TV & VIDEO - May 21, 1990

Valenti vs. the Thumbs: TV film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert go head-to-head tonight on CBS at 10 p.m. with Motion Picture Assn. of America president Jack Valenti over the motion picture ratings system. In the “Siskel and Ebert Special,” the critics give “thumbs down” to the ratings system as it exists. The pair suggest that today’s movies have outgrown a guide that divides entertainment into G, PG, PG-13, R and X ratings, especially in regards to adult-themed, non-pornographic films that are given “X” ratings. Valenti, not surprisingly, defends the current ratings, noting that parents are familiar with the letters and that the system has served parents well over the years.