Hollywood’s Shock

In a Senate committee hearing Wednesday Hollywood studio bosses claimed, as Capt. Renault did in “Casablanca,” that they were shocked, shocked! that Hollywood often markets hyperviolent entertainment to children.

Referring to the Federal Trade Commission’s recently released report on the industry’s systematic marketing of violent entertainment to children, Stacy Snider, chairwoman of Universal Pictures, told the hearing: “There are things in this report that shock me . . . and I pledge that it will not happen going forward. You have gotten my attention.”

Indeed. Studio executives tried to mollify the Senate Commerce Committee’s concern by proposing a “12-point plan” that asks theater owners not to run ads for R-rated films during G-rated showings and studios not to include under-17 teenagers in focus groups for R-rated movies unless they are with adults.

The chairman of the hearing, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), has in the past repeatedly criticized the studios for not going far enough. He called on them Wednesday to unequivocally promise to abandon all advertising of violent films to young viewers--the key recommendation in the FTC report.

Motion Picture Assn. President Jack Valenti rightly argues that it may sometimes be appropriate to advertise R-rated films like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Schindler’s List” to an under-17 audience. But the studios’ exceedingly modest proposal for enhanced self-regulation clearly does not go far enough. At a minimum it should be strengthened with a commitment to not advertise the most gratuitously violent R-rated movies during TV shows with predominantly young audiences. Parents can use the new V-chip technology to block TV shows labeled as violent, but they cannot block ads on shows rated for children.

This political tug of war between Hollywood and Washington keeps recurring. The entertainment industry promotes violent fare because it sells, Washington reacts self-righteously and threatens, Hollywood retreats temporarily. The industry would serve itself and the public better if it policed its excesses more consistently. The rest is up to responsible parenting.

Hollywood faces the possibility that there could be a different regime in Washington next year that may propose regulations more intrusive than those now on Congress’ table. The best way to keep that threat at bay is responsible and meaningful self-regulation.