Captain America offers philosophy
'Rider's' Fonda plays it cool and easy
(Editor's Note: Peter Fonda, producer and star of "Easy Rider," was in Kansas City this past week to share the honor of "Producer of the Year," with the film's executive producer Bert Schneider. The award was featured as part of the United Motion Picture Association's film exhibitors convention, Show-A-Rama.)
It was a usual day at the airport, filled with the everyday people.
By GREG LIGHT Special to the Kansan
At one gate there was an air of anticipation as photographers and high school girls stood waiting. Old ladies getting off the plane looked curiously as they sensed something was happening, but didn't know just what. People were whispering and one lady asked, "Who's all the to do about, anyway?"
To think she didn't know. It was Peter Fonda, star of "Easy Rider."
So there he was, "Captain America," in the midst of everyday people. He stood a little taller than most of the crowd around him, walking easily in
8 KANSAN Mar. 11
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flared Levis and cowboy boots. As his shades flashed in the sunlight, you could only wonder what he was thinking, if he really knew you were there.
And then came the interview. Fonda relaxed in TWA's VIP lounge as if he were on a jet flight. Flashing his magnetic grin, Fonda came down to earth as the TV man began his questions.
Fonda related the message on Easy Rider as simply "We blew it." Chuckling, he caught himself and noted, "that's just too easy to say."
"We have a responsibility beyond what we think it is. The American Dream has been tarnished incredibly, liberty is just a statue in New York harbor and
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we have to re-evaluate our entire journey from the beginning of our life to the end." he said.
position, or whether it is something to be discarded," Fonda said.
He said he feels older people especially need to do this, since the young are still involved in questioning by virtue of their age.
"People need to consider whether retirement is a tenable
Speaking deliberately and sincerely, he suggested, "It's time we took this planet seriously and made it some place to live and not some place where my two children will have to beg for water or gasp for air."
Regarding judgement of the young, Fonda said their hairstyling and dress are superficial, though they reflect certain attitudes relative to what's happening today.
"It's unfair to lay it all off on clothes and hair." be said.
Responding to a remark that "Easy Rider" is just an ad for Honda motorcycles, Fonda said, "Easy goes beyond that."
As for those who regard it as a reflection of freedom he said, "its got nothing to do with freedom, if it did, why me, Peter Fonda. I've got lots of money, and lots of motorcycles and dope, why I'd be out riding right now."
"As for Captain America, he represents everyone who feels freedom can be bought," he said.
Fonda said he feels most older people judge "Easy" on its urtace value and do not come to grips with the moral problem.
When asked about marijuana,
Fonda said, "It's just a weed
that some people smoke and some people don't. Since the young feel falsified on this account, they use pot as a tool against the older generation."
"Actually," he concluded, "it's insignificant to me."
So that was Peter Fonda, cool, smooth, relaxed, deliberate in his choice of words and animated with his expression. Sincecere, concerned—he was doing his own thing in his own time—we should be proud.
Students travel to cities for in-depth study reports
Journalism students enrolled in Backgrounds of the News II will spend their spring vacations traveling throughout the country gathering research material for specialized reports on critical contemporary issues.
Each student will write an indepth article or series of articles on a subject of their own choice related to problems of urbanization.
They will travel individually to the city or area of their choosing. Some have chosen to stay in Kansas to do their research, while others plan to travel to San Francisco, Phoenix and New York.
Students will submit their research plans and estimated expenses this week to their instructor, Calder M. Pickett, professor of journalism. Most students will do their necessary traveling during spring vacation, but their reports will not be completed until May.
Some of the topics students plan to research include studies of urban Indians in Phoenix, Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.'s concentrated aid program at McKinley High School in St. Louis, urban renewal in small Kansas towns, draft dodgers in Canada, and a study of New York Central Park.
One student is planning to tour the Arkansas River Basin to see what progress has been made to open it to shipping. Another student plans to study the conditions of Kansas penal institutions.
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