2 ® 30 th Anniversary Edition Movieguide 30 th Anniversary Edition ® 3 Movieguide 30 YEARS OF DIVINE MIRACLES The Amazing Success Story Behind MOVIEGUIDE ® By Dr. Ted Baehr In 1983, more and more movies deserved and received an R-rating than any other year before. Only 6 percent of the movies released by Hollywood were being mar - keted to families, and even fewer movies had any positive Christian content. Things seemed dismal for families, and even more hopeless for Christians. Then movie producer Ken Wales (REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER, AMAZ - ING GRACE) introduced me to George Heimrich, the president of the former Protestant Film Office. Little did I realize the effect this meeting would have on me, my family, and the entertainment industry in Hollywood and around the world. Where it All Began In 1946, at the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood, I was born to Theodore Baehr (whose stage name was Robert “Tex” Allen) and Evelyn Peirce. Both my parents were successful stage, screen, and television actors. Growing up in New York with extended times in Hollywood and on lo - cation with movie productions starring my father, I followed re - luctantly in my parents’ footsteps, performing in commercials, movies, television, and stage, but I was not fond of being in front of the camera or even waiting for the casting cattle call. What I did enjoy was living the high life, which included everything from horse shows to fancy trips to engaging in ungodly activity from a very, very young age. After my mother died in 1960, when I was a young teenager, I renounced the spiritual con - cept that I thought was god and dove completely into the sordid life of drugs and looking for love in all the wrong places. I even tried to bring as many people as I could with me on the road to perdition by throwing parties with po - tent concoctions. Some never recov - 4 ® 30 th Anniversary Edition Moviguide ered. Some tragically ended their & Television Foundation won an precious lives. Emmy Award for Best Animated After studying abroad, I gradu - Television Special. THE LION, THE ated with high distinction in Com - WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE parative Literature and as a Rufus aired on one of the three major Choate Scholar from Dartmouth CBS networks and was watched College. I then received a Juris by more than 37 million viewers, Doctorate from New York Univer - thousands of whom wrote me let - sity School of Law where I served ters that it influenced and trans - as editor of the NYU Law School formed their lives. newspaper, editor of the Drug Shortly thereafter I was nomi - Law Review, and editor of the En - nated for another Emmy Award for vironmental Law Review. one of the programs in the PBS At the same time, I got involved PERSPECTIVES SERIES: WAR AND in radical causes including lead - PEACE I served as the exec utive ing the Law School Coalition to producer, creative director and host. End the War, the National Lawyers While I was head of the organ - Guild, and starting the environ - ization that produced THE LION, mental movement at the US At - THE WITCH, AND THE WARD - torney’s Office SDNY and the Dr. Ted Baehr and his wife Lili DROBE, I was asked by my friend, environmental law department at when they first moved to Hollywood John Heyman, the Jewish pro - NYU motivated by a particular ducer of the Genesis Project, for hate for faith, free enterprize, and Filled with the Holy Spirit through his input on THE JESUS FILM that he business. I had no idea that God was faith in Jesus Christ, I decided to attend was producing. Bill Bright later used this in fact shaping me, even during those seminary at the Institute of Theology at project to reach over a billion people rebellious days. the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. To for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then I support myself through seminary, I was went to Rome to work with Vincenzo La - Rescued by God miraculously offered a position as the bella, the producer of JESUS OF While I was financing independent Director of the Television Center at the NAZARTEH and the first A.D. movies for the startup Canon Films, an City University of New York (CUNY) and older matriarchal friend, who had was hired at the same time to head the How We Help come to know Jesus Christ at the Billy television and radio ministry of Trinity Originally JESUS OF NAZARETH did - Graham Crusade in New York City in Church at Broadway and Wall Street. n’t have a resurrection, so we convinced 1957, suggested that I read the Bible to Still, God was opening important the producers and filmmakers to in - show her what was wrong with it. I was doors, leading me to important work. clude a resurrection. The same issue an over-educated man, so how hard arose in THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. could it be to refute the Bible? Each Step Directed by God The number of projects we have been Upon opening God’s word one night, During my tenure at CUNY, I worked involved in since the late 1970s would my life was changed, both profession - closely with academia, researching the take up pages and pages. However, the ally and personally. Suddenly, life made impact of the media. I joined with more most important thing is that MOVIE- sense. Chasing after empty promises than sixty professors to develop and test GUIDE® is at the forefront of helping lost their appeal. Hedonism relin - the first intergenerational media literacy movies and television programs pro - quished its hold on me. I stopped the course. Convicted by my previous fi - claim the Good News of Jesus Christ, for debauchery by God’s grace alone. nancing of salacious and despicable the benefit of our children and grand - There was no withdrawal, only the movies, I started the Good News Com - children. Your involvement, including peace that comes from a personal en - munications ministry in 1978 to redeem your gifts and prayers, have helped us do counter with Jesus Christ. the mass media of entertainment. the work of the Kingdom in unique and Immediately, I was compelled to Miraculously, I was elected President world-changing ways. marry my beloved. The week before the of the Episcopal Radio & Television Then, 1983 came, and a meeting wedding, a friend asked me if I wanted Foundation in 1979 and began con - took place that changed everything... to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and ceptualizing another ministry, the Chris - Savior and be filled with His Holy Spirit. tian Film & Television Commission®. I did. During my tenure, the Episcopal Radio 30 th Anniversary Edition ® 5 Movieguide When Christians Pull Out of Culture ® From 1933 to 1966, Christians were one of the MOVIEGUIDE predominant positive forces in Hollywood. During that period, the Roman Catholic Legion of Decency and the Protestant Film Commission (which started IS BORN several years after the Legion of Decency) read every script to ensure that movies represented the largest possible audience by adhering to high standards of decency. As a result, MR. SMITH [went] TO WASH - INGTON, IT [was] A WONDERFUL LIFE, and THE BELLS OF ST. MARY’S rang out across the land! The meeting with George Heim - It took 10 years and God’s Grace acting through rich and his lovely wife Lucille was three dedicated Christian men to position God’s peo - set up in 1983 by the great movie ple to be such a powerful moral influence on Holly - producer Ken Wales. George, the wood. As the videotape HOLLY-WOOD former President of the Protestant UNCENSORED all too clearly demonstrated, prior to Film Office; told me a story; a story the involvement of these Christian men in 1933, where people of faith retreated American movies were morally bankrupt – full of nu - from being salt and light in the cul - dity, perversity, and violence. From 1922 to 1933, ture, and left the entertainment in - churchgoing men and women tried everything, in - dustry, which resulted in the cluding censorship boards, to influence Hollywood to breakdown of morality in movies make wholesome entertainment. and television today. What he said Nothing succeeded until Christians volunteered to changed everything. work alongside the Hollywood studios to help them Inspired by George, I began reach the largest possible audience. Then, in 1932, contacting prominent members of Hollywood invited the church film offices to help the the entertainment industry, and in movie studios fill theater seats, and the movie indus - 1985, formed the Christian Film & ® Jeffrey Katzenberg, Founder and CEO of try turned toward movies and entertainment that the Television Commission ministry Dreamworks consults with Dr. Ted Baehr. ® whole family could see together. and MOVIEGUIDE : The Family, Dreamworks would later go on to release THE PRINCE OF EGYPT in 1998. When the Protestant Film Office closed its advo - Biblical Guide to Movies and En - cacy offices in Hollywood in 1966 (in spite of many tertainment. requests to stay by the top Hollywood filmmakers), In his will, George Heimrich do - Beautiful, Hollywood would notice. not only did it open the floodgates to violence (THE nated his Protestant Film Office The radio program grew and eventu - WILD BUNCH), sex and Satanism (ROSEMARY’S files to the Good News Communi - ally turned into a television program BABY), and perverse anti-religious bigotry (MID - cations, Inc. – Christian Film & Tel - and then a magazine. ® NIGHT COWBOY), it also caused a severe drop in evision Commission ministry, Eight years after Movieguide ® movie attendance from 44 million tickets sold per where they now reside.