Jack Valenti (1921-2007)

Jack Valenti had an amazing life.

While best known as the head of the MPAA, he was also part of the Presidential motorcade when JFK was assassinated. He then went to work for LBJ before leaving to head up the MPAA.

I'm one of those rare serious film fans that thinks that the MPAA is a good thing. Flawed, but good.

For all the groups saying that it is an evil organization (as seen in the doc THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED), just think of what it would be like without it. What if there were still local censorship boards around the country, probably run by religious organizations, telling your community what can and can not be seen. Do we really want to see the priest in CINEMA PARADISO, or William Donohue or Jerry Falwell, telling us what to see?

The MPAA has been fair in what it does. And Valenti can be thanked for that. While it isn't a perfect system, it is better than what we could have.

Before his stroke in March, he had finished his memoir "This Time, This Place: My Life in War, the White House, and Hollywood". It is set to be published in June.