Complaints about Nudity, Violence : College Orders a Halt to Filming of Student Video

The president of Glendale College on Monday ordered production of a student video halted after an actress and her boyfriend complained that its script contains nudity and excessive violence.

College President John A. Davitt said he learned of the complaint late Monday from Michael Petros, an instructor who assigned students in his advanced television production class to produce a video presentation.

Davitt ordered an investigation into the production, taped partially on campus with college equipment.

The student film crew was still working late Monday at a private, 20-room mansion on Harvard Street in the West Adams area of Los Angeles and had not been told of the college’s order, said Travis Shepherd of Hollywood, a professional who is producing the student project as a volunteer.

Written, Directed by Student

The script was written by James I. Nicholson III, a student in Petros’ class who also is directing the video.

Jim Morris of Canyon Country said he called Petros and a college dean last Thursday to complain that his girlfriend, Lois Livingstone of Studio City, an actress and model, had been asked to perform partially clothed or in the nude. Morris also said the script calls for various sex acts and extreme violence.

Livingstone said she got the job after answering a casting ad in a trade newspaper. Unemployed for most of the eight months since she moved from Connecticut, Livingstone said, she was promised $250 for four days of filming and was told she would not be required to perform nude scenes.

Livingstone said the production’s first scenes were filmed last week at the Montrose campus of Glendale College and included a shot in a bathroom of a partially clad actress fondling a man’s crotch. She said she quit the film the next day when the production moved to the private West Adams home, where actresses were told that they would perform partially nude.

Petros said he learned Monday that “the script contains objectionable material.”

But, the instructor said, he had not seen a copy of a revised script. He said he reviewed an earlier script five weeks ago, which he described as “a comedy, a spoof on horror movies.” He said that script contained “some innocent nudity and a minor amount of violence.”

Petros said he was not present during filming and has not seen any footage. He said he usually does not go on location with his students. It is common for students to use college equipment for their projects, he said.

Nicholson could not be reached for comment, but a copy of the script indicates that it was revised two weeks ago.

Shepherd, who said he has directed and produced films for 27 years, said the video is “very low-key, a comedy.”

‘Partial Nudity’

“There are three scenes with partial nudity in the entire script,” he said.

Shepherd said there is a scene “where the janitor beats a policeman to death with the policeman’s own arm.”

The producer said taping of the 45-minute “low-budget flick” is scheduled to be completed Friday. He said about a dozen students from several campuses are working on the video. A few professionals also are involved in the production, he said.

“These are a bunch of college kids trying to put a project together, get some experience and have a little fun doing it,” Shepherd said. He said the students raised about $2,000 for eight days of filming.

But Livingstone said: “The entire script is based on a group of girls who jokingly seduce the school janitor. It is a sexual kind of perversity. I find it inappropriate for any college to be affiliated with or promoting that kind of thing.”

Shepherd accused Morris of “acting like a jealous boyfriend” because he was not permitted to watch the filming.

Richard Rosales, owner of the West Adams house that is frequently used as a film location, said he was unaware of any nude filming. Rosales said he and his wife have three children, ages 3, 12 and 16.

“We haven’t seen any nudity, none at all,” he said. “We wouldn’t let that in our house.”

Times staff writers Doug Smith and Esther Schrader contributed to this story.