April 11, 1969

THE PLAIN DEALER

7

Boston-banned picture to open here April 30

By Emerson Batdorff

There have been a lot of complaints about one scene in ""The Killing of Sister George, a story about lesbians. Coral Browne, who plays the forceful lesbian in the scene, contended that she wasn't embarassed.

"I think if my husband were still alive I would have thought twice about doing it, though," she said. "I would have thought, 'Oh my God, how terrible.

"But I have no one to answer to."

MISS BROWNE plays a raspy, surface-sweet, subsurface mean sort of women in "The Killing of Sister George," who lures the more desirable of two lesbians to her.

The picture is scheduled to open here April 30.

Miss Browne showed up at the press interview in New York in a red dress that I took for coral to match her name. But she said no.

"I don't even have any coral jewelry," she apologized.

I think that her lipstick was coral, but I didn't inquire. If a man can't tell simple red coral în a dress, how's he to do any better at figuring out a shade of lip. stick?

The scene that aroused such commotion has been separately billed in New York theaters, with a clock outside the box office telling patrons the next time it will be on.

It also got the picture temporarily banned in Boston.

It is not easy to describe in chaste language without either not suggesting what happens at all or else going too far and hinting at much more than takes place.

Miss Browne and Susannah York, who plays a delicately feminine lesbian, are involved.

WOULD THE SCENE cause her image any problems later on?

Miss Brown laughed. "In England 1 mainly do funny

one is

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parts and I don't think any you tried to question the principals about the scene that nobody said embarrassed her.

And her answer trailed off as answers usually did when