dance on the dance floor. The bar owner's amused remark, "Boys will be boys. Hooray!" underscores the film's surprisingly open, albeit somewhat dismissive, acknowledgment of same-sex intimacy.

May I break in?

— Man in tuxedoA man in a tuxedo approaches a dancing couple in the film 'Wonder Bar.'

This moment, captured in Lloyd Bacon's film, represented a relatively open period for queer representation in cinema. The film itself was considered scandalous for its time, pushing boundaries with its themes and depictions.

Gladly!

— WomanThe woman being danced with by her male partner responds to the man in the tuxedo.

However, this era of relative openness was short-lived. By the end of that same year, a "fatal decision" would fundamentally alter what could be shown on screen. This pivotal change effectively closed the door on the kind of queer portrayals that "Wonder Bar" had managed to present, ushering in a new, more restrictive era for LGBTQ+ themes in Hollywood.

Boys will be boys. Hooray!

— Bar ownerThe bar owner comments on the scene after the man in the tuxedo dances with the other man.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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