MovieChat Forums > The Notorious Bettie Page (2006) Discussion > Alternatives to Mailing by Post

Alternatives to Mailing by Post

posted 14 years ago by X_2_
3 replies | jump to latest

One of the main problems faced by the characters in this movie is that the government is on their back for shipping objectionable material. I presume someone who mistakenly opened or received a package reported them, since I don't think they check domestic mail, do they? But anyways, couldn't they have used some private courier like UPS or something? Their clients would have undoubtedly not minded paying the extra shipping charges.

[–] grendelkhan 12 years ago

Not really, in that time period. private carriers were much more expensive and fairly scarce. Most material was distributed through the mail. The silly thing was that the Klaw material did not include nudity or sexual acts. In fact, Klaw went out of his way to avoid even the suggestion, having models wear two pairs of panties to prevent pubic hair from showing.

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."-Groucho

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] agracier-574-436194 9 years ago

I presume someone who mistakenly opened or received a package reported them, since I don't think they check domestic mail, do they?

Publishers like Irving Klaw were often the victims of sting operations, as they would now be called. Members of Vice Suppression Societies would order or purchase material they deemed immoral and then lodge complaints with the police or public prosecutors. You could say both worked hand in hand to pressure publishers like Klaw to close up, if they couldn't get them charged and convicted and sent to jail as well.