Jack Valenti, 85, dies; helped foster movie, TV ratings systems

Published: 2007-04-27

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Jack Valenti, who had overseen the Motion Picture Association of America for almost four decades, was remembered fondly after his April 26 death for his diligence in alerting parents to the content of movies and television programs their children might want to see. Valenti, a Catholic, died in Washington at his home from complications of a stroke he suffered in March. He was 85 years old. No funeral details were immediately released. "Valenti's triumph in simultaneously broadening the subject matter of American films -- some abuses of that new freedom notwithstanding -- while also protecting children from this more permissive material was remarkable indeed," said Harry Forbes, director of the U.S. bishops' Office for Film & Broadcasting. "He saved the industry by rebuilding audiences for Hollywood product, and ultimately reinforced Hollywood's primacy in world cinema," he told Catholic News Service April 27.

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