Need Power Rangers Items? Try These

Looking for last-minute stocking stuffers for young boys on your list?

Try the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” videos.

In the action genre, these are by far the hottest videos on the market. These half-hour tapes, mainly available at toy and discount stores, carry a retail price of $10 each but often sell for several dollars less.

The five tapes, on PolyGram Video, are episodes of the Fox Network’s children’s series, which has been a smash hit since it premiered in late August. The bulk of its fans are boys 2-11 years old.

Part of the reason the videos are so popular is because the Power Rangers toys are scarce. The fad caught the toy industry by surprise. Supply is lagging well behind demand. So some parents, desperate for anything from the series, are resorting to buying the videos as the next best thing.

According to Bill Sondheim, PolyGram’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, the company has shipped nearly 1 million copies of the videos since October.

As you might expect, the appeal of the series mystifies parents. “It’s as puzzling as the attraction to the Ninja Turtles series,” said Sondheim.

The fact that adults can’t understand what Power Ranger fanatics see in the series is part of the fun for kids. Here’s the story line: Five teen-agers, who draw their power from dinosaurs, defend Earth from a vengeful megalomaniac named Rita Repulsa, whose goal is to rule the galaxy.

Sound silly? Of course--unless you’re a boy between 2 and 11.

Since it’s shown regularly on TV, why don’t parents just tape the shows and save the money they spend on videos?

“Because kids like the packaging and when you buy a video it’s better quality than a taped show,” Sondheim explained.

Saban Entertainment, which produces and licenses the Power Rangers series, sold the rights to PolyGram for the first video releases, partly on the strength of an existing relationship: PolyGram distributes another Saban video series--”X-Men.”

So when is the next series of Power Rangers tapes due? Sondheim said he didn’t know, because PolyGram Video doesn’t have rights to the remainder of the series.

Last-Minute Gifts

Easy-to-find movies in the $10-$15 range: Paramount’s “Sunset Boulevard,” FoxVideo’s “The Seven-Year Itch,” IVE’s “Weekend at Bernie’s,” Paramount’s “Grease,” Paramount’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Goodtimes’ “Dressed to Kill,” Paramount’s “Roman Holiday,” Hemdale’s “The Terminator,” FoxVideo’s “M*A*S*H,” Media’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and Orion’s “The Silence of the Lambs.”

You might also raid the previously viewed bins at your local video store for used copies of recent movies, often in the $10-$12 range.

Family Movies

Many will be in the market for family movies this weekend. Here are some suggestions in the comedy/musical category:

CBS-Fox’s “State Fair” (1945). Starring Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews, this musical, about a family attending the Iowa state fair, is known to trivia buffs because it features the only film score written by theater’s famed duo, Rodgers & Hammerstein.

MGM/UA’s “Yours, Mine and Ours” (1968). A widow (Lucille Ball) with eight children marries a widower (Henry Fonda) with 10 kids.

CBS-Fox’s “The King and I” (1956). Yul Brynner won the Oscar for his portrayal of the King of Siam who falls for a schoolteacher (Deborah Kerr) he hires to tutor his dozens of children. Arguably Rodgers & Hammerstein’s best score, including “Hello Young Lovers” and “Getting to Know You.”

MGM/UA’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944). Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien star in this story about upheavals in the life of a family in turn-of-the-century St. Louis. Many Garland buffs consider this her best musical.

For those who prefer dramas that create a strong sense of family:

Warner’s “The Color Purple” (1985). Family ties are a crucial element in this sentimental saga spanning several decades in the life of a Southern black woman (Whoopi Goldberg). Directed by Steven Spielberg.

MGM/UA’s “Mrs. Miniver” (1942). Moving tale of a genteel British family coping with World War II. Oscars for best picture and best actress (Greer Garson).

RCA/Columbia’s “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961). Starring Sidney Poiter, the story of an upwardly mobile black family considering moving into a white neighborhood. Slightly dated look at race relations, but still occasionally powerful.

HBO’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986). This comedy-drama, possibly Woody Allen’s best effort as writer-director, concerns the relationships of an artistic New York family, with Thanksgiving celebrations as the focal points. Best supporting Oscars to Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest.

Paramount’s “Sounder” (1972). The trials of a black family in Louisiana during the Depression, with Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson.

Paramount’s “The Godfather” (1972). At the heart of this bloody, epic gangster saga are the strong family ties that motivate the members of the Corleone family. With Marlon Brando and Al Pacino.

What’s New on Video

“Dave” (Warner, no set price). Director Ivan Reitman’s comedy starts out hilarious and acerbic before retreating into a pleasant, crowd-pleasing, feel-good movie. When the President, who’s a typical politician, gets sick, his average-citizen look-alike steps in to run the country. Kevin Kline plays both roles. The double not only falls for the First Lady (Sigourney Weaver) but shows Washington a thing or two about honest, populist politics. It has the spirit of those old Frank Capra movies about decent middle-class people triumphing over political sharks.

Upcoming

Also: “Hot Shots Part Deux,” “Hocus Pocus” and “True Romance” (Jan. 5); “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” “Heart and Souls” and “Menace II Society” (Jan. 12); “Rookie of the Year,” “Hard Target,” “Coneheads” and “Last Action Hero” (Jan. 26); “Poetic Justice” (Feb. 2); “Man Without a Face” (Feb. 16).