October 28, 1935, Menasha Record
As a boy, I can remember being severely scolded if I ever muttered the word "hell" in my parents' presence outside of a religious context. And that was in the 60's. So I find it a bit incongruous that the word is being used for this "sensational featurette" in the 1930's. Maybe my parents were more conservative when it came to such things; perhaps they were just trying to keep me from graduating to more offensive words! But I am also keenly aware of the old adage "War is Hell" and the expression "Come Hell or high water" so its use isn't totally off my radar. Not having a good reference to culture in the 1930s, it just makes me wonder where they drew the line. Remember that Clark Gable saying "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" in Gone With the Wind four years later was a monumental in-road against movie censorship of the time. And of course, today, anything goes, but I still wonder about such things.
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