State v. Rothschild

149 N.E.2d 57, 78 Ohio Law. Abs. 292, 1958 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 355
CourtMontgomery County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedFebruary 27, 1958
DocketNo. 1949
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 149 N.E.2d 57 (State v. Rothschild) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Rothschild, 149 N.E.2d 57, 78 Ohio Law. Abs. 292, 1958 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 355 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1958).

Opinion

OPINION

By MILLS, J.

This cause came on for hearing before the court, a jury having been waived by both the defendant herein and the State of Ohio in open court.

The charge in the information is as follows;

“That on or about the 8th day of Octoiber, 1956, in the County of Montgomery and State of Ohio, aforesaid, one Sylvan Rothschild, did unlawfully exhibit and have under his immediate control a motion picture film, to-wit, Garden of Eden, from the exhibition of which a public disorder is imminent, in that said film does advocate and teach that the violation of §2905.31 R. C., which statute prohibits the practice of nudism in the State of Ohio, as a proper and desirable course of conduct; in violation of the State Laws of Ohio, §2905.342 (B) R. C., contrary to the form of the Revised Code in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Ohio.”

At the request of the prosecuting attorney’s office and counsel for the defendant, the court, along with counsel for both the state and the defendant, viewed the picture known as “Garden of Eden,” at Loews’ Theater just before the testimony was adduced. The film of this picture was then introduced into evidence at the time of trial, and after the trial and after arguments of counsel, the court expressed a desire to hear the dialogue used in connection with the film, and counsel arranged for the film to again be shown. The court, counsel for the state attended the viewing of the film the second time, and counsel thereupon filed their briefs, all of which the court has read.

[294]*294Sec. 2905.342 (B) R. C., reads as follows:

“No person shall produce, sell, lease, lend, give away or distribute for the purpose of exhibition or exhibit, or have in his possession or under his immediate control for any purpose:
“(A)____________
“(B) Any motion picture film, the exhibition of which has created a public disorder, or from the exhibition of which a public disorder is imminent.
“The exhibition of a motion picture film which teaches or advocates that the violation of any of the criminal laws of the State of Ohio or any of the criminal laws of the United States of America is a proper or desirable course of conduct shall, prima facie, be deemed to create an imminent public disorder for the purpose of initiating the arrest of any person for the violation of this section.
“Whoever violates this section shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.”

Now the statute involved in this case is a misdemeanor statute, §2905.31 R. C., which reads in part as follows:

“No person eighteen years of age or over shall willfully expose his or her private parts in the presence of two or more persons of the opposite sex, or aid or abet any such act, or procure another so to expose his or her private parts, or as owner, manager, lessee, director, promoter, or agent, or in any other capacity knowingly hire, lease, or permit the land, building, or premises of which he is owner or lessor, lessee, or tenant, or over which he has control, to be used for any such purposes.
“Whoever violates this section shall be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both.”

This statute is known as the statute which prohibits nudism in the State of Ohio and held to be constitutional in the case of State, ex rel. Church v. Brown, 165 Oh St 31.

The court finds the facts involved in this case to be as follows:

That during the first week of October, 1956, a drive-in movie was open and in operation at 4249 Germantown Pike in Montgomery county, Ohio; the name of this drive in was “Sunset Cruise-In.” Sylvan Rothschild, the defendant herein, was a real estate broker in the City of Cincinnati, Ohio, and incident to that became the manager or the operator of the Sunset Cruise-In from January, 1956 to August, 1957, and was the actual manager or operator during the first week of October, 1956.

On Monday, October 1, 1956, a film delivery service out of Cincinnati, Ohio, delivered a film entitled “The Garden of Eden” to the Sunset Cruise-In and gave it to John Holokan, the projectionist and an employe of Sylvan Rothschild. Rothschild had previously personally previewed this movie and was the one responsible for the actual booking of said movie into the Sunset Cruise-In.

On October 2, 1956, Holokan rewound the film preparatory to showing said film on October 5, 1956 at the Sunset Cruise-In. The Sunset Cruise-In remained dark and was not in operation on Wednesday and Thursday, October 3 and 4, 1956. This was ordered by letter from the [295]*295defendant with further instructions that “The Garden of Eden” be shown at the Sunset Cruise-In for the first time on October 5, 1956. On that night the defendant was present at the Sunset Cruise-In and was aware that the movie “The Garden of Eden” was being shown to audiences according to his written instructions.

On the evening of October 5, 1956, the defendant had a conversation at the Sunset Cruise-In with the projectionist, John Holokan, prior to the showing of this movie for the first time, during which conversation Holokan asked the defendant whether or not he (the defendant) didn’t think the picture was “kind of rough,” to which the defendant replied, “It’s a good picture.” Holokan then asked the defendant “Whether he (the defendant) thought he could get away with it in view of the picture showing bare breasts of the women.” To which the defendant replied, “Sure, it’s educational.”

Said movie was then exhibited twice on the evening of Friday, October 5, 1956, twice on Saturday evening, October 6 and twice on Sunday evening, October 7, and once again on Monday evening, October 8, 1956. The admission price during the showing of this movie was increased from the usual sixty-five cents (65c) per person to ninety cents (90c) per person as per agreement between the agent of the producer Walter Bibo, and Sylvan Rothschild. The proceeds of the week end showings of October 5, 6, 7, 1956 amounted to approximately $5500.00, which was an “unusually heavy week-end.” In fact, they were anywhere from eight to ten times the receipts of a normal week-end at said theater.

During the showings on October 5, 6, and 7, 1956, traffic was quite congested along; Germantown Pike with all' three lanes of the highway being occupied and cars were even parked along the berm of the road in front of the theater. At different intervals Township constables, the State Patrol, John Holokan and Gary Gemmell, another employee of the theater, were at the scene attempting to direct traffic and to relieve the congestion. At the end of the first showing on Ocober 5, 1956 the intermission lasted thirty (30) minutes as opposed to the usual ten (10) minutes because of traffic congestion of automobiles leaving the theater, which congestion extended from the theater exit to the intersection of Liberty Road and Germantown Pike, a distance of approximately one-quarter of a mile. Under normal conditions the exit of automobiles from the theater would be accomplished in three or four minutes.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
149 N.E.2d 57, 78 Ohio Law. Abs. 292, 1958 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 355, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-rothschild-ohctcomplmontgo-1958.