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In the U.S. Supreme Court case, Jacob Ellis v. Ohio, considering the question of what is pornography and when can it be censored, Justice Potter Stewart coined one of the most famous

and quoted of the court's lines when he wrote, I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced

within that shorthand description of hardcore pornography.

And perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so.

But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.

Most people would agree that they know it when they see it,

but that's an infuriatingly subjective standard.

And throughout all of history,

serious art with genuine, if provocative intent,

has been banned, censored, blacklisted, or destroyed for being obscene.

In today's Saturday matinee, we bring you a story of another such case from the podcast,

The Art of Crime.

In 1927, actress May West wrote and starred in a play titled Sex.

This risque production launched her to stardom on Broadway, but also straight into a jail cell.

I hope you enjoy. While you're listening,

be sure to search for and follow The Art of Crime. We put a link in the show notes to make it easy for you.

History Daily is sponsored by Indeed. Back in 1999, I remember reading Bill Gates' book, Business at the

Speed of Thought. Twenty-five years later, and, well, the speed of business has only increased,

...