As was the case the last time I devoted a “From the Archive” entry to one of the newscast portions of our late radio show The Reel Thing, I need to credit a different writer. While I occasionally found a story for inclusion on the station’s AP wire, the show-opening news rundown was almost entirely the province of my esteemed, gifted colleague on the program. This group of stories led the episode that roughly corresponded with the current weekend, twenty-six years ago. He took the picture above, too.

The Birmingham, Alabama News says it won’t run ads for Henry & June, the first film to receive the Motion Picture Association of America’s new NC-17 rating. In an editorial, the paper said it would not review or accept ads for NC-17 movies, although it would consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis. This is similar to the policy that many newspapers had for films rated X. Universal Pictures says it will tag Birmingham-area radio ads and perhaps TV ads with information on the theater location and movie times.

Legal action is being taken by the director and co-producer of the hit film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles against the film’s distributor. Director Steve Barron and producer Simon Fields are suing Golden Harvest Films, Inc. for $5 million, saying that the company guaranteed them salary plus ten percent of the film’s net profits. The movie has grossed $140 million in the U.S. alone.

The life story of Roy Orbison is slated for big-screen treatment, and the film will include previously unreleased early recordings and songs recorded during the process of Orbison’s last album, Mystery Girl. Orbison’s widow, Barbara, and producer Steve Tisch are discussing the details with Warner Bros.

A couple more casting decisions announced for Steven Spielberg’s re-telling of the Peter Pan story, Hook. Bob Hoskins has been signed as a pirate to be named later, and the production now has a Tinker Bell; it’s Julia Roberts.

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to block showings of The Last Temptation of Christ, rejecting an appeal by three Pennsylvanians who say it is blasphemous. The court, without comment, let stand a ruling that the 1988 film is protected by free-speech rights. A state judge in Pittsburgh threw out the offending group’s suit in 1988.

On October 20th, 20th Century Fox will be throwing a massive party on its lot to celebrate both the 15th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and its home video release in early November, and rumor has it that Fox may use this date as occasion to announce plans for a sequel.

Hollywood’s honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, recently returned from a visiting U.S. troops during a seven-day trip to Saudi Arabia. While there, he conducted an informal poll to learn which Tinseltown celebs our boys want to have visit them. Top vote getters? For male stars, it was Arnold Schwarzenegger, and for the ladies, Miss Paula Abdul.

And the top five films this weekend at the U.S. box office:

5. Goodfellas, with $3.7 million

4. Fantasia, with $3.9 million

3. Ghost, with $4.2 million

2. Memphis Belle, with $5 million

1.  Marked for Death, with $7.4 million