More Publicity For Kentucky

Fonda Film Banned From Ky. Theaters
May 17, 6:47 PM EST

The Associated Press

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky -- The owner of two Kentucky theaters has refused to show the new Jane Fonda film "Monster-in-Law" because of the activist role the actress took during the Vietnam War.

Ike Boutwell, who trained pilots during the Vietnam War, displayed pictures of Fonda clapping with a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft crew in 1972 outside the Elizabethtown Movie Palace to show his disapproval. The marquee outside Showtime Cinemas in nearby Radcliff reads: "No Jane Fonda movie in this theater."

Both theaters are just a few miles from the Army post of Fort Knox, south of Louisville.

"I think when people do something, they need to be held responsible for their actions," Boutwell said. "When you give the enemy aid, it makes the war last longer."

Fonda has apologized for being photographed on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun, but not for opposing the war.

"Monster-in-Law" raked in more than $23 million last weekend as the top-grossing movie across the country, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc. In the film, Fonda plays Jennifer Lopez's villainous prospective mother-in-law, trying to stop Lopez from marrying her son.

Sal Mancuso, an Elizabethtown resident, said he personally thanked Boutwell for not showing the film.

"I think Vietnam veterans appreciate this," said Mancuso, who fought in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam war. "There is no defense for what she did."

Boutwell also banned previous Jane Fonda films, as well as Michael Moore's film, "Fahrenheit 9/11."

 

The last time Kentucky got national publicity (other than the Kentucky Derby) was last summer when our governor's plane flew into restricted air space over D.C. during Ronald Regan's funeral and was almost shot down.

I commend Ike Boutwell, the owner of the theaters, for taking a stand for his beliefs.  But from a business standpoint, I think he could have handled this differently and still not have compromised his integrity.  The old public relations saying goes "even bad publicity is still publicity" applies here.  Even my 71-year old parents, who haven't been to the movie theater in a dozen years, knew about this and asked me what was up with the new Jane Fonda and J-Lo movie.  My advice to Ike would have been to simply not show the movie, and not advertise that he wasn't showing the movie.  If movie goers go to a theater and see that "Monster-In-Law" is not listed on the marquee, they're going to to know that the theater isn't showing that movie.  And I'm sure they looked at the movie listings in the newspaper or online before they went, just to make sure the movie they want to see is playing there before they make the trek to the theater.