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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975 05-06 Outdoor "dirty movie" ordinance doesn't cover council's intent REVIEW Outdoor 'dirty movi ' dz nance L, 19 .15 doesn 't cover c ' • ' ounczl s intent 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! (Continued on Page 15) R Yr\cam b 1 c'] Council action (Continued from Page 1) 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.