X-Rated Film House Shut Down for Now

A hillside home that has recently become a popular location for X-rated movie crews has been temporarily shut down for business.

At the request of City Councilman Joel Wachs, the Los Angeles Film Office has agreed not to issue film permits for the house on Picturesque Drive for at least three months.

Arline DeSanctis--chief field deputy to Wachs, who represents the area--said she is trying to set up a meeting within the next two weeks between all involved parties in an effort to resolve concerns on parking, traffic circulation and public nudity.

More than a dozen neighbors have complained about filming at the house, which has hosted three adult movie crews in the past four months. Residents say parking has become a problem on the street and that naked actors are visible through curtainless windows.

Meeting participants will include the house’s tenants--who rented it to the film crews--their neighbors and representatives from the film office and several city departments, including the planning, transportation and Fire Department and the city attorney’s office, DeSanctis said.

The idea is for the city agencies to suggest remedies for the concerns of residents, who live on a short, windy road that ends in a cramped cul-de-sac. For instance, DeSanctis said, the temporary ban could become permanent if the Fire Department investigates the situation and determines that filming poses a fire hazard.

A less extreme solution could be to prohibit parking directly in front of the house, situated in the cul-de-sac. A large equipment truck has parked in front illegally on at least one occasion, making it difficult for cars to turn around in the cul-de-sac, according to neighbors.

Neighbors said they were happy with the temporary filming ban.

“I’m thrilled,” said Paula Allen, who lives next door to the movie house. “It means I can get through the Christmas holidays without worrying about these guys.”

But a tenant at the movie house, who declined to be named and who is one of four residents at the house, said of the film office: “They’re weak, they’re wimps. No laws were broken.”

The temporary ban went into effect Tuesday, according to Cody Cluff, president of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp., the nonprofit organization that runs the film office. Cluff said the office enacted the ban for an indefinite period after he learned of neighbors’ complaints from a reporter on Monday, then set it for three months at Wachs’ request.

No outstanding permits exist for the house, film office representatives said. They added that while the ban is for the one particular house, it’s very unlikely they would issue permits for any other house on the street during the three-month period.

In the past year, according to Cluff, the film office has issued temporary bans on filming at two other locations, one near Beverly Hills and the other in Hancock Park.

“It’s not uncommon, but it’s not something we do every day,” Cluff said.