Video Dealers Assist Riot-Damaged Stores

In riot-torn sections of the Los Angeles area, between 50 and 60 video retailers were burned out or damaged enough to force a suspension of operations. Another 40 to 50 suffered lesser, but still serious damage.

These figures are courtesy of the Video Software Dealers Assn., home video’s major organization of independent retailers, which has devised a plan to aid these businesses.

Linda Plaks, president of VSDA’s Los Angeles chapter, said that store owners across the country have been urged to donate previously viewed tapes to the stricken retailers.

“The response has been good so far,” said Plaks, who runs Moorpark Video in Ventura County. “This project just started, so we haven’t had time to total up what we’ve received. It will take time to get the word out to all the retailers around the country and it’ll take time for them to respond.”

Plaks said that independent retailers were hardest hit, though a few stores in some of the major chains were devastated. “I know Wherehouse lost three stores and Blockbuster had two that were damaged badly,” she said. “These stores can get help from their parent companies. We’re trying to help the little independents who have no parent companies to help them.”

Even for those who have insurance, the money they receive is “not going to cover much of their losses--certainly not replacing all their tapes,” she said. “That’s why supplying tapes would help them.”

The plan is to ship whatever VSDA has collected to the afflicted retailers about the first or second week in August.

Aid isn’t only coming from fellow retailers. “About 50 companies related to the video industry are offering special pricing or discounts or special services to the victims,” Plaks added.

Companies interested in making donations can phone Plaks at (805) 529-7368.

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Perot Videos: Three video companies have boarded the gold-plated Ross Perot bandwagon, seeking to cash in on the interest in the budding presidential candidate.

The most thorough probably will be Turner video’s biography, which is being produced exclusively for the home-video market. The hourlong program, which will sell for $20, is due July 15. It’s being made by CNN and will feature footage from interviews that Perot has done with the cable network.

Already out are Vestron/LIVE’s “Ross Perot: Straight Talk”--his recent PBS interview with David Frost, packaged with extra biographical footage for $13--and a 75-minute, 1990 interview that MPI is selling for $20. In case you’re wondering whether Perot takes a stand on vital issues on either of these two videos, he doesn’t.

New on Video: Here are some recent releases:

* “Cape Fear” (MCA/Universal, no set price). Director Martin Scorsese’s bloody, terrifying remake of a 1962 thriller about a vengeful attack by a sadistic ex-con (Robert De Niro, best actor Oscar nomination) on a lawyer (Nick Nolte), his wife (Jessica Lange) and their daughter (Juliette Lewis, supporting actress Oscar nomination).

* “Father of the Bride” (Touchstone, $95). While agonizing about losing a daughter (Kimberly Williams) to marriage, a father (Steve Martin) spends a fortune on a wedding in this so-so sentimental comedy, featuring Diane Keaton as the mother and Martin Short as the flamboyant wedding organizer. Not nearly as charming as the 1950 original, starring Spencer Tracy and Liz Taylor, which is available on video.

* “My Girl” (Columbia TriStar, no list price). The big attraction in this mildly entertaining romantic comedy/drama, pairing an undertaker (Dan Aykroyd) and makeup artist for corpses (Jamie Lee Curtis), is Macaulay Culkin of “Home Alone.” The young star has just a small role as the pal of the undertaker’s daughter, played by Anna Chlumsky, who, many critics said, steals the movie.

* “For the Boys” (FoxVideo, $95). A tear-jerker drama, spanning four decades, about the volatile relationship between a song-and-dance duo, played by Bette Midler (Oscar nomination) and James Caan, who end up as sullen senior citizens in layers of old-age makeup. An absence of romantic spark between the two, many critics suggested, spoils the movie.

* “Highlander 2: The Quickening” (Columbia TriStar, no list price). The original, also starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery as aliens, is a fast-moving, fun, far-fetched, B-movie-style fantasy. This sequel, with the aliens battling environmental terrorists, features some dazzling special effects but is chaotic and plodding.

* “The Indian Runner” (MGM/UA, $95). In his directorial debut, Sean Penn indulges in some arty, first-time director excesses in a downer macho drama. It’s about a stormy relationship between two brothers (marvelously played by David Morse and Viggo Mortensen) who live in the Midwest.

* “I Love Lucy’s Zany Road Trip: California Here We Come” (CBS Video, $50 per three-tape volume). A must for any Lucy fan: all 27 episodes, in two volumes, of the Ricardos and the Mertzes traveling to and from Los Angeles, plus their Hollywood escapades, including adventures with stars such as Rock Hudson and William Holden. Lucy’s encounter with John Wayne, after stealing his footprints from Grauman’s Theatre, is the funniest of this humorous lot. It’s fun to watch these shows unedited. You’ll see the scenes you miss when watching the butchered versions on TV. Some episodes are on one-hour cassettes, featuring two shows each, at $15.

Upcoming on Home Video: Steven Spielberg’s “Hook,” featuring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, is coming to home video on July 24 at $25. Barbra Streisand’s “The Prince of Tides” is due Aug. 5. The comedy “White Men Can’t Jump” is scheduled for an Aug. 20 release. From Disney, two feature-length cartoons: “The Great Mouse Detective” (July 17) and “Beauty and the Beast” (Oct. 30). “Ruby,” starring Danny Aiello, is due July 22, along with director Wim Wenders’ “Until the End of the World.”

Others: “The Addams Family” (Thursday), “Kuffs” (Thursday), “Grand Canyon” (June 25) and “Bugsy” (July 1).

New on Laser: “JFK,” “The Butcher’s Wife,” “The Commitments,” “At Play in the Fields of the Lord,” “Little Man Tate,” “Deceived,” “Homicide” and “Billy Bathgate” (letter-boxed) are just out on laser disc.

“Cape Fear” (MCA/Universal, $40). Though suspenseful, this 1962 original, starring Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Polly Bergen, is tame next to Martin Scorsese’s remake.

“My Sister Eileen” (Pioneer, $60). Both the 1942 and the 1955 versions of the story of two small-town sisters struggling to survive in a Greenwich Village apartment. The early one, with Rosalind Russell and Janet Blair, is a passable comedy. The 1955 version, featuring Janet Leigh and Jack Lemmon, is far superior--a sparkling musical.

“The Party” (Warner, $35). A letter-boxed version of the frequently hilarious 1968 comedy starring Peter Sellers as a clumsy Indian actor cavorting at a flashy Hollywood party.