THREE ROSS HUNTER SOAP CLASSICS DUE

“Dynasty,” “Dallas” and “Falcon Crest,” the gaudy prime-time soaps, are ‘80s TV versions of the kind of drama film producer Ross Hunter made famous in movies in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Those shows, teeming with seamy melodrama, are glimpses into the glamorous lives of the rich. Three of Hunter’s classics covered the same tawdry turf--”Magnificent Obsession” (1954), with Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman; “Back Street” (1961), starring Susan Hayward and John Gavin, and “Madame X” (1966), with Lana Turner and John Forsythe. This week, MCA is releasing them on videocassette for $59.95 each.

Like the popular TV soaps, Hunter’s movies are the ultimate in escapist fare. Hunter, sometimes known as the Earl of Escapism, defends the genre:

“Who wants to see the ugliness of life?” he asked. Hunter produced 56 movies (including “Airport” and “Pillow Talk”) that avoided unpleasant realities.

“We like to watch the beautiful people. We can live vicariously through them. Escaping for a few hours is more fun than dealing with life’s ugliness. We all have to do that enough every day.”

Hunter has no illusions about his films. “They weren’t great,” he said, “but they weren’t supposed to be. They didn’t have to be. I gave the public what they wanted--a chance to dream, to live vicariously, to see beautiful women, jewels, gorgeous clothes, melodrama.”

For Hunter, glamour and wealth aren’t just part of the fantasy world of cinema. He lives in a luxurious hilltop home in Trousdale Estates and travels in Hollywood’s chic social set.

Hunter is the hero of soap movie buffs everywhere for producing one of the all-time great tear-jerker soaps, the 1959 version of “Imitation of Life” starring Lana Turner. It’s not yet available on cassette but, he promised, MCA will release it, though he’s not sure when.

PIRATES: Surprisingly, Embassy wasn’t too upset over a story in last’s Sunday’s Calendar, “A Job for Captain Video” by Greg Barrios, that explained how he outwitted the anti-piracy process built into the cassettes of “The Cotton Club.”

What this process, called Macrovision, supposedly does is produce a distorted picture in the copies. But Barrios said he beat the system easily and made decent duplicates.

Reg Childs, Embassy distribution president, seemed unconcerned: “I take this as something humorous, tongue in cheek.”

There’s an important point, Childs stressed, that keeps being overlooked. “Macrovision isn’t foolproof. It never was. We never said it was.”

Its intent, he said, is to discourage the casual pirate, but he acknowledged that the system can be conquered by knowledgeable high-tech pirates. “If you’re going to use fancy equipment and you know what you’re doing, you can make good copies in spite of Macrovision,” he noted.

According to Childs, the quality and brand of machinery that the pirates use is crucial. Certain machines effectively defeat Macrovision. “I think he (Barrios) used a JVC or a Hitachi to get those results,” Childs charged. Embassy also released the movie “Torchlight” with Macrovision and is planning to incorporate this system in another movie cassette to be announced soon.

By then, Childs predicted, Macrovision will be much improved. “We can make an adjustment in it that will produce a picture that’s much more distorted,” he said. “With the adjustment, fewer machines will be able to beat the system. The next batch of Macrovision cassettes we put out will include this adjustment.”

NEW AND COMING RELEASES: In the stores this week: From RCA/Columbia, “Starman,” the science-fiction love story, and “Micki and Maude” with Dudley Moore and Amy Irving; both $79.95. . . . Also “2010--The Year We Make Contact” (MGM/UA, $79.95), the sequel to “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

In the stores next week: “Protocol,” featuring Goldie Hawn (Warner, $79.95). At the end of the month CBS/Fox is putting out the Michael Keaton comedy, “Johnny Dangerously,” and “Garbo Talks,” starring Anne Bancroft; both $79.98.

Some interesting oldies are on the way. In late June, Embassy is releasing “The Best Years of Our Lives,” the 1946 best-picture Oscar winner starring Fredric March and Dana Andrews, and the Bette Davis camp classic, “The Little Foxes” (1941). . . . Also in late June: the original version of the “The Razor’s Edge” (1946) with Tyrone Power (Key Video, $59.98) and the Kirk Douglas adventure, “The Vikings” (MGM/UA, $69.95). . . . In July for Gidgetophiles: the original “Gidget,” featuring Sandra Dee ($59.95).

SNIPPETS: Soon you may be able to buy a VCR for $150 or even $100. The way the prices are dropping, that’s not unlikely. Some VHS machines sell for just under $250. Since Beta’s sales slide is continuing, those machines are now available for less than $200 in some places.

If you’re planning to buy a VCR, you might take note of a Television Digest poll that discovered which VCRs were the best sellers last year. Top seller in the United States was RCA, which headed the yearly poll for the fourth consecutive time. Sixteen percent of the nearly 16 million VCRs sold last year were RCAs. In second was Panasonic, with 14% of the market; third-place Sony captured just 6%.

The videocassette market, expanding in every direction, is intruding on the greeting card market. This summer, video greeting cards--Cardsettes--will be available for $19.95 from Prime Source. There will be three five-minute music videos suitable for birthdays, congratulations and expressions of affection.

CHARTS: The new hit in the rental market is “Dune,” which leaped from No. 10 to No. 4 in its second week on the Billboard magazine chart. “The Karate Kid” moved from No. 5 to No. 2 and is seriously pressing “The Terminator,” which has been the No. 1 rental since early May. “City Heat”--No. 12 to No. 5--is also strong. It’s anybody’s guess which will topple “The Terminator.” Rental chart debuts: “Missing in Action” (No. 14), “The Brother From Another Planet” (No. 33).

The only one of these hot rental newcomers that’s a big seller so far is “The Karate Kid,” which shot up to No. 6 on the sales chart.

TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, RENTALS

1. “The Terminator” (Thorn/EMI).

2. “The Karate Kid” (RCA/Columbia).

3. “The Cotton Club” (Embassy).

4. “Dune” (MCA).

5. “City Heat” (Warner Bros.).

6. “Body Double” (RCA/Columbia).

7. “Teachers” (CBS-Fox).

8. “Revenge of the Nerds” (CBS-Fox).

9. “Bachelor Party” (CBS-Fox).

10. “The Pope of Greenwich Village” (MGM/UA).

TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, SALES

1. “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock” (Paramount).

2. “Jane Fonda’s Workout” (Karl).

3. “Gone With the Wind” (MGM/UA).

4. “Lionel Richie All Night Long” (MusicVision) .

5. “Prime Time” (Karl).

6. “The Karate Kid” (RCA/Columbia).

7. “The Terminator” (Thorn/EMI).

8. “Purple Rain” (Warner Bros.).

9. “Tina Turner Private Dancer” (Sony).

10. “Wham The Video” (CBS-Fox).