Sex, violence and smoke

Scripps Howard News Service: The docudrama "Good Night, and Good Luck" about TV news pioneer Edward R. Murrow could not have been made without cigarettes. Smoking was pervasive in the 1950s, especially in the news business, and Murrow himself was a three-pack-a-day smoker.
That movie was rated PG, but now it might be rated R or contain a parents' advisory that while "Good Night" contained no sex or violence it did contain extensive smoking.
Bring a parent
Hollywood will now R-rate all new films -- meaning children under 17 are not allowed in the theater unless accompanied by an adult -- that portray extensive smoking or smoking in a favorable light. There are exceptions, for example, for historical accuracy or to put smoking in an unfavorable light. Some antismoking groups believe the industry should go further and automatically R-rate films with any smoking.
And movies do have an impact on consumer and cultural preferences. That's why product placement is a big business.
Smoking is slowly being driven out of the workplace, public spaces, bars and restaurants and now out of the movies, and that's no bad thing as long as it's done voluntarily and without official censorship.
As for Murrow, he died of lung cancer in 1965. He had just turned 57.