Disabled Boy, 7, Thrown Out Of Penguin Movie For Laughing Too Loud

WNBC Television ^ | 8/18/2005 | Puppage

[Puppage]

WALLKILL, N.Y. -- The family of a disabled 7-year-old boy want an apology from a Middletown movie theater, because the manager of the theater threw out their boy for laughing too loudly while watching "March of the Penguins."

The parents of Anthony Pratti said the incident happened at the Loew's cineplex at the Galleria Mall at Crystal Run on Sunday afternoon. Their son has cerebral palsy and autism and was enjoying the movie from his wheelchair when a theater worker said he was laughing too loudly and would have to leave.

Gina Pratti said they would try to have their son laugh more quietly, but the manager wanted him to leave.

The manager said the entire family didn't have to go; just the boy in the wheelchair.

Gina Pratti said they were dumbfounded to think the manager suggested leaving their son outside while they all went back into the movie.

The manager refunded everyone's money.

Gina Pratti and her husband have spent the past three days making phone calls and sending e-mails, trying to get someone from Loews to give them an explanation. She said no one has called back.

A representative of the company told the Times Herald-Record in Middletown on Wednesday that they were looking into the situation.

[HairOfTheDog]

One dolt brought his dog, which had a service vest on (it was a chow). Up til this, they're ok. The dolt then proceded to FEED THE BLASTED THING, WITH HIS FORK! Yep, from his plate.

Nothing wrong with that.... feeding the dog with ~YOUR~ fork, from ~YOUR~ plate, now that'd be wrong.

I bet most in a dog show crowd can tolerate a DOG at dinner :~D

[Lester Moore]

Do you have a hissy fit if someone tall sits in front of you at the theater?

I'm 6' 2" so it's usually not a problem.

How about those pesky other drivers on the road? Do you fly into a rage if they drive slower than you like?

No, I push the gas pedal and blow by them.

It's all about you.

My life is about me.

The world should fit itself to your liking.

I'm not asking others to change to my liking, I'm asking others to not be rude, inconsiderate and imposing upon me, trying to force me to change to their liking.

You must be a god.

Just a man who doesn't like being stolen from, abused or taken advantage of.

[Darnright]

>I bet most in a dog show crowd can tolerate a DOG at dinner :~D<

But of course. However, well-mannered people do not feed Phydeaux from forks and plates belonging to a public dining facility, one would hope.

Like I said, a dolt.

[Grig]

"Sorry, if this had been a huge, muscular, stoned biker dude laughing loudly and inappriately he would have been left alone."

If so, THAT is what people should be complaining about.

[SouthernFreebird]

Even the most severely retarded people are less frightening than most stoner's ,but it is easy to see why the retarded will be singled out for correction.

Mentally retarded people are just that, people, they come with the same personality flaws that normal people do. Some are violent, aggressive and devious.There are people on death row that are considered retarded, bad behavior from anyone deserves correction.

You do no favors to a mentally retarded person to have low expectations of them.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

I'd actually like to see the Penguin movie but if I go I'll bring earplugs, just in case . . .

[docbnj]

The family could buy the DVD when it comes out.

I sympathize with the autistic kid, but other people have right, too.

[tuffydoodle]

"Meanwhile, Pratti says she hopes Loews will do whatever it takes to make amends."

I smell a lawsuit.

[tuffydoodle]

"My wife hates it but I will tell anybody anywhere to sit down and shut up if I am wrongfully being disturbed."



"What the hell are you talking about? A mentally handicapped boy laughing too loud constitutes "wrongfully disturbing" you? You don't sound like a man at all. You sound like bully."

Oh, don't worry. One day, he'll tell the wrong person to sit down and shut up.

[Mfkmmof4]

Theater apoligizes for booting family - good! http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/08/18/laughter2.html

[Incorrigible]

Autism Bump.

I'm a little behind on FR these days.

[sarasota]

No problem. I saw this yesterday and this thread actually contains some compassionate responses.

[Incorrigible]

I haven't read the other comments on this thread but there's a reason I don't take my 7 year old to the movies and that's because I think he would be too noisy.

We do go to live shows like Sesame Street Live where audience participation is expected and he doesn't interfere with other's experience in that environment.

I heard the mother on the radio this morning. Sounded like he was more affected by CP than by Autism since he knew how to scribble letters on a paper to communicate. I think it was his attempt to get his parents attention that got the other theater goers attention as well.

[The Toll]

Yes, that is wrongfully disturbing me and I would have no problem telling the parents that they need to handle the situation. I see it as no different than bringing a crying infant into the theater and refusing to excuse themselves when it became disruptive to everyone else. Possibly we are imagining this particular situation differently. I have no problem with someone laughing as loudly as they please but for this to have been considered disruptive by the other patrons I just assumed the child must have been laughing frequently at inappropriate times. As you can see from my response I am not a bully. I have no interest in fighting with you or anyone else, I just loose my patients quickly with the ever growing rude and boorish segment of the population.

[rang1995]

it's a french made movie--EOM