Popular Culture Review 30.1
Nineteen-fifties Hollywood had deemed the novel too difficult to adapt because Kate had to operate a brothel instead of just , for example , a saloon for it to emotionally kill her wholesome other son , Aron , and cause him to enlist in the army , which leads to another tragedy of his father ’ s suffering a stroke and becoming incapacitated . However , according to Simmons , Kazan rose to the challenge and eventually worked around three options given to him by executives at the Breen Office , at the Production Code Administration , and at Warner Brothers . Kazan also refused to portray the suggestion of Kate being arrested along with Cal when he disturbs the peace at her establishment .
Ultimately , a relatively simple compromise was arranged whereby the original whorehouse scenes were set in “ Kate ’ s Place ,” a rough saloon and gambling house that served as a front for Kate ’ s more lucrative operations in another building down the street . Kazan would be allowed to show the exterior of her brothel , but all interior scenes were to be located in either the saloon or Kate ’ s attached office and living quarters . In this way , the letter of the Code was observed but Kazan could clearly identify Kate ’ s evil profession . ( Simmons )
Thanks to some changes that Kazan made in the shooting script and that the PCA approved , viewers mistook the saloon that was among some other deteriorated places for a brothel anyhow . Perhaps , the Production Code ’ s allowance of this slip contributed to its revision in 1956 to permit references to prostitution and drugs ( Maltby 568 ), the latter of which are used in the novel by Kate , by other prostitutes , and by the bordello pianist , Cotton Eye .
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