April
26 Remembering Valenti

Jack Valenti, the longtime chairman of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, has died.

One of the most recognizable and vocal industry figures in Washington, Valenti had suffered a stroke last month.

A former White House aide to Lyndon Johnson, Valenti left the administration in 1966 to take a post atop the MPAA. He created the industry ratings system, and championed it as a successful self-regulating mechanism that kept government efforts at censorship at bay.

Valenti retired in 2004, but he remained active in industry causes, turning up even in the corridors of Congress to testify before government committees.

He also chimed in on the war in Iraq, making comparisons to his own experience as an eyewitness to Johnson administration's escalation of the war in Vietnam.

In addition to Variety's obits, the New York Times' David Halbfinger highlights Valenti's role as a tireless defender of the Johnson administration, although he advised the President that the Vietnam war stood to create problems for him at home. Many forget that Valenti was in the motorcade when President Kennedy was shot in Dallas and appears in the iconic photo of Sara Jane Hughes swearing in Johnson aboard Air Force One.

The Los Angeles Times quotes Sherry Lansing:

"It's the end of an era," she said. "He was one of the greatest leaders our industry ever had. He was one of those unique individuals who could build consensus."

Aside from their long-term professional relationship, Lansing said she and her husband, director William Friedkin, considered Valenti a personal friend. "He was your biggest cheerleader. He was always there. He had no envy or guile."

The AP quotes Valenti's successor, Dan Glickman, and John Fithian, president of the National Assn. of Theater Owners.

``Jack was a showman, a gentleman, an orator, and a passionate champion of this country, its movies, and the enduring freedoms that made both so important to this world,'' Glickman said in a statement.

Fithian said he had lunch with Valenti shortly before his stroke. ``I was going to lunch to ask him advice actually on one or two critical issues. He was on top of his game, taking calls from leading directors in the middle of lunch to answer questions and give them advice,'' Fithian said.

Steven Spielberg said in a statement, "In a sometimes unreasonable business, Jack Valenti was a giant voice of reason. He was the greatest ambassador Hollywood has ever known, and I will value his wisdom and friendship for all time.''