May 14, 1962 - A Senate investigation produced charges today that television networks were violating their own codes of moral practice by increasing the emphasis on crime, violence, and sex in programs. Senator Thomas J. Dodd, chairman of a subcommittee investigating juvenile delinquency, wound up the television phase of the inquiry with an indictment of the industry’s drive for higher ratings. An undue regard for ratings reflects a deep lack of imagination and “a deeper lack of responsibility,” he said. Frank Stanton, president of CBS, was berated at one point for what Senator Dodd termed a “head-in-the-clouds attitude” toward excessive emphasis on sex and brutality in that network’s “Route 66” series. One episode of that series in particular, called “Most Vanquished — Most Victorious,” was criticized as a “sick” story showing “violence and sadistic brutality.” The episode included a scene showing a juvenile gang leader being chain-whipped and another scene showing a character buying drinks for a strip-tease dancer.
Comments