Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : Taking Sides in Dole’s War on Hollywood

Last week, U. S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas became the second prominent politician in three years to declare war against Hollywood.

First, it was former Vice President Dan Quayle, who attacked the lack of family values reflected in “Murphy Brown.”

This time, it was Dole, who went after movies, music and television programs, charging that they produce “nightmares of depravity” and that “the mainstreaming of deviancy” by Hollywood is a danger to the nation’s culture.

“A line has been crossed--not just of taste, but of human dignity and decency,” said Dole, a Republican presidential candidate. “It is crossed every time sexual violence is given a catchy tune, when teen suicide is set to an appealing beat.”

Hollywood responded quickly. Oliver Stone, who directed “Natural Born Killers,” one of the films cited by Dole, called the senator’s remarks a “ ‘90s form of McCarthyism.”

Is Sen. Bob Dole right when he says the entertainment industry has crossed the line of human dignity and decency in movies, music and television?

Brian Ellis, assistant director of NBC’s “Frasier,” and president of the Alex Film Society in Glendale:

“To a certain extent, yes. I’m the token conservative where I work, and those who work for a living tend to be conservative and those who are paid well tend to be liberal, and the ones who are paid well are the ones who are making creative decisions. Hollywood has gone overboard more than once, and the unfortunate thing is that the market keeps buying it, and if more restraint were shown on the part of the creative people in Hollywood, I think it would be better for our children.”

Ed Gaynes, a film casting director and artistic director, Two Roads Theatre, Studio City:

“He’s right about some of it. I know what he is saying, though I wouldn’t take it that far. I don’t believe if you go see an action movie, you’ll go kill someone.

My particular gripe is the pop music I hear. I have a 14-year-old daughter, and I’ve heard some of the music that she listens to on the radio, and it’s way over the line. I can’t believe that’s considered pop music. It’s no longer such a mystery why kids grow up to be so antisocial. Most people who have children would say they’re not crazy about their kid listening to that type of music.”

Jim Lawrence, associate professor, Cal State Northridge, department of Radio, Television and Film:

“No, he’s not right. In what he says, there’s the specter of censorship. He’s taken the same kind of simplistic approach that you get from a lot of people who criticize the entertainment media--that there’s some kind of direct, one-to-one correlation between the media and behavior manifested in society. That has never been demonstrated.

“That’s one problem with this kind of blanket attack. I also personally subscribe to a Jeffersonian view of the emergence of truth in the marketplace of ideas--that you allow pretty much anything to appear. In that process, there will be a lot of garbage, but it also provides opportunities for those things that are creative and challenging. Essentially, the garbage will go away.”

Elsie Ritchie-Mano, drama teacher, Reseda High School:

“No, he’s not. Basically, he’s wrong because we need to really defend free speech. This sounds very much like McCarthyism. I think the production of culture, like films, music, is not producing what’s going on society, but is actually a reflection of it.

“His attacks upon the film community and the music industry are misplaced. You can always choose to not patronize a movie. You don’t have to buy a CD. You have the choice. But we shouldn’t limit the choices. The moment this starts happening, we’re going down a very dangerous road.”