Letter: Writer dislikes movie profanity

Yes, there are many of us who agree with you! I am a screenwriter and spent 14 years in Hollywood before moving here. I am many times ashamed that those kinds of scripts are put into films. However, producers sometimes add the F-word to spice a script up, so they say.

I am reminded of a story from my own experience of talking to a well-known director. His name is John Avildsen and he did the very first "Rocky" film, which was a blockbuster of its time and a film that dealt with a very violent sport, boxing. Yet we all were inspired by the beloved character, which shows that audiences do not need the dirt, and a good story can produce box office results.

John Avildsen told me that when he received the "Rocky" script it was so full of filthy language that he was appalled. He told Universal Studios, "I'll only do it if I can cross out the words I don't want." When he gave them back the script it was a mass of red ink. The executives said, "This is the way they talk in that industry."

Avildsen said to them, "The audience will be so bombarded by the filthy language, that they will not know that this is a very uplifting story." Needless to say, John Avildsen stood his ground, the studio relented and we were given a good film that stands the test of time as one of Hollywood's most inspiring films.

CHEYENNE CRANE

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