COVER STORY : AT THE CENTER OF THE DOLE FIRESTORM

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) got plenty of attention when he scolded Hollywood about sex and violence in movies, TV and pop music. But, as The Times reports today (see Page A1), Dole’s comments aren’t changing the face of show business. Yet. The creative and business powerbrokers will tell you they’ve always been thoughful about what they produce. Here, then, are some snapshots of life on the front lines:

CHUCK NORRIS

Actor

Every Saturday night on the CBS series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” Chuck Norris beats up the bad guys--and he makes no apologies for it.

“There’s a difference between violence and action,” says Norris, 55, a former martial-arts champion with a long list of feature films to his credit. Although “Walker” airs at 10 p.m., Norris designs his series for a family audience.

“Within my show, there’s a certain moral structure,” he says. “The good guy winds up winning, and families like to see that. My show is one of the few places a family can see the good guy coming out on top.”

Norris, a staunch Republican, fumes over the recent attacks on Hollywood. He’s committed to reducing violence in society, he says, but he prefers to do it by his actions. He founded a program in Houston that has taught 1,600 inner-city children martial arts as an alternative to gangs and a means to raise self-esteem.

Norris laughs at the suggestion that young people see violence on the screen and then go commit violent acts.

“To say they watch TV programs and go out and commit an act of violence is so ludicrous. It’s the pressure they deal with in society as a whole, and on the school ground, to get involved in gang activity.”