made motion picture that had ever been  legally exhibited. Surprisingly, despite the films sordid elements,  the Production Code Administration gave it a seal of approval, but  only after nearly a year of arguments. This was one of many examples  of how the lax attitude of new Code official  Geoffrey Shurlock (qv), the successor at the PCA to the strict  Catholic militant Joseph Breen (IV) (qv), would lead to a schism  with the Legon of Decency and the PCAs own downfall over the next  few years. After this film, the PCA drifted farther and farther away  from its traditional guidelines until it was replaced by the MPAA  ratings system in 1968.