Authorities in Pensacola once strictly enforced anti-obscenity laws in the city, including a prohibition on swearing in public and the sale of any literature deemed indecent. These restrictive laws do not date back to the prudish Victorian Era but rather to the 1960s and 1970s.

In one incident in 1965, police seized “obscene” magazines from four downtown newsstands and fined the owners. A lengthy court battle ensued and brought the issue of public censorship to the attention of locals.

In another case, the Ritz Theater in 1970 was banned from showing the Swedish filmI am Curious (Yellow). Authorities seized all copies of the film and fined theater owner John Newton $10,000 for “unlawful showing of an obscene film and maintaining a public nuisance.” Obviously the police were not in the Halloween spirit because they also confiscated a preview reel for an upcoming film,Dracula, The Dirty Old Man.

Credits and Sources:

UWF Historic Trust Archives