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One of the first collections to catch my eye after I started working at the Archives
was the Board of Theater Supervisors Documents.
I was immediately curious.
What was a theater supervisor?
And why was the City involved?
In 1911, the City passed an ordinance regulating theater performances in Seattle.
The law prohibited any performance of a, quote, "obscene, indecent
or immoral nature" and encompassed everything from live stage productions
to penny arcades and film screenings.
The ordinance established an advisory committee to help enforce the rules.
Originally called the Board of Theater Censors and later the Board of Theater Supervisors.
The group's work included reviewing potentially offensive films
and conducting onsite theater investigations.
This collection documents the Board's activities between 1926 and 1965.
Probably my favorite items in the collection are letters and reports
from the Board describing films they determined were offensive.
For example, this 1954 letter reporting on the film "The French Line,"
details exactly which content the Board felt should be removed.
Such as the line, "Pierre rides again"
and a dancing in which Jane Russell, quote, "bumps and grinds."
There are also lists of films the Board previewed each year
with corresponding viewing restrictions and scenes
the Board determined were in violation of the City ordinance.
It's documents like these that really give a sense
of how carefully Board members watched each questionable film.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, not everyone approved of the board's work.
In 1924,
Mayor John Dore called the group, quote, "non salaried busybodies."
And in 1950, the City received several letters
protesting the banning of the film "Stromboli," including one that reads,
"Why don't you fellows go down to the public library and tear up
Oscar Wilde and many other works of art while you're at it?"
"I think the ban smells of police state methods."
The City's theater ordinances
were declared unconstitutional by King County Superior Court in 1965
and the Washington State Supreme Court in 1968,
thus disbanding the Board of Theater Supervisors. [stamp sound effect in background]
For more information on this collection or any others
in the Archives, just email archives@seattle.gov.
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