VD Propaganda, Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet, and the Production Code

Abstract

Considered in the context of revisionist film history, this essay draws on Production Code Administration (PCA) documents and studio story files to look at how Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet, a 1940 Warner Bros. biopic about Paul Ehrlich—German Jewish medical scientist and pioneer in treating sexually transmitted diseases—secured the approval of the PCA in the face of a prohibition on VD propaganda films.