Christie Hefner Attacks Meese Report at Convention ; Donna Mills, Little Richard and Mike Enliven Parley
In her keynote speech before a huge Video Software Dealers’ Convention audience at Bally’s Grand, Christie Hefner, president and chief operating officer of Playboy Enterprises, attacked the recent Meese Commission Report on Obscenity, charging that it’s full of inaccuracies and questionable conclusions.
Later in her suite at the hotel, she discussed the perils of being outspoken. “Playboy is a target,” Hefner lamented. “Just because of its success and strong identification with adult material, it can become a symbol that the religious right organizes around. But I’m not going to shut up.”
Despite her attack on the latest anti-porn crusade, she doesn’t expect much backlash against Playboy’s home-video titles. The company lately has had great success with a $9.95, soft-core, “Centerfold” series. “This is R-rated product,” she explained. “This isn’t really controversial product. If they banned these cassettes, they’d have to ban half the other cassettes on the market. They’d be left with Disney product.”
Hefner explained why she wanted to speak at the fifth annual gathering of retailers, distributors and program suppliers: “I do think retailers are going to get more pressure in the coming months because of the influence of the Meese Commission report, which basically encourages local pressure groups to be vocal. I want to encourage retailers not to be pressured into committing self-censorship. They have the majority of the people as well as the law on their side. As long as they stand firm they will be protected.”
She predicts that this anti-porn attack will eventually blow over: “Things are going to get very heated in the next year but I think somewhere down the line, we’ll be past this, maybe in a year-and-a-half or two years. There’s just not enough broad-based support for the removal of videos these people think are objectionable. That vocal minority ultimately won’t win out over the majority.”
CONVENTION NOTES: Next year, the software dealers group might concentrate on developing seminar topics that would be more interesting. Some of the yawners were “The Computerized Retailer: Is it for Me?” and “Inventory Management: How Many Titles and Units Can You Afford?”
The guest appearance by Donna Mills, of TV’s “Knots Landing,” at the MCA booth was probably the most popular celebrity guest appearance. She was promoting her coming how-to cassette about makeup--”Donna Mills: the Eyes Have it,” which MCA is releasing Sept. 11 at $19.95.
The guests at the Touchstone exhibit generated some excitement, too. Little Richard and Mike the dog appeared on behalf of “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” which is out later next month. Richard and Mike, who did some amazing tricks, were there on separate days. Based on some of Richard’s comments, he and Mike don’t get along.
At last year’s convention, the new 8mm format was a hot topic. This year, not much was said about it. The format is progressing slowly but it’s still not a threat to VHS--the dominant format.
ADULT: At the adult exhibits, people were talking about the Meese Commision report and speculating about its possible effects. It was impossible to find any executives at the adult video company exhibits in Las Vegas who would say that the report has had a negative effect on the industry so far. The adult home-video company exhibits were, as usual, segregated--this time at the back of the convention floor. As usual the booths attracted enormous crowds.
OLD MOVIES: If you’re feeling nostalgic about the ‘60s and miss hippiedom, you might take a look at “Psych--Out” (1968) when it comes out on Sept. 24. Directed by Richard Rush, it’s an exploitation movie focusing on the famed Haight-Ashbury scene in San Francisco. Even then, Jack Nicholson, who’s the star, had undeniable charisma. On HBO/Cannon at $59.95.
A good but overlooked Western is “Texas” (RCA/Columbia, $69.95), starring William Holden and Glenn Ford. It’s about two friends competing for the same woman (Claire Trevor). This action drama is rarely discussed when the best Westerns are mentioned but several Western film buffs do rate it as high-quality.
Another recent RCA/Columbia release, “Gumshoe,” was highly praised when it was released in 1972.
NEW AND COMING MOVIES: All the major announcements about fall cassette debuts were made before the VSDA convention. The biggies, due in October, are Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” and Paramount’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” So that left the spotlight free for a few movies that are heralded but not blockbusters.
One is “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” the enormously popular South African comedy, which will be released by Playhouse in mid-November. It’s about a zany culture clash triggered by a Bushman’s encounter with a Coke bottle. Another is “The Trip to Bountiful,” a Nov. 5 release on Embassy. The lure of this title, about a loveable old lady’s sentimental journey, is Geraldine Page’s Oscar-winning performance.
This week’s major cassette debuts are both on CBS-Fox. “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” starring Daryl Hannah, is a prehistoric tale which was neither a critics nor an audience favorite. The other is a spy thriller, “Target,” starring Gene Hackman and Matt Dillon as father and son.
TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, RENTALS 1--”Back to the Future” (MCA). 2--”Spies Like Us” (Warner). 3--”Murphy’s Romance” (RCA/Columbia). 4--”The Jewel of the Nile” (CBS-Fox). 5--”Iron Eagle” (CBS-Fox). 6--”White Nights” (RCA/Columbia). 7--”Jagged Edge” (RCA/Columbia). 8--”House” (New World). 9--”Delta Force” (media). 10--”Enemy Mine” (CBS-Fox). TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, SALES 1--”Jane Fonda’s New Workout” (Karl-Lorimar). 2--”The Sound of Music” (CBS-Fox). 3--”Alice in Wonderland” (Disney). 4--”Alien” (CBS-Fox). 5--”Back to the Future” (MCA). 6--”Kathy Smith’s Body Basics”(JCI). 7--”Pinocchio” (Disney). 8--”Jane Fonda’s Workout” (Karl-Lorimar). 9--”Clue” (paramount). 10--”Casablanca” (CBS-Fox).