Art Theater Guild, Inc. v. State Ex Rel. Rhodes

510 S.W.2d 258, 1974 Tenn. LEXIS 504
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 19, 1974
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 510 S.W.2d 258 (Art Theater Guild, Inc. v. State Ex Rel. Rhodes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Art Theater Guild, Inc. v. State Ex Rel. Rhodes, 510 S.W.2d 258, 1974 Tenn. LEXIS 504 (Tenn. 1974).

Opinions

OPINION

W. M. LEECH, Special Justice.

The two above styled cases were consolidated for oral arguments because the same issues were involved in both. It results, therefore, that only one opinion will be necessary to dispose of both cases.

The first of the two causes involved in this opinion arose out of proceedings which began in Memphis, Tennessee, on [259]*259March 28, 1970, when the District Attorney for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit petitioned the Criminal Court of Shelby County for an injunction to prohibit the exhibition, display or possession of alleged obscene material, namely the movie film "Without a Stitch”. On the same date, a temporary injunction was issued against said film. This injunction was issued ex parte and Art Theater Guild had no notice of the proceeding nor an opportunity to be heard before the restraint. Subsequently, on July 30, 1970, the trial judge found the film obscene and in violation of T.C.A. §§ 39-3003 to 39-3007; and therefore issued a permanent injunction. Thereupon, defendant, Art Theatre Guild, appealed direct to this Court wherein we sustained the trial court. Our decision was appealed to the United States Supreme Court and on June 25, 1973, that Court vacated our judgment and remanded the cause for further consideration in light of Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, 93 S.Ct. 2607, 37 L.Ed.2d 419 (1973).

The companion case involved in this opinion arose out of proceedings which began in Knoxville, Tennessee on February 26, 1972, when the District Attorney for the Third Judicial Circuit petitioned the Knox County Criminal Court for a temporary restraining order to prohibit the further showing of the alleged obscene film “Cry Uncle.” Said order was issued on the same date ex parte and without notice to the defendant, National General Corp. Subsequently, on March 6, 1972, a temporary injunction was issued and on May 3, 1972, the film was found to be obscene and was permanently enjoined. The film was also ordered destroyed pursuant to T.C.A. § 39-3005.

On June 1, 1972, Cambist Films, Inc., appellant herein, filed a petition alleging it was the owner of the film and prayed it be made a party-defendant under Rule 19 of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure. On June 2, 1972, without objection, Cambist Films, Inc. was made a party-defendant and appeal was then brought direct to this Court. After hearing arguments, we sustained the trial court. A second petition to rehear was filed and granted on July 24, 1973 so this Court could reevaluate our previous decision in light of Miller, supra.

The pivotal issue involved in the two cases herein is whether our definition of obscenity as set out in T.C.A. § 39-3007, is constitutional under the latest pronouncement of the United States Supreme Court in Miller v. California, supra. Our statute provides:

“39-3007. Definition of obscene material. — The following definition shall control in construing §§ 39-3003 — 39-3008:
Obscene material: Any material, matter, object or thing, including but not limited to, any written or printed matter, film, picture, drawing, or any object or thing is obscene if, considered as a whole, its predominant appeal is to prurient interest, that is, a shameful or morbid interest in nudity, sex or excretion, and if in addition, (a) it is patently offensive to the public or if it goes substantially beyond customary limits of candor in describing or representing such matters, and (b) it is devoid of any literary, scientific or artistic value and is utterly without social importance. The phrase ‘predominant appeal’ shall be considered with reference to ordinary persons.”

This definition and the definition given by the United States Supreme Court in Memoirs v. Massachusetts, 383 U.S. 413, 86 S.Ct. 975, 16 L.Ed.2d 1 (1966), are almost identical. In Memoirs, the plurality held that in the definition-:

“ . . . as elaborated in subsequent cases, three elements must coalesce: it must be established that (a) the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to a prurient interest in sex; (b) the material is patently offensive because it affronts contemporary community standards relating to the description or representation of sexual [260]*260matters; and (c) the material is utterly without redeeming social value.” Id., 383 U.S. at 418, 86 S.Ct. at 977.

In Miller, the Memoirs test was applied until the case reached the Supreme Court. Thereupon, Chief Justice Burger, writing for the majority, stated that the California statute incorporating the three-pronged test of Memoirs “has been abandoned as unworkable by its author and no member of the Court today supports the Memoirs formulation.” The clear repudiation of Memoirs is further evidenced by the Court’s own language, wherein they stated:

“While Roth [354 U.S. 476, 77 S.Ct. 1304, 1 L.Ed. 1498] presumed ‘obscenity’ to be ‘utterly without redeeming social value.’ Memoirs required that to prove obscenity it must be affirmatively established that the material is ‘utterly without redeeming social value.’ Thus, even as they repeated the words of Roth, the Memoirs plurality produced a drastically altered test that called on the prosecution to prove a negative, i. e., that the material was ‘utterly without redeeming social value’ a burden virtually impossible to discharge under our criminal standards of proof.”

Thus, in repudiating the Memoirs test, it is clear that the Supreme Court has also repudiated T.C.A. § 39-3007 because the two tests or definitions are identical.

This latter conclusion is further buttressed by comparing California’s definition of obscenity with that of this jurisdiction. The statute found unconstitutional by Miller, Section 311 of the California Penal Code, provides in pertinent part that:

“(a) ‘Obscene’ means that to the average person, applying contemporary standards, the predominant appeal of the matter, taken as a whole, is to prurient interest, i. e., a shameful or morbid interest in nudity, sex, or excretion, which goes substantially beyond customary limits of candor in description or representation of such matters and is matter which is utterly without redeeming social importance.
“(b) ‘Matter’ means any book, magazine, newspaper or other printed or written material or any picture, drawing, photograph, motion picture, or other pictorial representation or any statue or other figure, or any recording, transcription or mechanical, chemical or electrical reproduction or any other articles, equipment, machines or materials.”

By even a casual perusal of both Section 311 of the California Penal Code and T.C. A.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re Smither
194 B.R. 102 (W.D. Kentucky, 1996)
American Booksellers Ass'n, Inc. v. Schiff
649 F. Supp. 1009 (D. New Mexico, 1986)
City of Chicago v. Festival Theatre Corp.
410 N.E.2d 341 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1980)
State v. Princess Cinema of Milwaukee, Inc.
292 N.W.2d 807 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1980)
Leech v. American Booksellers Ass'n, Inc.
582 S.W.2d 738 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1979)
People v. Neumayer
275 N.W.2d 230 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1979)
State v. Manzo
573 P.2d 945 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 1977)
Calderon v. City of Buffalo
90 Misc. 2d 1033 (New York Supreme Court, 1977)
Capri Adult Cinema v. State
537 S.W.2d 896 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1976)
State v. A Motion Picture Entitled "The Bet"
547 P.2d 760 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1976)
State v. MOTION PICTURE ENTITLED" THE BET"
547 P.2d 760 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1976)
People v. Tabron
544 P.2d 372 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1976)
Commonwealth v. MacDonald
347 A.2d 290 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1975)
Southeastern Promotions, Ltd. v. Conrad
420 U.S. 546 (Supreme Court, 1975)
Mangum v. Maryland State Board of Censors
328 A.2d 283 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1974)
Commonwealth v. Horton
310 N.E.2d 316 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1974)
Art Theater Guild, Inc. v. State Ex Rel. Rhodes
510 S.W.2d 258 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1974)
West v. State
514 S.W.2d 433 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
510 S.W.2d 258, 1974 Tenn. LEXIS 504, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/art-theater-guild-inc-v-state-ex-rel-rhodes-tenn-1974.