Posted on 08/18/2005 10:30:02 AM PDT by 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.
dI have been in many a restaurant with kids screaming and no one said anything, guess having fun is not allowed
Didn't know ol' BS filmed an autobiography.
Other disruptive people certainly do get thrown out if ushers notice it or someone complains, that's not the point.
If the child is very loud, disabled or not, it might ruin the movie for everyone else in the theater just to accommodate him.
That said, giving them the option of just sending the boy out.... well, that's got to be one of those things that guy should wish he never said. ;~D
I think the ADA needs serious scaling back. (But will never happen.)
One expects little kids to make noise, but one does not expect little kids at 10 PM showings of PG-13 movies. If I had been at a Harry Potter movie screening on a Saturday afternoon, I would have put up with it as a fact of life. But not at 10PM. Get a babysitter, people.
I would understand if the movie was Schindlers List.....
But since this guy is your fairly typical movie theater manager, this is not surprising.
If it really were impossible to continue to run the movie under those circumstances, the theater should have offered the family a private screening. That way the customer is happy, the other patrons are happy, and your theater staff does not look like a bunch of ignorant goons.
Ahem! "Penguin Movie". Where's the slapping penguin?
Not when I paid $8.50 a ticket. If the parents cannot control their kid, they can buy the DVD and view it at home.
But given the existence of the onerous and inflexible Americans with Disabilities Act, the request was extremely $toopid, and will cost Loews lots of $$$$$.
They were disrupting the movie for the rest of the audience. At least the manager refunded their money. Good for him--hope he gets a promotion.
I've been saying that for years! Problem is.....they don't.
Now he's going to be scarred for life. I'm guessing we'll be reading about a young man in a wheel chair robbing a 7-11 at gunpoint next.
>>Autistic kids are people too<<
Amen!
My nephew runs a movie theater in Cleveland. You know what he would have done? Explained that there were patrons there that could not hear the film. Ask the family if it would be alright to have a private showing the next day or weekend. Give the kid some free popcorn and movie posters. Everyone is happy.
The parent, if given a proper explaination, would be very understanding. How much better than to please the other customer while giving the child a great time in a theater??
Managers are given free passes to hand out and have the ability to run the platters any time they want. What wonderful PR for the theater as well!
This film is rated G so one would expect to find it full of families with small children.
The management should have found a better way to deal with it, or at least tried something else before just booting the boy to the curb. Maybe free candy, popcorn, or a drink would have quieted the boy down.
And, laughing loudly no doubt.
One outburst, nicely timed and appropriate, can be fun for everyone. That's not the same as loud laughing throughout the entire film by a child who is just unable to contain himself.
Shows you the IQ of people who work at movie theaters.
Sounds like the manager was in a no-win situation here, and I'm not sure I would have done anything differently.
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