CONTACT:     Charles L. Green
       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
       213/736-5075
       11/25/97 


      Over 95,000 Urge Entertainment Industry to "Stop the Smoke Screenings"
Petition display held on Hollywood Boulevard on Great American Smokeout Day November 20

HOLLYWOOD, CA---The American Cancer Society publically displayed nearly
100,000 signatures collected on a statewide petition that urges the
entertainment industry to stop glamorizing tobacco use. The petition,
entitled "Stop the Smoke Screenings," was displayed at the Women in Film
Gazebo on the corner of  Hollywood Boulevard and LaBrea Avenue in Hollywood
Thursday morning, November 20--the American Cancer Society's 21st Great
American Smokeout Day.  The bundles of signatures, wrapped in black and
adorned with the names of celebrities who have died from smoking-related
illnesses, were laid to rest before a replica of the Hollywood sign whose
"O"s had been changed to international no-smoking symbols.  The petition
drive targeted Californians; 38,000 signatures came from Los Angeles County
with word-of-mouth garnering 25,000 signatures from other states.

NBC teen stars and anti-tobacco activists Daniella Deutscher of Hang Time,
Richard Lee Jackson of Saved by the Bell:The New Class, and Caitlin Mowrey
and Marissa Dyan of City Guys helped with the presentation.  NBC's Saturday
morning programming has consistently emphasized the hazards of tobacco, drug
and alcohol use in its storylines.  Immediately following the presentation,
students from the Hollywood High School Performing Arts Center polished
several of the Walk of Fame stars of the 40-plus celebrities who have died
from tobacco-related illnesses.

Smoking in films is pervasive and appears to have an influence on youth.  A
recent study by the University of California Irvine revealed that youths are
enamoured by smoking in the movies, causing them to doubt whether smoking is
unwise and short-sighted.  A University of California San Francisco study
recently reported that more than half of the top-grossing films released
between 1991 and 1996 depicted scenes of tobacco use. In these films, 80% of
the male lead characters and 27% of the female characters smoked.

"Every time an onscreen role model lights up, a teenager gets the message
that smoking is a positive, desirable thing. It's also free publicity for the
tobacco industry," states Alan Henderson, DrPH, president of the American
Cancer Society California Division, and a professor in the Health Science
Department at California State University, Long Beach. "The petition is
asking the entertainment industry to understand and accept responsibility for
their influence on youth. This industry has enormous power over its
audience," states Henderson.

In California, about 300 young people under the age of 18 begin smoking
daily; nearly one-third will eventually die of a tobacco-related illness in
their lifetime. More than 80 percent of smokers began smoking before the age
of 18.  For more information, contact the American Cancer Society at 1(800)
ACS-2345 or contact your local American Cancer Society office.     ###









       AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY LA COUNTY REGION UNITS:
       *Central Los Angeles (213/386-6102), 
       Culver City (310/348-0356), 
       Sherman Oaks (818/905-7766), 
       Pasadena (626/795-7774), Long Beach (562/437-0791), 
       South Central Los Angeles (213/757-9992), 
       Norwalk (562/465-0051), 
       Covina (818/966-9994).
       Canyon Country (805/298-0886).