The reels were seized during a raid on an adult movie theater 30 years ago as part of an anti-pornography crusade. "There is, of course, irony in the fact that it was seized as obscenity and now the Museum of Sex is calling me and telling me that it might be appropriate for me to make a donation of this cultural treasure," says Carney, who adds that he hasn't watched it.
Ralph Whittington, a noted expert on pornography whose collection makes up a good chunk of the holdings in the New York City museum, notes such film reels are never offered to the general public. "It would be kind of cool to have it," he says.
The Schenectady safe contains artifacts dating back to the 1950s, making it a time capsule of sorts that illustrates the changing cultural mores regarding what is obscene. Carney's contraband includes films about topless girls playing volleyball that in today's market seem quaint.
The D.A. says that it's unlikely that his successors will make similar archeological finds in the future. Today's vice cops are kept too busy by violence and drug trafficking to bust much obscene material anymore.
