Ruling Filmland

Re the Counterpunch “Who Played the Last Action Heroine?” by Nancy Leff (Aug. 22): Leff claims that “testosterone rules filmland.” For her edification: Money rules filmland. If Martians bought the majority of tickets, then we would see a preponderance of Martian-themed flicks.

Leff casually assumes that 50% of ticket buyers are female. Really!? There must be an enormous increase in Dutch-treat dating arrangements (men should be so lucky) that no one else has seemed to notice!

I cannot claim intimate knowledge of the hormonal makeup of Dawn Steel or Sherry Lansing, but “Cool Runnings” or “Clear and Present Danger” are produced because they are good stories that happen to have men as central characters. Why is that? Because, in the dating environment, it’s “boys” who are reaching into their pockets to pay for the movie.

If women wish for more female-centric films, perhaps they should try reaching for their purses more often. It’s worked in TV. Since women are the purchasing agent for the family, most TV fare, with the obvious exception of sports, is aimed squarely at them.

LELAND P. HAMMERSCHMITT

Ojai