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WHO WIELDS the real power in Hollywood? Some say it's the so-called Velvet Mafia (David Geffen and cohorts). Others point to graduates of the legendary William Morris Agency mail room (Mike Ovitz, Barry Diller). The truth is far more bizarre: Tinseltown is actually ruled by a powerful clique of former TV stars from the '70s. Examine the roots of their reign.
ROB REINER Then: Played All in the Family's pinko ''Meathead,'' Mike Stivic. Now: An A-list director of fluff (When Harry Met Sally.) and anti-fluff (Misery); cofounded Castle Rock, a mainstream film factory. Is it a coincidence that...Jack Nicholson's loudmouthed colonel in A Few Good Men is a dead ringer for Archie Bunker?
PENNY MARSHALL Then: Whined her way through Laverne & Shirley (the one with the L on her sweaters). Now: Directs crowd pleasers like A League of Their Own; working on the upcoming The Preacher's Wife. Is it a coincidence that...characters in Big and Awakenings are as developmentally challenged as Lenny and Squiggy?
RON HOWARD Then: Played Happy Days' Richie Cunningham, the Fonz's cardigan-clad, squeaky-clean straight man. Now: Directs working-guys flicks such as Backdraft and The Paper. Is it a coincidence that...Mork, the Happy Days alien, was from outer space and Apollo 13 is about outer space?
DANNY DEVITO Then: Played Louie, the snarling cab dispatcher on Taxi. Now: Directs dark comedies (The War of the Roses), produces darker dramas (Pulp Fiction). Is it a coincidence that...lots of snarling characters populate his movies, including some who drive for a living (see Hoffa)?
LES MOONVES Then: Played a heavy on The Six Million Dollar Man. Now: Quit the top post at Warner Television, where he oversaw Friends and ER, to head up CBS Entertainment. Is it a coincidence that...six million dollars is probably what he pays in taxes?
