Fond of Fonda

While channel-surfing last night, I stumbled upon Jane Fonda being interviewed by the insufferable Piers Morgan – when is that man going to receive his comeuppance, anyway? – and was surprised and impressed by how poised, strong and compelling she was. And Anita and I agreed that she must have discovered either the Fountain of Youth or the best plastic surgeon because she looked at least 30 years younger than her real age of 74.

I didn’t realize how much I dig Jane Fonda as an actress until I checked out her page at the Internet Movie Database and was reminded of the fantastic roles she’s played. (I admit I love a good movie.) I was just six years old when “Barbarella,” the campy 1968 science fiction comedy that made her famous, came out and I’ve never seen it. I’ve also never seen “Klute” or “Coming Home,” the two films for which she won Oscars, nor did I see her critically-acclaimed performances in “Cat Ballou,” “The Morning After” or “Julia.”

But I liked her in the 1967 film, “Barefoot in the Park,” with co-star Robert Redford, and loved her in the dark 1969 movie, “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” with Michael Sarrazin and Gig Young. And her portrayal of investigative reporter Kimberly Wells in “The China Syndrome,” a movie about safety issues at a nuclear power plant, was quite memorable to me; the prescient film, which co-starred Michael Douglas, Jack Lemmon and Wilford Brimley, came out 12 days before a real meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

I was among the millions who saw her in 1980’s “Nine to Five” with Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin and in 1981’s “On Golden Pond” with her father, Henry Fonda, and Kate Hepburn. I remember being touched by the film but I’ve forgotten what it was about.

In Vietnam

I remember learning about the “Hanoi Jane” controversy too – when Fonda angered many Americans by visiting Hanoi in July 1972 and being photographed on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft weapon – but I filed it away as part of her anti-war activism, which I respect.

I also respect her advocacy for civil and women’s rights – including her opposition to genital mutilation and the treatment of Afghan women under the Taliban and her work to prevent teen pregnancy – and her efforts to support Native Americans.

She’s weighed in on the Israel-Palestine conflict too, protesting Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and incurring the wrath of right-wing Israelis in the process. She opposed the Iraq war, as did I, and survived breast cancer and being married to egomaniacal CNN founder Ted Turner for ten years.

With Tom Hayden

Although she’d probably frown on my pointing to her marriage to activist Tom Hayden – whom I’ve met and respect a lot – from 1973 to 1990 as an “achievement,” I‘d be remiss if I didn’t include this as one more reason why I think she’s the cat’s meow.

I liked how she refused to answer questions she felt unqualified to pontificate about (like when Morgan asked her why this country has become so greedy). I liked when she said we should be taxing the rich and, to paraphrase, that we might think twice about going to war if we actually had to pay the tab instead of passing it to future generations. And I liked how she didn’t feel compelled to fill every moment with her voice like other interviewees; when she was finished answering a question, she let the silence prompt Morgan to ask another. Her confidence was cool and it was clear that she’s much more than a Hollywood icon.

If any of my readers knows Jane Fonda, feel free to pass her contact info along. I’d love to interview her and I promise not to ask which movie role was her favorite or what it was like to know Michael Jackson.

Jane and Henry Fonda.

I'm not sure why I like this photo so much but I do.

Source: IMDb.com.