The Censors

Although the U.S. Supreme Court decided unanimously that state film censors had no business banning La Ronde (in New York) and M (in Ohio), only two members wrote an opinion on movie censorship in general (TIME, Jan. 25). Declared Justices Douglas and Black: all state film censorship is contrary to the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech. But this week, the problem of censorship seemed more muddled than before. Items:

P: Meeting in Manhattan with New York's Censor Hugh Flick, censors representing six states discussed the Supreme Court ruling, concluded with the "determination to continue to bar objectionable films in terms of our respective state laws' The Supreme Court, they argued, did not dispute "the constitutional rights of the states to exercise preregulation of motion pictures."

P: Dr. Flick developed an idea that would bring moviegoers into partnership with the censors. The plan would allow the censors to put all films into one of four categories: 1) "For the whole family"; 2) "A little less than entirely suitable"; 3) "For adults only''; 4) "To be shown under very restricted conditions." Classification, agreed Director George (Shane) Stevens, "would serve a wider audience w^ith greater definition . . . It's the British way. This should be the American way." Snorted Director William (Roman Holiday) Wyler: "We can't be guardians of children ... It is up to the parents . . . Personally, I think censor boards ought to go out of business. That's what the Supreme Court meant . . . Why the hell don't they fold up?"

P: In Philadelphia, John F. O'Hara, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, wrote in a pastoral letter: "In effect the Supreme Court has ruled that the states may label as poison only what affects the body, not that which can destroy the soul."

P: In Hollywood, the Breen Office suggested that Producer Leonard Goldstein remove from his new film. Princess of the Nile, certain scenes in which Cinemactress Debra Paget performs bumps and grinds while dancing. Protested Goldstein: "The Egyptians didn't call those movements bumps and grinds. We are now arguing with the Breen Office as to what is a bump and what is a grind."

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