Hollywood Is a Major Player in Political ‘Soft Money’ Game : Contributions: Individuals, PACs gave nearly $7 million in past decade, Common Cause says.

Despite coming out on the losing end on issues such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and cable re-regulation, the hard fact is that Hollywood’s heavyweights like to give the “soft money.”

According to a Common Cause report issued Thursday, the list of contributors who gave money to national political party committees--contributions that are commonly called soft money--during the past several years “reads like a who’s who of the entertainment industry.”

All told, nearly $4 million came from entertainment figures, including such prominent names as Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg and MCA Inc. Chairman Lew R. Wasserman. Another $2.8 million came from entertainment industry-related political action committees.

Wasserman, a longtime political benefactor and confidant of Presidents, led among the studio executives and producers, with $357,730, Common Cause said. He was followed by movie and record executive Ted Field, who has been called one of the leading individual supporters of the Democratic Party, at $338,650.

Also on Common Cause’s list was former 20th Century Fox owner Marvin Davis, at $410,000. Although well known in Hollywood, Davis doesn’t fit the strict definition of an entertainment executive because his investments cover a broad range of areas, including real estate and energy.

While most of the leading Hollywood donors are known for backing Democratic causes and candidates, there were a couple of executives better known for Republican support. Both are also well-known friends of former President George Bush. Producer Jerry Weintraub gave $140,000, according to the study, while Blockbuster Entertainment Corp. Chairman H. Wayne Huizenga gave an even heftier $236,510.

Common Cause tracked donations by companies as well as individuals in the report, which found that the communications industry as a whole contributed $50 million over the length of the study period. That included donations to telephone, computer and cable TV companies.

Wasserman’s MCA, which was acquired by Japan’s Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. three years ago, was the biggest corporate donor of soft money among entertainment companies.

According to the study by the Washington-based group, MCA contributed $574,003 between 1988 and 1993. Next was Time Warner Inc., at $568,333. Size didn’t always match largess. Fourth on the list, behind Bell Atlantic Corp., was Field’s tiny Interscope Communications, at $438,650. And ninth was Sony Corp. of America, at $371,650.

Soft Money

Here is a list of entertainment industry power brokers who ranked as the biggest contributors of “soft money” donated to national political party committees between Jan. 1, 1988 through Dec. 31, 1993.

Name: Amount

Lew Wasserman, MCA chairman: $357,730 Frederick Field, Interscope president: $338,650 David Geffen, Entertainment mogul: $240,000 H. Wayne Huizenga, Blockbuster Entertainment chief executive: $236,510 Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chairman, Walt Disney Studios: $190,000 Barry Diller, QVC Inc. Chief Executive: $150,000 Jerry Weintraub, Film producer: $140,000 Sidney Sheinberg, MCA president: $120,000 Steven Spielberg, Film director and producer: $100,000 Steven Tisch, Film producer: $100,000 Jon Peters, Film producer: $80,000 Terry Semel, Co-Chairman, Warner Bros.: $80,000 Robert Daly, Co-Chairman, Warner Bros.: $75,000 Peter Guber, Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment: $75,000 Mo Ostin, Chairman, Warner Bros. Records: $50,000

Source: Common Cause