Smoking in Movies
President Clinton’s radio address Oct. 11, asking Hollywood to cease glamorizing the drug world, is worthy of praise, but he missed an opportunity to make a more important and practical request of the entertainment industry. Ask Hollywood to stop glamorizing smoking.
Billboards of camels and horses and vending machine restrictions are nothing compared to the smoking influence on teens created by movie idols smoking in movies. Actors smoking add nothing to plot or mood that a good director can’t otherwise create, making smoking unnecessary.
The cigarette companies must be laughing to themselves about the power of spending a few dollars to lobby the entertainment industry to get their product in front of target audiences.
How many movies have you seen where one idol says to another that they don’t smoke because it is bad for their health? That is a power we haven’t even tapped!
FREEMAN GOSDEN JR.
Los Angeles
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