9 Horribly Controversial Film & TV Moments That Now Look Shockingly Tame

By Clare Simpson /

5. Nudity - The Immoral Mr Teas (1959)

Nudity was a contentious issue in cinema right from the early days of its inception. In the 1950s, it was restricted to underground porno loops or innocent nudist movies which only showed bare boobs and were extremely boring. Russ Meyer changed all of that with 1959's The Immoral Mr Teas. He brought female nudity above board and showcased it in a non-nudist situation. Mr Teas is an oddball who can't get laid (without visiting prostitutes) and he develops x-ray vision which enables him to ogle women naked. It is not much of a plot and the film is a little silly when viewed with contemporary eyes. The action is tame but the film was revolutionary in pioneering the 'nudie-cutie' genre and it was pivotal to the development of sexploitation as a whole. Hundreds of imitators followed in Meyer's footsteps including that old chancer H G Lewis with The Adventures of Lucky Pierre. The Immoral Mr Teas is an innocent movie by today's standards but it opened the flood gates for filth in cinema.