The House That Jack Built. How Valenti Brought Hollywood to the World.

MOTION Picture Association of America 075258590

Suppose people take seriously rumors that Hollywood is planning to replace veteran Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) chief Jack Valenti with Bill Clinton. In a recent interview the President joked that he would enjoy anything that allowed him to see free movies. When Valenti took office at the MPAA in 1966, Clinton was only 20 and Mao's Red Guards were torching images of American pop culture. Hollywood movies were practically unseen in South Korea, while in Europe, local product dominated the screens. Today, China welcomes American films. By 1995 Hollywood was raking in $135 million from South Korea; it now enjoys an 80-90 percent market share in Europe, while national cinemas there are virtually dead.