The case of an operetta being banned in Hungary in 1928, viewed in the mirror of contemporary press sources

In May 1928, the Andr (cid:1) assy Street Theatre in Budapest planned to re-stage a one-act operetta play titled The First Kiss is Mine . Its libretto was written by Jen } o Heltai, and the music was composed by Albert Szirmai. The new performance started out as a resounding success. But, referring to current laws on public morality, Ministry of Interior department in charge of controlling public and cultural programmes banned the play without delay, on 18 May, and Minister of the Interior, B (cid:1) ela Scitovszky ordered an investigation into the matter. People referred to the event as a scandal, and the press spoke of it as an absurdity, as the theatre en-terprise was endangered by the resulting loss in income. After the ban, the actors were only allowed to perform the play for a commission sent from the Ministry of Interior, and finally, on 22 May, Scitovszky permitted the program after all, with some minor changes. In my study, I reconstruct and present the events of these few days with the help of contemporary journalistic sources (reports, interviews, etc.) – Budapesti H (cid:1) ı rlap , Esti Kurir , Magyar H (cid:1) ı rlap , Magyarorsz (cid:1) ag , Pesti H (cid:1) ı rlap , Pesti Napl (cid:1) o , (cid:1) Ujs (cid:1) ag , 8 Órai (cid:1) Ujs (cid:1) ag – , the circumstances of the prohibition, the protest and opinion of the playwrights, the position of the commission, the performance for the commission, and the background of the permission for the new performance. are offend public morality or good taste. Companies with permission and directors of each performance are obliged to provide the chance for the representatives of the highest police authorities in charge to supervise performances, etc. The Minister of Interior as the highest anti-vice authority is allowed to practice supervision anytime through his representatives in lieu of the police authorities. 25 [ .. . ] Acts listed in the 1st point of the 3rd § are considered to be transgressions even if they are not addressed to anyone or are not committed with offensive intent. Procedures following these transgressions pertain to administrative authorities as the police criminal court, while in the area of the Hungarian royal court, these pertain to the Hungarian royal state police. 26

"In the history of Hungarian acting, it was a common phenomenon that the authorities would ban plays that they did not likefor whatever reason." 1 In May 1928, this fate finally reached the one-act operetta play 2 titled Eny em az els} o cs ok [The First Kiss is Mine]. Finally, we say, since it had already played 3 twenty-one years earlier in 1907 as Jus primae noctis [Lord's Right] with huge success. The libretto had been written by Jen} o Heltai (1871-1957, 4 the music had been composed by Albert Szirmai , 5 both internationally acknowledged playwrights (Szirmai is often mentioned as Sirmay or Szirmay in non-Hungarian sources).
Before describing reviews written after the ban in 1928, I would like to highlight that after the premiere in 1907 we read the following in the magazine Az Ujs ag [The Newspaper], authored by one h.a., "[. . .] The program of the opening evening was quite diverse. [. . .] I really liked Jen} o Heltai's operetta, Jus primae noctis [. . .] The music of the operetta and the couplets is absolutely insignificant, I shouldn't even mention it. [. . .]" 6 As a preliminary point, I would add that a few decades later, critiques praise the work of both of them.
Such a temporary ban on the performance by the Andr assy Street Theatre 7 was possible because of a Circular Decree of the Ministry of the Interior in force at the time (see below). Besides provoking a broad-ranging outcry, the incident also caused serious financial loss to the theatre. Hungarian playwrights expressed their concerns regarding the procedure and the way in 1 Banned plays. In: Encyclopaedia of Hungarian Theatre Arts Volume 1 Ed. Alad ar Sch€ opflin. Budapest: National Actors Association and Pension Institute 1929, 189. 2 It is not among the aims of this story to elaborate on operetta playing after the break-up of the Monarchy. On this topic in general see, among others, Andr as Batta: Magyar operett a Monarchia sz ethull asa ut an. Magyarorsz ag a XX. sz azadban III. k€ otet. Kult ura, m} uv eszet, sport es sz orakoz as [Hungarian Operetta after the Break-up of the Monarchy. In Hungary in the XX. Century, vol. III. Culture, Art, Sport and Entertainment] Ed. Istv an Kollega-Tarsoly. Szeksz ard: Babits. 1998, 515-517. 3 "The Hungarian Cabaret Theatre opens on Friday, the 11th of this month [. . .] three one-act operettas are to be performed: a witty operetta by Heltai-Szirmai, Jus primae nocti;s, a satire by Istv an Szomah azy titled A tr on€ or€ ok€ os [The Heir], and a funny cabaret piece by Ferenc Moln ar Dr agas ag [Precious]. which it was executed. After the premiere on 16 May, 8 the decision came into force on 18 May. It was finally withdrawn by the Minister of Interior B ela Scitovszky 9 on 22 May.
In this study, I undertake to reconstruct and present the history of the ban by contextualizing contemporary articles. 10 I have selected 21 articles as primer source for my study, which were published between 17 May 1928 and 23 May 1928 in the columns of papers and magazines such as the Budapesti H ırlap, Esti Kurir,Magyar H ırlap,Magyarorsz ag,Pesti H ırlap,Pesti Napl o,Ujs ag,and 8 Órai Ujs ag; as well as Circular Decree no. 151,000 of 1927 of the Minister of the Interior on the protection of public morality. 11 Further press materialswhich were published in May and June in the same year -I used as a secondary source. An additional aim is to discover more sources connected to the case, since texts in this study were chosen from dozens of written sources and articles. 12 First we shall focus on the articles about the news of the re-staging, then we shift our attention to the circular decree about the protection of public morality. Next, I selected some articles from the press sources from 19 May, then I shall present the role and actions of the Association of Hungarian Playwrights in the case in a separate part. In the following section I unravel the details of the permission, including the circumstances of the performance for the committee of the Ministry of Interiors, then we examine another case strongly connected to this topic, moving on to discussing the terms of the renewed permission, and finally discuss the press sources which present the problem of theatre censure connected to Eny em az els} o cs ok.

REPORT ON THE PERFORMANCE
Hungarian literary historian Zsolt Gy} orei wrote about the plays of Heltai. In the chapter K€ oz epkor es renesz ansz [The Middle Ages and the Renessaince] he elaborated on the operetta titled Jus Primae Noctis: We stopped on this short, humorous work almost exclusively for the sake of completion. Its topic relates it to Heltai's never-fading interest in medieval times without telling anything more about this interest. The Middle Ages merely serve as the obligatory background to the basic idea, which is imaged on the stage with flashy ornaments. The selection of poems and prose do not serve to confront two value systems, but, thanks to the music of Albert Szirmai, they color it with songs like in an operetta [. . .] 12 The study was written as a part of the research project which deals with the composer Albert Szirmai and his colleagues through press sources. (Supported by the National Cultural Fund of Hungary.) 13 Gy} orei, cit., 122.
The complication was caused by the plot of the play, more precisely its libretto. Consequently, we cannot omit to offer a detailed description of the operetta. For this I used various articles as a basis. News of the oncoming premiere was reported, among others, in Esti Kurir 14 and 8 Órai Ujs ag. 15 This time I picked from articles published on 17 May. The question is how did Eny em az els} o cs ok get from Jen} o Heltai to Jen} o Heltai? This sentence is no typothe history of the creation of this one-act play is also of interest. "There were so many great burlesques, comedies and scenes performed at that time from which no single line has been left for posterity" 16indeed, the libretto of this play, performed in 1907, has also not survived. It is said that Heltai dictated the libretto to the dramaturgy director in an hour by heart, and the music was written in a night with an unknown co-author.
The small Andr assy Street Theatreas we reportedgive a reprise program and tonight it performs Heltai-Szirmai's operetta Eny em az els} o cs ok, which was performed twenty years ago on the same stage at the time of the theatre's opening with S andor Faludy as director, Albert Szirmai as music director Ferenc Moln ar and Jen} o Heltai in charge of dramaturgy.
At that time, it was common practice among composers and playwrights that they did not write down their plays, but invited a bunch of actors for a rehearsal, talked together and formed the play as a joint effort. Many great burlesques, comedies, and scenes were performed from which not a single line has been left for posterity. This is also how Eny em az els} o cs ok was written, which bore the title Jus primae noctis at the time [. . .] 17 [. . .] Twenty years have passed since then and Elem er Wertheimer, director of the Andr assy Street Theatre thought that he would a reprise program, and collect all those treasures which had been thrown away over the previous twenty years. During the related discussions it occurred to L or and Barab as, dramaturge of the theatre, that Jus primae noctis should also be among the plays revived and performed, so he went to Jen} o Heltai to ask for the manuscript of the play.
Heltai scratched the bank of his head and said: 'We have a huge problem, my friend,' he said, 'because although the play was showing for several months but we never had a libretto.' 'Maybe somehow?. . .'begged the dramaturge.
'We can try', said Heltai and he dictated the whole play by heart in an hour. Applause, success, popularity. The next report also begins with reviving reception of the performance from twenty years before. But we can learn more details about the cast, and it praises the leaders of the theatre company: [. . .] It was a great idea to bring this appealing and joyful operetta by Jen} o Heltai and Albert Szirmai, which has the telling title Eny em az els} o cs ok back to the stage. With three great roles, it gives a great opportunity to three great actors to entertain the audience for 45 minutes by singing, dancing and joyful playing. These three roles are played by M arton R atkai (the lord), B€ oske T oth 21 (the lady), and Ir en Biller 22 (the bride waiting for the first kiss). All three acting performances are first-class: funny, witty, fine, and thoughtful operetta playing. [. . .] € Od€ on Farag o 23 is a first-class director and actor; and directors Elem er Wertheimer and L or and Barnab as, as representatives of good taste, provide a decent and yet funny tone to the cabaret. 24

ABOUT THE PROTECTION OF PUBLIC MORALITY
Hungarian Minister of Interior B ela Scitovszky issued a circular decree to protect public morality, which lays down the tasks connected to plays and other performances. The protection of morals and taste is the duty of the police authorities.
In order to stop the demoralizing effects of this harmful process and to protect the morality of Hungarian societyin addition to the previous regulations -I order the followings: and other regulations, they are obliged to stop any event that is against good morals due to its topic or the behaviour of the performers, and all public dances which 18 In the article it is Ny aray. Antal Ny arai  are offend public morality or good taste. Companies with permission and directors of each performance are obliged to provide the chance for the representatives of the highest police authorities in charge to supervise performances, etc. The Minister of Interior as the highest anti-vice authority is allowed to practice supervision anytime through his representatives in lieu of the police authorities. 25 [. . .] Acts listed in the 1st point of the 3rd § are considered to be transgressions even if they are not addressed to anyone or are not committed with offensive intent. Procedures following these transgressions pertain to administrative authorities as the police criminal court, while in the area of the Hungarian royal court, these pertain to the Hungarian royal state police. 26 According to the circular decree, the fate of each performance depended on the police, and this regulation about the protection of public morality is definitely strict, it does not leave very much space for the practitioners of the performing arts. Hungarian playwrights and theatre managers raised their voice many times against the restrictions.

NEW DAY NEW BAN -19 MAY 1928
The press reported the ban immediately on 19 May. They were baffled by the case, but the reporters tried to give detailed information. By way of illustration, I chose articles from the Ujs ag (Tilos az Eny em az els} o cs ok el} oad asa) [ 29 The article published in the Ujs ag calls attention primarily to the absurdity of the decree, but it also details the stages of the case: 1. performance on Wednesday, 16 Maysuccess; 2. reportviolation of public morality; 3. decisionplay banned with immediate effect; 4. on Friday, 18 May the play cannot be performed; 5. appeal of the theatre management; 6. meanwhile, the theatre management is looking for an alternativeperform another play.
[. . .] The Ministry of Interior's department responsible for morality proved again that it does not allow any transgression of good morals. It pounced with enormous rigor in order to stop debauchery which could cause unpredictable damagesin the eyes of the Ministry of Interior. for the whole season and represents the best qualities of Hungarian cabaret, has decided now, at the end of the season, that it would produce a reprise of the successful plays and individual scenes performed ever since its foundation. [. . .] At that time, Jus primae noctis was not seen as a criminal attempt against good morals, today it is said to be unbearably disgusting by the event supervisory department of the Ministry of Interior which surely knows what it is doing, as it has to evaluate Bakerian nudity in the world of artistically undressed dancing Greeks in its own special way. [. . .] The reprise of the play was performed on Wednesday with huge success. No one was shocked by it. At the same time, the Ministry of Interior deems to have detected a criminal attempt against good morals and has begun to produce case files.
On Friday at 12 pm the files arrived in their final form to the director of the Andr assy Street Theatre, Elem er Wertheimer. In the decision, chief advisor P all says that based on the report of the even supervisory department of the Ministry of Interior, vice-commissioner K aroly Andr eka bans the performance of the operetta titled Eny em az els} o cs ok with immediate effect. At the same time, he tells him that he can appeal against the decision only outside the property.
[. . .] The director has claimed that the Heltai-Szirmai operetta could be performed without any concerns twenty years ago because it has an absolute artistic and literary value and it cannot be an object of complaint today either, when plays with artistic nudity and erotic effects are in the programs of orpheums, music halls, and even theatres. [. . .] Since then, Eny em az els} o cs ok will be removed from the theatre's program, and it will be replaced by the one-act Sz€ ovets egesek [Allies] starring Pufi Husz ar. 30 Besides writing the same panels and information, Pesti H ırlap 31 focused on the "measures" taken by director Elem er Wertheimer. The article described that it had never occurred to the directors for a moment that the performance would face these kinds of obstacles: [. . .] the topic, which the operetta dealt with without any obscenity, was considered to be against public morality by today's police, because on Friday at noon, police advisor P all told the director of the Andr assy Street Theatre that based on the report of the event supervisory department of the Ministry of Interior, vice-commissioner Andr eka ordered the play to be removed from the program.
Director Wertheimer, who did not expect that a play that had seen a hundred performances twenty years previously would be "against public morality", went to the headquarters and told them that he saw the ban as a violation of the freedom of art and literature. They acknowledged the director's appeal, but he was told that the play could not be performed during the period of the appeal either, so the Andr assy Street Theatre did not perform the operetta of Jen} o Heltai and Albert Szirmai, but put another play in the program instead until the end of the case. [. . .] 32 Unlike in the last two articles, on the columns of Pesti Napl o 33 we can read a remarkably detailed report. It is a valuable source material in several aspects: it shares important partial informationrepetitions were removed from the text -, it elaborated at length on the intervention of director Wertheimer, police advisors dr P all and dr S andor D ora took part in the trial. But besides achieving some beneficial results, the theatre management also had to provide a new program as soon as possible.
[. . .] After receiving the notification, Elem er Wertheimer, director of the Andr assy Street Theatre went to the headquarters, where he met police advisor P all, who said that the operetta was offensive to public morality, and because of that the performance had to be banned. This ban is the result of the report of chief advisor Pusk as, and since the order has been signed by vice-commissioner Andr eka, the Andr assy Street Theatre has the right only to appeal against the ban, but only outside the property, so Friday night's performance of Eny em az els} o cs ok cannot be given, either.
[. . .] In response to pleas, chief advisor D ora replied that he could not grant even the least postponement. However, he also revealed that he had read the manuscript of the play and did not find anything wrong with it, but the topic of the play and especially its tendency could not be presented to the public in view of the existing strict regulations about the protection of public morality.
Director Wertheimer also argued that some private theatres were performing plays by foreign playwrights with far more serious topics and tendencies all the time without any ban from the police. He therefore urged that the literary work of one of the most outstanding Hungarian writers, Jen} o Heltai be seen in the same way as the plays of a foreigner playwright. Director Wertheimer received a negative reply again, and with this, Eny em az els} o cs ok was removed from the program of Andr assy Street Theatre, at least for a while. [. . .] 34

ASSOCIATION OF HUNGARIAN PLAYWRIGHTS -EMERGENCY MEETING, PETITION
It is important to mention that at the time of the ban the internationally known and acknowledged writer was the Chair of the association of Hungarian playwrightsa society which also included writers, translators and composers. His first administration at the head of the Association 35 lasted from 18 April 1917 to 6 March 1919. 36 He was Chair for a second time from 12 March 1922 to 16 June 1930. 37 The Association 38 provided legal representation in many cases, and from time to time it intervened with decision-making or executive authorities. This case was no different. The Association discussed the ban at an emergency meeting and it formed and sent a petition to the Minister of Interior. Many of its members expressed their indignation over the case, which can also be seen in the articles. 34 Ibid., 11. 35 Magyar Sz ınpadi Szerz} ok Egyes€ ulete [Association of Hungarian Playwrights]. In Magyar Sz ınh azm} uv eszeti Lexikon., cit., 477-478. 36 Ibid., 478. 37 Ibid., 478. 38 First period: 1904-1919Second period: 1920Second period: -1949 The emergency meeting was described in detail in the article published on 19 May 1928 in Magyar H ırlap. 39 The discussion of the new order from the Ministry of Interior-an adjective which hints at the fact that a new order was being plannedand the focus on the case at hand caused problems for the Association in many ways, because the members had to agree on their reaction to the ban and the above-mentioned order. The Association unanimously urged the immediate withdrawal of the police measures-despite the numerous points of incomprehension and the unanswered questions.
The management board of the Association of Hungarian Playwrights held an emergency meeting chaired by Jen} o Heltai concerning the case of the order about the protection of copyrights issued by the Ministry of Interior, and the unexpected decision of the police to ban Jen} o Heltai's operetta Eny em az els} o cs ok with immediate effect with reference to the protection of public morality.
The management of the Association of Hungarian Playwrights dealt with the new order of the Minister of Interior first. They agreed that they would wait until the order is published before they took any further measures, because the order does not deal with the collection of royalties and Hungarian playwrights find it natural to leave it to their association.
After that, they discussed the ban of the operetta in the Andr assy Street Theatre. The Association found the police measures incomprehensible and it turned to the Minister of Interior with confidence, asking for an immediate reversal of the police measures.
On Thursday night, police advisor Pusk as saw the performance of the operetta Eny em az els} o cs ok in the Andr assy Street Theatre. On Friday, the theatre suddenly got an order from the police which informed the management that the play was banned with immediate effect. The measure surprised the management to an uncommon extent because this operetta by Jen} o Heltai ran to a hundred performances twenty years ago, and at that time they did not find anything wrong with it.
The plot of the play is about the old rights of the lords and the right to the first kiss. This tale is told in manner which is witty and pleasing, using the finest artistic devices in Heltai's cosy operettasatire, so that we really cannot find anything wrong with it. And yet, now it is banned with reference to morality considerations. [. . .]  (Mikl os Bezzegh-Husz ar). These lines tell a lot about contemporary censure in general and about the public morale of the age.
As a reaction to the ban, the Association of Hungarian Playwrights with Jen} o Heltai as its chairman called for an emergency meeting on Friday, at which they made a decision after a passionate discussion that they would turn to the Minister of Interior with an urgent petition and ask him on Saturday to take measures in this ominous case, whichas the Association of Hungarian Playwright says with all trustcan only be solved through the Minister of Interior.
The petition of the Association of Hungarian Playwrights, which was signed by K alm an Csath o in lieu of Jen} o Heltai, will be handed to the Minister of Interior by the Association's lawyer, dr Menyh ert Pal agyi 46 About the case of the ban, the journalist of the Pesti Napl o received the following statement: Commissioner Mikl os Bezzegh-Husz ar: -I do not know about any ban against the play, nor do I know which police medium banned it. I have to add that nobody has from the theatre has turned to me with a complaint about such a ban, although the management would have had the right to appeal and come to me after the ban from police representative. 47 Jen} o R akosi: -The faith of our actors and our entire theatre is now in the hands not of God, but of the police. It is sad that so little seems to have been left of the former's omnipotence.
Zsolt Hars anyi: -I was not really surprised by the case of the Heltai play. You start to get used to it. Before a charity event where I spoke for free, the police officer insisted that I show him, in advance, the text of the speech I am about to deliver, because it may contain communist elements. Or, the other day, I got informed that in a countryside community, local morality forums prevented a performance of the famous play A Noszty fi u. . . [The Nosztys' boy] because in the last scene there is a woman who is expecting a baby, and that is considered obscene. So now I am beginning to think that I am forced to consider even my existence in the world obscene, because, to tell the truth, I was not brought here by a stork. What's more, my case is badly aggravated by the fact that even my son was not brought to us by a stork. Every literary work, including even the most shallow ones, has two forums: the aesthetic forum, i.e. the critics, and the judicial forumthe court. To order a third judging and evaluating forum over the literature of a country besides these two is a derogatory and savage act.
-Those doubtlessly gracious and excellent man, who have a word in this issue should see that this whole case is a gruesome piece of nonsense. On this same basis, the police officer could just as well visit the lecture of a professor of obstetrics at the medical university, because he may tell an obscene joke during his lecture, or he should witness a meeting of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences where there is a sociological debate and one of the academicians starts singing a communist tune. Naturally none of these can happen. But for me, it can happen. I resent that. 46 It is probably a typo. R obert Pal agyi any Menyh ert Pal agyi can be seen in turns. R obert Pal agyi is the lawyer of the Association of Hungarian Playwrights indeed, proved by sourcessee the reference above. 47 This statement from the commissioner shows that the question of the banned play was finally decided on a much higher level.
Menyh ert Lengyel: -It is incredibly unbelievable to stigmatize Jen} o Heltai as immoral. He rose above his peers with the brilliant work of his whole life, and his name means true and great value not only in Hungary but abroad, as well. And the fact that this stigma was put on Heltai's little masterpiece by a police officer goes beyond all limits. Is it possible? Where does it go? That is unprecedented. We are amazed by this disgraceful decision, and our last hope is that this police measure that ridicules everything would be undone by a stroke of a pen from the highest forum.
Lajos Zilahy: -I find this decision absolutely absurd. This state has to be terminated immediately.
[. . .] 48 In the article published in Est 49 on 20 May in addition to the details of the appeal from the Association, new information appeared about the ways in which K alm an Csath o, 50 R obert Pal agyi, 51 and S andor Sztranyavszky 52 were involved in the case: [. . .] By the way, the Andr assy Street Theatre appealed against the order. Besides that, the Association of Hungarian Playwrights turned to the Minister of Interior with a petition in which it asks him to take action against the order. Ujs ag, 59 and as primer source I used writings from the first two newspapers and the article published in 8 Órai Ujs ag.
Collegiate councillor dr K alm an Tomcs anyi was also involved in the case, minister of interior Scitovszky trusted him with the investigation, his intercession and personality got a positive evaluation in the press. Against the ban of the operetta titled Eny em az els} o cs ok by Heltai and Szirmai, the Association of Hungarian Playwrights turned to the Minister of Interior. Following the proposal of Dr K alm an Tomcs anyi, Minister of Interior B ela Scitovszky immediately ordered the collegiate councillor himself to go and see a performance of the play incriminated by the police in the Andr assy Street Theatre, and he made the decision dependent on his opinion. This quick and emphatic decision was welcomed by both the Association of Hungarian Playwrights and the management of the Andr assy Street Theatre because they knew K alm an Tomcs anyi's impartial and wise way of thinking, which undoubtedly could only have a positive effect on the fate of the play, and so everyone was reassured even in advance. 60 The writing published in Magyar H ırlap shows that the case points beyond itselfindeed, it was discussed not only in literary but also in political circles. The Ministry of Interior set the date of the performance's examination for Monday. They also gave a report about the planned interpellation of writer and member of parliament J ozsef Pakots 61 : [. . .] The management of the Andr assy Street Theatre has appealed against the police decision and this appeal was forwarded to the Minister of Interior. Minister B ela Scitovszky decided that on Monday afternoon a committee from the Ministry of Interior was to appear in the auditorium of the Andr assy Street Theatre, the actors would perform the play for the committee and the Minister of Interior was to make a decision based on the report of the committee.
Of course, the banning decision of the police attracted attention, and it was discussed not only in literary but also in political circles, since Jen} o Heltai and Albert Szirmai were two great and internationally acknowledged personalities in Hungarian literature and composition, so it would have been strange to label them as immoral. In literary circles, there had already been protests against the police ruling, and today MP J ozsef Pakots gave an interpellation concerning the case of Eny em az els} o cs ok. The interpellation will be read at the 8 Órai Ujs ag succeeded in eliciting an interview from the play's other director, L or and Barab as, 63 who said the following: [. . .] We asked L or and Barab as, dramaturge director of Andr assy Street Theatre about the case, who said the following to our colleague: -Until the midday hours there has been no decision about the withdrawal of the play, but there is hopethe Ministry of Interior may change its position in the case and it may allow the performance of Eny em az els} o cs ok again. When we can hope to schedule a new performance of the play of course depends on the time we get notified about the decision. Perhaps we can already perform the play today, or we may need to wait a day or two before we can stage it once more. [. . .] 64 We can safely say that the press gave the most detailed report on the performance given for the benefit of the committee, since reporters could follow the events on Monday afternoon from outside the theatre, even if not from the inside; furthermore, they could also managed to interview some of the people concerned. In this case, I selected articles from Magyar H ırlap, 65 Pesti Napl o 66 and Ujs ag. 67 The company first met in the director's office in the Andr assy Street Theatreof the creators of the play only Albert Szirmai appeared in person, while author Jen} o Heltai was represented by Menyh ert Lengyel. The committee consisted of vice-commissioner K aroly Andr eka, advisor to the Ministry of Culture € Od€ on Mariay, Zolt an Farkas, K alm an Tomcs anyi and chief advisor Gy€ orgy Pusk aswho was to write the report about the play -sat in the front row. Only a few people could get into the hall or hide behind the curtains, firstly because such censorship performances were private, and secondly because the detectives who were sent to the theatre took care to keep away journalists and uninvited visitors.
First, let us see the report given by Magyar H ırlap. The newspaper interviewed J ozsef Pakots, who could only repeat his earlier, angry words: [. . .] A few minutes after four o'clock the members of the committee arrived. Vice-commissioner K aroly Andr eka, advisor to the Ministry of Interior K alm an Tomcs anyi, police advisor Gy€ orgy 62 Pakots J ozsef interpell al a Heltai-Szirmai-operett. . ., cit., 4. 63 In some press sources of this study, names "L or and" and "L or ant" were corrected, because in various encyclopaedias the form "L or and" was used, so I followed these.; L or and Barab as   The censorship performance of the Eny em az els} o cs ok is about to start. J ozsef Pakots is on the stage behind the curtains. Members of the committee are seated in the front rows.
A gong, the curtain goes up, R atkai is seen on the stage in the spectacular costume of a medieval lord. He is sitting on the throne with B€ oske T oth next to him, and on the right sings the joyful choir of the little operetta: Today is different, / From other days, / Today it ends, / Today it ends / The Middle Ages end.
Then the story of the play begins. R atkai plays with noticeable indisposition. No wonder: the audience does not react to his jokes. 68 The performance ends at a quarter to five, the committee members go to art director L or and Barab as's office to discuss whether or not they should authorize the performances of the play.
[. . .] -I have the most honest impressionsaid J ozsef Pakots -, that Jen} o Heltai's play is an uncommonly fine and great piece of theatre. The tune of the little operetta, its satire and its humor are not hurtful or frivolous, but truly refreshing. This performance can only justify the success of the play twenty years ago.
Then the question arises, why the decision about the revival of a play so successful twenty years previously is not made by an impartial artistic committee.
Director Elem er Wertheimer, director of this little theatre, says that he will have to close down the theatre if Eny em az els} o cs ok is not allowed to stage, because their current season was founded on this operetta.
After a forty-five minute discussion the committee members left the theatre and director Wertheimer asked ministry advisor Tomcs anyi about the committee's decision. But Tomcs anyi only said that he would report to Minister of Interior Scitovszky on Tuesday morning, who was to bring the final ruling in the case.
Regardless of the committee's decision, J ozsef Pakots was to speak out about the case of the ban in Parliament so as to prevent further instances where a theatre performance is banned based on a report from a police officer, depriving hundreds of people of their livelihood.
'This case is special', said Pakots, 'because the author of the banned play is Jen} o Heltai. I will ask the Ministry of Interior to ask the Hungarian embassy in Paris to give information about Jen} o Heltai. In the French Foreign Office they know him well. Here, in Hungary, they obviously don't. . . 69 The report in Pesti Napl o projected the atmosphere of the statements made by J ozsef Pakots and Menyh ert Lengyel over the entire text. It also described a discussion between director Wertheimer and Tomcs anyi. They referred to the case as a medieval trial, using of course the rhetorical opportunities given by the medieval story (for example: "Jen} o Heltai made a mistake when he wrote that »The Middle Ages have ended.« 70 ). For the eventuality of a 68 In another, later article we can read that the audienceespecially Tomcs anyismiled or laughed many times. 69 Lej atszott ak bel€ ugyminiszt eriumi bizotts ag. . ., cit., 8. 70 Irodalmi t€ orv enysz ek. . ., cit., 12.
final ban, Heltai envisages renouncing his position as a chairman of the Association of Hungarian Playwrights.
[. . .] The committee, which includes vice-commissioner Andr eka as member, consists of nine people, three of them right-wing literary critics. [. . .] When the meeting of the committee started, MP J ozsef Pakots, who saw the performance from behind the curtains, appeared in the audience. J ozsef Pakots said the following: -Eny em az els} o cs ok is a fine, cozy, high-end operetta. It is ridiculous even to think about banning it. The noble-sounding name of Heltai and this high-end, literary libretto, and this great music from Szirmai: these can only give us reason to celebrate Heltai and Szirmai. Banning them! To hurt them by charging them with immorality? This is a sin indeed. The little operetta starts with a song, and its last line says that the Middle Ages had ended. When I look at the events around this operetta, when I see this terribly somber literary court with members who have had nothing to do with literature before, and when I remember that this gratuitous decision of the police can be sanctioned by the court, I have to say that Heltai was in fact mistaken when he wrote that "The Middle Ages had ended" -About this whole case, I will speak out in the House on Tuesday. The entire predicament is thoroughly incredible and hideous. A police officer judging about a Heltai operetta. A single word from a police officer is enough to stigmatize this little masterpiece by Heltai as immoral and obscene, and to ban it once and for all. It is also incredible that it should be not a representative of the Ministry of Culture, but someone from the Ministry of Interiorwho may be a great administration expert, but certainly not a judge in a literary casewho passes judgment at second instance as to what kind of playwright Heltai is and whether his brilliant play is unworthy of being performed in front of the audience in Pest. Now Menyh ert Lengyel takes over. He angrily proclaims, 'Hungarian writers, let us put down our pens! Everything is in vain here. Does it depend on the mood of police officers if Heltai can write, and whether, when he writes something, it can be performed in a theatre? With this method, it is not only the Hungarian writers who can be made miserable, but a theatre can also be destroyed in twenty-four hours. And this is happening now, when Hungarian acting is in the greatest crisis, and theatres are in the hands of God more than ever. I do not know what could be done against all of this. We are standing here feeling helpless.
Meanwhile, in the director's room, the meeting goes on. Nobody outside can know anything for certain. A detective is standing by the door of the meeting room. But after a forty-five minute meeting, the door of the meeting room opens, an advisor representative of the ministry comes out and calls in vice-commissioner Andr eka and police advisor Pusk as from the street. The meeting continues. Finally, at half past five the committee members appear at the door. Director Elem er Wertheimer rushes to K alm an Tomcs anyi, who says the following: -The committee did not bring a final ruling, it will be done tomorrow. [. . .] p That is all. Is that not exactly like a medieval story?. . . 71 From the paper Ujs ag I found it important to highlight the following details, and it is also worth paying attention to the highly ironic style of the report: 71 Irodalmi t€ orv enysz ek. . ., cit., 12-13.
[. . .] The gentlemen entered the theatre hall and took their seats scattered in the rows. They clearly wished to examine the obscene play from every angle. [. . .] The head of the committee was ministry advisor K alm an Tomcs anyi, whose name is mostly known to the public in connection with bans. [. . .] The formalities of the morality investigation are highly impressive and shockingly exciting.
Two detectives were standing at each door of the hall, dressed in black. Nobody could go in or out.
[. . .] On the stage, among others, we could see MP J ozsef Pakots, who definitely did not want anyone to know that he had seen Eny em az els} o cs okan instance as disgraceful for Members of Parliament as it is for young girls.
After the performance the committee went into the director's office. When the curtains finally descended upon this blight of the dramatic arts, the detectives left. In the hallway, we surprised representative Imre Gy€ orki, who had probably been trying to lurk around the keyhole, but felt afraid of the detectives.
The committee retired to the office. The young man looked out of the door several times before he went to completed the numbers of the committee. He invited a few gentlemen of the police inside, attending merely as private citizens. The supplementary committee was locked up again and continued the meeting.
Actors and other employees of the theatre, for whom the ban was an existential question, walked nervously up and down the corridors. Besides journalists this included other intrigued individuals such as Menyh ert Lengyel. 72 Finally the door opened. Ministry advisor Tomcs anyi appeared in coat and hat. He words he spoke to theatre director Elem er Wertheimer were the following, 'We have not made a decision in the case. We shall report to his excellency the Minister of Interior. Please come and see me later.' Then they left. [. . .] 73 On 23 May, a report was published in Esti kur ır 74 from which the reader of the time could learn about the events accurately to the hour and even to the minute, and it also shed light on the reaction of the judging audience: [. . .] 4.15 p.m.: The doors of the theatre hall open. The detectives check everyone. They literally stop people for identification without saying a word. No one else is allowed to enter except the members of the committee. Albert Szirmai, the composer of the operetta wants to go in. They allow him, but finally he is forced to sneak in the hall in the dark. Menyh ert Lengyel also goes in as the representative of Jen} o Heltai who is in Berlin at the time.
The committee in charge of protecting public morality seat themselves in the first two rows. [. . .] 'What you sang is right', says R atkai, referring to the libretto which proclaims that today the Middle Ages end. 72 Menyh ert Lengyel represented Heltai, he was not only a "curious person" on the event. 73 Erk€ olcsb ır ak a n ez} ot eren. . ., cit., 11. 74 M odos ıt asokkal enged elyezt ek a betiltott Heltai-operett el} oad as at, de a bel€ ugyminiszter tov abbra is helyesli a rend} ors eg elj ar as at [Performance of Banned Heltai Operetta is Allowed with Some Modifications, but Minister of Interior Still Thinks that Police Measures Were Right]. Esti Kurir. vol VI issue 116 (23 May 1928) 7. Everyone is looking at Tomcs anyi. Tomcs anyi laughs, Andr eka laughs, the two literary potentates smile.
4.12 p.m.: The document about the termination of the Middle Ages is handed to M arton R atkai, who, as befits an illiterate knight, looks at it upside down.
'It is upside down', the courier warns him.
'No problem', says R atkai, 'a true knight can read upside down'.
The landlord seems to be enjoying the goings-on, but the attraction is over.

AN OUTLOOK: MORALITY PROTECTION TO THE BITTER END -20 MAY
One of the benefits we may hope to gain from this case is if the Ministry of Interior were to reconsider the application of the law about the morality protection to theatre (or other artistic) performances or use a totally different method to supervise them if necessary. The playwrights also hoped for such an outcome, but police have also taken action with regard to the operetta Yes. The two cases are connected in articles reporting on the fate of Yes. We can assume that in this case the common outrage about the ban of the Heltai-Szirmai operetta has caused those involved to think the matter over. On 20 May Pesti Napl o published the following article concerning the significance of the case of Eny em az els} o cs ok in connection with Yes, and playwrights in general, A Yes sz€ ovegk€ onyv et vas arnap d elel} ott fel€ ulvizsg alja a rend} ors eg. Erk€ olcsv edelem a v egkimer€ ul esig [Libretto of Yes to be Reviewed by Police on Sunday Morning. Morality Protection to the Bitter End] 76 : One day has passed since the performance of Heltai and Szirmai's operetta in the Andr assy Street Theatre was banned. This gratuitous act was followed by loud protest on behalf of the entire community of writers and actors. In the columns of Pesti Napl o, the greatest Hungarian playwrights expressed their views on the case and emphasized that such a case of police censure will have the most serious consequences unless it is revoked without delay, and that all it can avail is to cause serious and irreparable damage to our theatres already struggling with huge problems, and to drive Hungarian writers into utter apathy. [. . .] For a while after the measures of the Ministry of Interior things seemed to calm down a little and, it was believed that, at least for the present, police would stop pestering theatres in Pest. That was not the case. Yvain's new operetta, Yes, premiered in the Hungarian Theatre on Friday evening. The press wrote about the play in positive tones and even the strictest critic could find no fault with the libretto of this delightful and successful little operetta. It seems that that the police's opinion is again different from that of the audiences of Budapest and the critical appraisal given by the people that city. This is proved by the fact that the management of the Hungarian Theatre received summons from the headquarters in which they request the head of the theatre to report at the Permissions Department on Sunday morning and present the entire libretto of Yes.
Naturally, for the present it is unknown what might be the final goal of the police with this request, but has undeniably brought uncertainty upon stage plays which are of acknowledged value on every stage around the world, and whose destiny is now to be discussed or judged at the »department of permissions« after performances have been discontinued. The permission which finally authorized the theatre to include the operetta in its season's program was received by the management on 22 May. The press, as was to be expected, reported the fact, and a few days later a "sample text advertisement" 79 appeared on the pages of every newspaper: Now that the Heltai-Szirmai operetta Eny em az els} o cs okwhich was first banned and then repermittedis once again being performed as part of the series Kacag o Est ek [Laughing Evenings], audiences are giving the play a standing ovation night after night. This flawless little play is a huge success due to its brilliant wit, beautiful music and the acting of M arton R atkai, B€ oske T oth, and P al Fekete. In fact the entire program is a huge success, with ticket prices ranging up to 6 Peng} o. 80 This case is especially absurd because the "morality judges", in other words the the committee from the Ministry of Interior, withdrew the ban, partly yielding to pressure. But the way in which this "withdrawal" took place is almost comical in itself, since the Ministry of Interior deleted the total of two sub-clauses from the script. There was no censorship here, asserted the Minister of Interior when asked about the events by 8 Órai Ujs ag. Scitovszky talked about the monitoring of the plays in general, and he said that such "inconveniences" could be easily avoided if theatre companies submitted their scripts in advance.
[. . .] -I altered the ruling of the headquarters and authorized the performance of the play with the appropriate modifications.
The police had made the right decision when they vetoed the play because of its libretto and its manner of performance. When the case reached me I examined the relevant points and altered the police ruling after considering several aspects. I ordered the theatre management to introduce moderation to those parts of the play which had justified the police ruling.
Usually, I am no friend of censorship, either, and do not wish to exercise it, because I find it personally difficult. The professionals involved need to know their won boundaries and whenever they go beyond these, they render it necessary for the police to intervene. I do not only consider moral aspects, but also take into account the fact that for a theatre which performs a play, the measures I might introduce in cases like this can easily cause difficulties. I strive not to cause any damage to anyone. However, moral requirements must naturally enjoy priority and obligation of the police authorities when they make measures which are necessary considering public morals.
-When I look at the showcases, I am happy to see that the issues that might have been experienced in the past in terms of public morality have disappeared. If there are any concerns about the play, these should be clarified before the performance.
When it comes to concerns like that, it is not a matter of censorship so much as a friendly opinion, and such points can be modified in order to avoid any unnecessary expenditure, as this aspect of things cannot be taken into consideration when it the protection of public morality is at stake. [. . .] 81 The summary 82 given by Pesti Napl o on 23 May focused on the financial aspect whichsince we are talking about private theatre companies and businesseswas indeed a serious problem endangering the very survival of the theatres in question.
[. . .] Vice-commissioner Andr eka told the director of Andr assy Street Theatre which were those sensitive parts that had to be deleted from the play. It soon turned out that they were talking about a mere two sub-clauses. These two sub-clauseswere immediately deleted from the libretto of the operetta.
So it had all been about two sub-clauses. The Andr assy Street Theatre was empty for four weeks because of two sub-clauses, Jen} o Heltai, this great Hungarian writer known all around Europe was convicted of a crime against morals and decency committed by his enchanting little masterpiece because of two sub-clauses. Two sub-clausesneeded to be deleted from the script of the operetta after the mobilization of Hungarian writers, Hungarian public opinion, and the relevant department of the Ministry of Interior, so these two sub-clauses must be remembered now. [. . .] 83

CENSORSHIP IN THEATRES AS A COMMON PROBLEM -ACTION AGAINST POLICE ASSAULTS
The case and the measures we have described were far from unique, even if the episode of the Heltai-Szirmai operetta received the most attention in the press. On 24 May 1928 Pesti H ırlap also published the interpellation of the writer and Member of Parliament J ozsef Pakots, in which he brought up a new argument against the application of the decree of morality protection on literary works: [. . .] he criticized the measures of the police, namely that they censored certain plays and banned several of literary value. The decree on morality protection did not do much good for us abroad. token of appreciation for his literary work. It is typical of police censorship that after deleting one or two harmless sentencesby the order of the minister of interiorthey authorised the play once more. 84 Scitovszky confirmed the official position of the Ministry of Interior in his answeras he did in his previous statements 85 which stated that the ban and the supervising of the play were indeed necessary.
[. . .] The police supervise performances with regard to their impact on public morality. It is the state's interest to prohibit the debauchery of morals. The performance in question, and some parts of the play itself, go beyond the boundaries of good taste and morals. It is possible to have fun, be entertained and mock things within the confines of good morality. In the future, theatres will have to present the script of each play in advance, that way the problem can be solved without causing financial difficulty, while revising performances with a view to their moral aspects. (The House acknowledged the answer.) [. . .] 86 "We can say that the case would have had far more serious consequences than they had thought." 87wrote the journalist of Magyarorsz ag in an article about the incident published on 24 May. As we know, even a few days' ban caused a huge drop in income for the Andr assy Street Theatre, but the playwrights urged a common action against censorship and police assaults in theatres.
Yesterday evening the banned operetta by Jen} o Heltai and Albert Szirmai was re-included in the program of the Andr assy Street Theatre following minor alterations. [. . .] Now that the files of this inconvenient case are closed and the little operetta has again been performed to huge applause from the audience, we can safely say that the case could have had far more serious consequences then they had thought. The head of the Andr assy Street Theatre decided that if the Minister of Interior does not change the police ruling, the theatre was to close its doors without delay, one month before its regular summer break.
The director of another theatre was threatened with a fine if unless he delete incriminating parts in a play. This prestigious director from Budapest has been at the head of a noted Hungarian theatre for a quarter of a century. He told our colleague that he would not pay the fine, but would exercise his right to serve his sentence instead. This is the way in which he would wish to protest against police measures.
We have learnt that the Association of Theatre Directors, the Association of Playwrights and the Theatres Association were launching a joint law suit against the assaults of the censorship, after having declared their protest at their subsequent meeting. 88 84 After this, the decree on morality protection and the issue of censoring theatres remained on the agenda, and playwrights and artistsas well as other associations, groups and communities, etc.urged the revision of the decree, as we could see in the above-mentioned sources. They also found it absurd that the police subordinated to the Ministry of Interior should take measures concerning issues that would normally belong to the Ministry of Culture. This is proved by the fact that the first Congress of Fine Arts and Literaturewhich gave occasion for a meeting of a range of relevant departmentsalso made it one of its goals to discuss and later to resolve this problem.
The Congress of Fine Arts and Literature will demand the termination of censorship in theatres and the abolition of related police fees and taxes on entertainment. The first Congress of Fine Arts and Literature will be opened on 4 June in the Research Hall of the Houses of Parliament.
Participants have agreed to submit numerous proposals to Congress, including the demand for the termination of theatre censorship and of the application of public morality regulations to theatres. The explanatory section of the proposal quotes a range of related laws all the way from the 1848 decree abolishing censorship, demonstrating that the decree on the protection of public morality lacks legal foundations. [. . .] 89 SUMMARY By selecting from contemporary press sources and putting them into context, the goal of this study has been to present the absurd incidents of banned theatre performances in Hungary and to provide an insight into the application of contemporary decrees for the protection of public morality. We have also explored the operation of the Andr assy Street Theatrethe performance of the play on the opening night, the danger of of breakdown etc.and attempted to enhance our knowledge, in a chronological sequence, about the way in which the Association of Hungarian Playwrights was connected to the case. As we could see, this incident was not unique, several plays were banned temporarily or permanently by the Ministry of Interior, and this was one of the reasons why Hungarian playwrights urged to organize an association for protecting their interests, and urged to reform the decrees in question.
As a final thought I would like to highlight a few sentences from an article published in Pesti H ırlap on 23 May: [. . .] We must all remember what happened to a theatre, a theatre's audience and, above all, to the very best writers of the country within four days in May 1928 in Budapest, just because after a delay of four days, the police needed to delete two sub-clauses from a one hour play simply in order to put a patch on the "literary mistake" of a police advisor.