HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975 05-06 Outdoor "dirty movie" ordinance doesn't cover council's intent REVIEW Outdoor 'dirty
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by Scott Carlson earlier suggested that the city move to are a corrupting force on the morals of
A proposed ordinance which would ban dirty movies from the outdoor Youth and a public nuisance for motorists
prohibit the showing of sexual acts on theaters. His suggestion came after driving by the theaters.
outdoor movie screens does not cover the noting that the Plaza Theatre, an indoor But when Maplewood's proposed or-
intent of the city council, the Maplewood movie house, had shown an X-rated dinance was revealed last Thursday night
city staff learned last Thursday night. movie. Mayor Robert Bruton suggested that it
And,therefore,the council has directed He suggested that the city pattern its could cause some problems.
its attorneys, Don Lais and John Ban- ordinance after one adopted in Modesto, "I feel there would be a terrible en-
nigan, to give closer scrutiny to the California. The Modesto ordinance forcement problem,"Bruton said, noting
subject. prohibits the showing of obscene movies that no standard of judgment had been
Councilman Norman Anderson had at outdoor theaters on grounds that they delineated to determine when an
operation would be in violation of the
ordinance. "I have no intention to pass
judgment on these movies."
Bruton's reservations about the or-
dinance, it was humorously noted,
seemed to be sensed ahead of time as it
was left for the acting mayor to sign.
The Mayor suggested that Anderson's
intent with the ordinance seemed to be
directed at X-rated movies.
But councilman Donald Wiegert said
that supporters of such an ordinance
would probably point out that an X-rated
designation would still not completely get
at nudity and explicit sexual conduct
because it could be portrayed in some
".`R" or "GP" movies. "They're going to
say 'you aren't going to cut the mustard
kid'," Wiegert said.
But councilman Burton Murdock
reiterated his earlier position. "I don't
approve of this crap but what you're doing
is just blowing this up," Murdock said.
"The federal government can't fight it.
How is Maplewood?"
Murdock added that an ordinance of
this type only gives free publicity to an
industry which is dying out.
Wiegert agreed. "We're giving them so
much free publicity that they couldn't buy
it," he noted.
"You have to teach your morality at!
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Council action
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home," Murdock told Anderson.
Mayor Bruton acknowledged that
Harold Shear, an attorney representing
the Minnehaha drive-in theatre, objected
to the ordinance`because we don't show
dirty movies'.
Attorney Lais indicated that an or-
dinance which prohibits the showing of X-
rated movies will merit further study
since the Modesto ordinance describes the
dirty movies as responsible for causing a
public nuisance.
The council has referred the ordinance
back to staff for further study.