Seattle Municipal Archives
Board of Theater Supervisors
Documents
Seattle (Wash.). City
Clerk
1802-E5
0.6 cubic feet
1 volumes
1912-1965
Records from a board that oversaw theatre
licenses and film censorship. English .
The City Clerk maintains the City's legislative records, official
filings, and the Seattle Municipal Archives; keeps the minutes of City Council
meetings; and provides information services to City agencies and the public.
Seattle's first City Charter allowed for a Clerk of the Common Council to be
elected by the Council. In 1875 the position of City Clerk became elective and
remained so until 1896 when the new Charter designated the Comptroller
ex-officio City Clerk. The Comptroller served as City Clerk through 1992. A
1991 City Charter amendment transferred the Comptroller's function to the
Department of Finance and the City Clerk's Office became a division of the
Legislative Department effective in 1993.
Reports of board activities; petitions, protests, and other
correspondence regarding shows at theaters and panorams; annual reports;
meeting minutes; and other material related to the Board. The reports are
short; they include discussions of the Board's activities for the year and a
list of films previewed, plays checked and actions taken. Panorama activities
were the subject of a separate subcommittee and reports are included for some
years. Subjects include licensing of theaters and censorship. The Board was
formerly known as the Board of Theater Censors.
Records are open to the public.
A Comptroller or Clerk File (CF) can consist of correspondence, reports,
petitions, contracts, agreements, etc. from elected officials, City
departments, other government agencies, or the general public, which have been
placed "on file" with the Office of the City Clerk (OCC). They are primarily
permanent records, but also include routine material which was periodically
purged. Certain archival records identified in the CF have been removed,
arranged into records series, and incorporated into the collection of the
Seattle Municipal Archives, a program of the OCC.
[Item and date], Board of Theater Supervisors Documents, Record Series
1802-E5 Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.
Seattle (Wash.). Board of
Theatre Supervisors
Seattle (Wash.). City
Clerk
Seattle (Wash.)
Censorship--Washington
(State)--Seattle
Motion picture
theaters--Washington (State)--Seattle
Music-halls
(Variety-theaters, cabarets, etc.)--Washington (State)--Seattle
Petition for Ordinance to Close
All-Night Theatres
1926
1
1
Clerk File
103450
Petition to Close Motion Picture
Theatres at 12:30 a.m.; referred to Women's Division of the Police
Department
1926
1
2
Clerk File
100441
Protest Against Budget Allowance
for Board of Theatre Censors
1930
1
3
Clerk File
128332
Petition for Amendment to
Ordinance 59674 re: Films, Slides, and Literature Concerning Sex
Subjects
1931
1
4
Clerk File
131330
Report on Operation of State,
Rialto, and Palm Theatres
1934
1
5
Clerk File
143126
Report on Operation of Palm,
Rialto, and State Theatres
1934
1
6
Clerk File
143159
Report of Notice Served to Owners
of State, Palm, and Rialto Theatres
1934
1
7
Clerk File
143310
Petition for Suspension of
License of Star Theatre
1934
1
8
Clerk File
145402
Petition for Renewal of Star
Theatre License
1935
1
9
Clerk File
145937
Petition that Mayflower Theatre
Be Licensed to New Management
1935
1
10
Clerk File
146563
Report Approving License to Oak
Theatre
1935
1
11
Clerk File
146677
Petition of Board for Warning to
Moore Theatre
1937
1
12
Clerk File
154220
Request by Board for Continuation
of Monthly Budget Allowance
1937
1
13
Clerk File
155696
Proposal to License Taverns
Presenting Vaudeville Acts
1937
1
14
Clerk File
155703
Report on Operation of State,
Rialto, and Palm Theatres
1938
1
15
Clerk File
157884
Protest Against Granting Licenses
to Carnivals
1939
1
16
Clerk File
162768
Petition for Notification of
Licenses Issued for Carnivals
1939
1
17
Clerk File
163661
Protest of Clean City League
Against Proposed "Moulin Rouge" Show at Civic Auditorium
1939
1
18
Clerk File
163902
Protest Against Proposed Closing
of Rialto Theatre
1940
1
19
Clerk File
165206
Letter of Appreciation to City
Council for Revoking Rialto Theatre License
1940
1
20
Clerk File
165865
Petition for Ordinance Amendment
Concerning Films on Sexual Hygiene
1948
1
21
Clerk File
197131
Request by Board for Increased
Budget
1948
1
22
Clerk File
199122
Petition for Investigation of
Operating Standards for Atlas Theatre
1949
1
23
Clerk File
205355
Protest Against Showing of Film
"Stromboli" in Seattle
1950
1
24
Clerk File
206363
Directive from Acting Mayor to
Chief of Police Banning Local Showing of Stromboli
1950
1
25
Clerk File
206372
Protest Against Banning of Film
"Stromboli"
1950
1
26
Clerk File
206400
Reports on Panorama Machines and
Peep Shows
1956
1
27
Clerk File
229196
Recommendation to Suspend License
of Rivoli Theatre
1956
1
28
Clerk File
230245
Reports on Inspection of Panorama
Machines
1956-1957
1
29
Clerk File
231380
Reports on Inspection of Panorama
Machines
1960
1
30
Clerk File
239897
Petition for City to Revoke
Panorama Movie Show Licenses
1960
1
31
Clerk File
239913
Reports on Inspection of Panorama
Machines
1960-1961
1
32
Clerk File
240534
Petition to Keep Movies in
Seattle Clean
1961
1
33
Clerk File
243768
Protest Against Banning of the
Film "Erotica"
1961
1
34
Clerk File
243719
Recommendation of Mayor to
Enlarge Board
1961
1
35
Clerk File
243893
Board of Theater Supervisors
Annual Report
1956
2
1
Clerk File
229851
Board of Theater Supervisors
Annual Report
1957-1958
2
2
Clerk File
233370
Board of Theater Supervisors
Annual Report
1960
2
3
Clerk File
240994
Board of Theater Supervisors
Annual Report
1961
2
4
Clerk File
243740
Board of Theater Supervisors
Annual Report
1962
2
5
Clerk File
246705
Board of Theater Supervisors
Annual Report
1963
2
6
Clerk File
249891
Board of Theater Supervisors
Minutes
1957
2
7
Board of Theater Supervisors
Minutes and Reports on Panorama Operations
1958
2
8
Board of Theater Supervisors
Minutes
1959
2
9
Board of Theater Supervisors
Minutes
1961
2
10
Board of Theater Supervisors
Minutes
1962
2
11
Board of Theater Supervisors
Minutes
1963
2
12
Board of Theater Supervisors
Minutes
1964-1965
2
13
Board of Theater Supervisors
Minutes
1912-1953
1