Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2014, Journalism (Communication)

This thesis investigates the changes in film reviews published by Photoplay magazine, considered by many as one of the most significant and high-quality fan magazines, after the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA, the predecessor of today's Motion Picture Association of America, MPAA) started to censor fan magazine content on August 10, 1934. Two constructed years were made from issues published from 1930 to 1939 and the overlapping 10 years of the golden age of Hollywood (1930 to 1949) and the golden age of fan magazines (1920 to 1939). A total of 723 film reviews (every single review in the issues selected) were studied. Although it was not clear based on MPPDA's censorship pronouncement whether film reviews were included in the censorship, content analysis results, supported also by historical analysis, suggested that film reviews published from 1935 to 1939 covered a significantly larger portion of movies made by big studios, including MGM, Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO), Paramount, 20th Century-Fox and Warner Bros, Universal, Columbia and United Artists, than those published between 1930 and 1934. The results also showed that film reviews published after MPPDA's censorship pronouncement were significantly more positive both in general tone and when it came to big studio films. Considering that today studios still try to influence film criticism in multiple ways, this study, within the framework of newswork theory, may provide insights into how reviews may change under influences on the extramedia and media routines level.

Committee: Hans Meyer (Advisor); Aimee Edmondson (Committee Member); Cary Frith (Committee Member) Subjects: Mass Media