Western Michigan University Digital Collections lets visitors search materials from the university libraries.
MPPDA Digital Archive
Search records from the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America correspondence archive at Flinders University.
About MPPDA Digital Archive
The MPPDA Digital Archive is a database of the surviving General Correspondence files of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc., covering 1922 to 1939. The MPPDA was the trade association for the United States motion picture industry, and it was popularly known as the Hays Office after its first president, Will H. Hays. The archive was designed and compiled by Professor Richard Maltby and Dr Ruth Vasey at Flinders University, and the collection is browsed through the university's findit@flinders catalogue.
The records cover the trade association's organization and operation, industry policy and public relations, distributor-exhibitor relations, censorship, and self-regulation. The archive is incomplete. Several microfilm reels, including those covering the 1920s, were misplaced and have not been recovered, so the surviving copies are not a full record of the original files.
Key features
- Searchable database of surviving MPPDA General Correspondence files, 1922 to 1939
- Records on industry policy, public relations, and distributor-exhibitor relations
- Material on censorship and industry self-regulation
- Legacy folder index recorded in the ownership history section
- Search within the collection by adding terms in the search box
Best for: Researchers studying the history of the American film industry, its trade association, censorship, and self-regulation in the 1920s and 1930s.
Good for
- The records are described as an important source of information about the history of the motion picture industry.
- The great majority of this material is stated to be unavailable from other sources.
Watch out for
- Several microfilm reels, including those covering the 1920s, were misplaced and have not been recovered.
- The coverage is limited to the period from 1922 to 1939.
- The original working files were not indexed, so users rely on the database and the folder location data for access.
MPPDA Digital Archive at a glance
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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MPPDA Digital Archive FAQ
What time period does the archive cover?
The database covers the MPPDA General Correspondence files from 1922 to 1939.
Is the collection complete?
No. Several microfilm reels, including those covering the 1920s, were misplaced and have not been recovered. The copies made by Richard Maltby are described as the only surviving copies of most of the material.
How do I search the collection?
Browse the MPPDA collection in findit@flinders. Add search terms in the search box to search within the collection.
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