Jack Valenti and Movie Ratings

Jack Valenti died this week at the age of 85. It's difficult to imagine a time where the movies you watched weren't rated. Of course, in the early days of filmaking, all (or certainly most) could be viewed by anyone at any age. But in the 60's movies began to embrace complex and mature themes. So in 1968, Jack Valenti, working for the MPAA, introduced to us a national movie ratings system - G, PG, R, and X. It wasn't until Grelims and the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (remember the heart being pulled from the man's chest)in mid 1980's, that PG-13 was added. In the 1990's, the X rated pornographic movies, were designated as NC-17 for no one under 17 admitted. So the next time you look at a movie rating, remember Jack Valenti and his use of the alphabet. These are the days my friend.
Jim "Train"