In what should have been an otherwise unremarkable comic romp about two pregnant wives and paternity confusion, PROMISES… PROMISES! made history as the first major Hollywood release to feature nudity by a mainstream star, Jayne Mansfield. Released in the dying days of the Hays Code and before the MPAA established their ratings system, Mansfield’s breasts shocked the nation. Behind-the-scenes photos were published in Playboy, prompting Hugh Hefner to be arrested in Chicago on obscenity charges. The film was banned in numerous cities, and—as we learned when sourcing it for this series—an original version of the film fit for big-screen exhibition is elusive. To that end, we will present the first titillating seven minutes of the film digitally, before switching to the edited 35mm print provided by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Scenes that dreamily flash back to Mansfield’s nudity have been cut from the print, and jarring edits indicate where censors have gotten their hands on the celluloid.
Film Center Member Presale: Monday, August 14 - 10:00AM online / 5:30PM box office
General Public: Thursday, August 17 - 10:00AM online / 5:30PM box office