Haters of the 'sick' theater answer back in droves

A flood of angry, Indig. nant letters have come to The Plain Dealer in the wake of my column last Sunday on the "sick, sick theater."

They came from Cleve land, South Euclid, Shaker Heights, Lorain, Burton, Lakewood, Fairview Park,

Hudson, Parma Heights, Heights, Warren, Bay Village, Warrensville Heights, Westlake, Willoughby, Cleveland Heights. Rocky River, Maple Heights, Ashland, Euclid, North Olmsted, Bellefontaine, East Cleveland, Orange, Parma and Paines-

ville.

There were also many telephone calls of a like nature. Several were turned over to the cirulation department when they requested as many as 70 extra copies of the column.

What completely surprised and amazed me is that all but two of them entirely agreed with me that four letter words in regard to sex, and detailed scenes of perversion and sexual activity should not be allowed on the screen.

One of them excoriated

me for citing Oscar Wilde as both a notorious homo-

sexual and a man of supreme literary good taste. The other appeared to both laud and criticize me, although others who have read it find its exact meaning a puzzlement.

Apparently, not even one pseudo-intellectual was will-

By Peter Bellamy

Ing to put in writing his indorsement of four-letter words in regard to sex on the motion picture screen.

One of the letter writers called me "a contemporary Man for All Seasons,' which I would certainly like which I would certainly like to be. Another called me "Praise God Bellamy." This is an appellation I'd rather duck since Praise God Barebone was an associate of Oliver Cromwell, who closed all the theaters in London during his reign.

Several lodged complaints about newspaper and TV advertising of gamey films.

The letters reflect growing awareness and fury at moving picture producers, operating outside of the Motion Picture Association code, who saturate films with sex, perversion, and obscene language to no valid artistic purpose.

to be our contribution to the future. We have immaturely mistaken irresponsible license for glorious freedom. I am reminded of the child who eats a truckload of chocolate and hopes he won't become ill, and if he does become ill, hopes that someone will relieve him of the responsibility of mopping up.

Kenneth Arliss, Lakewood-"We all talk of air pollution, water pollution, etc., but seem to forget pollution of the mind."

Mrs. Carl Frode, Cleveland Heights-"So much of human activity today seems geared to appeasing the lowest common denominator."

Mrs. Walter J. Pugacz, Fairview Park-"Bravo to your article on "sick, sick theater! Its high time it's termed sick. We wonder what perversion to expect next. Sister-brother, mother-

Here are quotations from son, etc.? Thank God for Walt Disney." a few of the letters:

Mary E. Farmer-"I am not a censorship fan, but good taste must have some semblance of backing from the community."

Dr. Paul Shaughnessy, Lakewood-"In these days of worship of sex, I fear you are a voice crying in the wilderness-but I hope you will keep crying.”

Mrs. Thomas J. Berry, Euclid-"In the novel and the theater we are against censorship but FOR nothing in particular, hence the collection of garbage that appears

Mrs. Mary Lou Russell, Brook Park "A prude I'm not, but the way films have been going, I'm getting eyesore checking out films my 15-year-old son and 12-yearold daughter want to see. Thank you for speaking out, Mr. Bellamy, I was begin ning to think I was a little weird. At least I know now there are two of us."

Mrs. B. J. Carelll-"I would like to add my voice to yours. At least we can say we went down fighting."

Name withheld by request "The strength of a society is in its people, and we are becoming a weak, degenerative society obsessed with the idea that we should be liberal and free of all restraint. Our future lies with our young people and we are letting them down by not giving them rules to live by or helping them to judge which is good and which is bad."

Mrs. Carroll A. Lewis "I've felt insulted in recent years at having lurid sensationalism substituted for manifestations of real talent in many fields."

Many of the letter writers have asked the question in regard to use of four-letter words, excessive sex and perversion on the screen: "Can't something be done about it?" I think PLENTY can be done about it and without recourse to a censorship board.

Too often in the past censorship boards have been packed with fanatics, political hacks and persons of limited knowledge. They would condemn "Romeo and Juliet" for having a sex problem and ban the sight of bikinis and mini-skirts as works of the devil.

Next Sunday I hope to dwell upon what can be done with comparative simplicity to remove four-letter words from sound tracks and scenes of excessive sex or perversion, or both, from the

screen.