The President has ordered an investigation into whether the industry markets violence to youngsters. Some of the harshest proposals come from the states. Shugars was so horrified that he wrote a bill to require warning labels on concert tickets. But if the National Rifle Association played a steely John Wayne in reaction to gun-control proposals, prominent figures in Hollywood have acted more like Woody Allen characters. We have to look at the effect of what we do on the rest of the world.
Most studio executives are reluctant to criticize publicly the new pop-culture crackdown.
Washington comes forth with the rhetoric and gets as much media attention as possible, and then Hollywood lies low. It leaves the p.r. to a Washington pro, Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association of America. And he praised the announcement by theater owners. But he opposes forcing the industry to adhere to government-imposed ratings. Especially coming from a Republican, the Hyde proposals smack uncharacteristically of Big Government, critics say.